Engine overheating. Engine light was coming on so saw that antifreeze was low. I got antifreeze and put in the resevior. I drove it for a while, ? maybe 4 days. Engine light was still coming on. Then stoped. Then no engine light was on and after a 40 mile round trip w. 2 hr stop inbetween. when I arrived home and parked steam came out. Later, I checked antifreeze and was low again. Is it the thermostat?

You have a reservoir that has fluid level markings for hot and cold for the coolant fill it to the full mark for cold after the engine is cooled down. If this is the reservoir that burst and it leaks then replace it. If the engine just overheated and boiled the antifreeze out then find out why and fix that issue.

I was driving at about 65 mph on the highway and the first thing i noticed was the trac off light blinking on and off. Also, there was some sporadic sound coming from somewhere and thought nothing of it. Then, I couldnt accelerate anymore and pulled to the side right away as the engine was thumping. Opened the hood and saw smoke coming out. I had also put antifreeze in the car a few days ago and it was bone dry. So apparently, I have a leak. I tried to start the car again after an hour and half with antifreeze in the car and nothing. Anyone have any suggestions??? I should mention that i do hear the engine trying to ignite but it sounds like its misfiring and it won't start.

You have an air bubble at the top of the engine.
The antifreeze spewing out of the overflow happens due to your perfectly functional radiator cap
passing the overheated coolant/air mixture out of the system into the reservior (in an attempt
to relieve overpressurization of the cooling system)
The sudden nature of your overheating comes from the boiling of the inadequate amount of
coolant/antifreeze in your engine, since it cant properly cool the engine, so it boils (overheats quickly), and pressure rises immediately within the cooling system.
The Fix is free: locate and open the (air) bleeder port at the top of the engine, and add the usual
50% coolant/50% water mixture to the radiator until the radiator is full to the level indicated in
your owner's manual (or the "Full" line). Then close the bleeder port and replace the rad (radiator)
cap.
The air bleeder port is normally located near the thermostat, and should be opened each time
that coolant is added to the radiator. The air bleeder port need not be opened when adding
50/50 coolant to the reservior, since the rad cap is going to be closed while adding coolant
to this part of the cooling system.
Warning: driving beyond the point where your engine temperature gauge indicates overheating will
destroy the car's engine - it'll seize up due to overheating, and the only fix for a seized/burned-up
engine is replacement (of the engine). Seizing an engine is really easy with an air bubble in the
top of the engine - you could easily burn up/warp the head, necessitating replacement of the head
and head gasket.

Hi,
You did well by shutting down quickly.
Why did the water come out when you stopped after the fan belt broke???
Residual engine heat. The engine has fiery explosions going on in the cylinders. Very hot.
Antifreeze flowing through the water jackets of the engine carry this heat away. Fan belt breaks, water pump stops pumping this very hot coolant away, engine temp goes up.
Thus the coolant temp rises enough to boil and push the coolant past the pressurized radiator cap out the overflow onto the ground.
I would recommend a fifty fifty blend of antifreeze and water for coolant. It just cools better.
Not seeing any leaks is very good. Smart thinking on your part saved you money.
Wayne

something is strange here thats for sure ,firstly take thermostat out and put it in a saucepan of water and boil it to see if opens .,check the oil light switch and pull the rubber boot cover back to see if any oil is behind it ??.-You are buying trouble with a car with such a high mileage on it ,never buy anything with more than 50,000 miles or you are just buying someones rubbish

Driving the truck without a thermostat won't necessarily hurt the engine. It will take longer to get heat and it will be sporadic because the coolant is always circulating. Oil in antifreeze could come from 2 places, transmission cooler in rad if you have an automatic. The lines inside will occasionally start leaking. The other is from the engine, usually a head gasket leaking. My suspicion is that you have a leaking head gasket. This would explain the over heating with oil in the coolant. Take it in and get a pressure test on the rad or a compression test on the engine. This should confirm or eliminate the head gasket. Hope this helps.

WATER PUMP

it is most likely coming out of the weep hole at the water pump or the plastic fittings on the water pump to upper intake manifold they are black in color ands are L shaped with O-rings

check for a hole at the bottom of the coolant reserviour bottle

HI. It could possibly be the the thermostat is stuck shut. If thats the case when the vehicle warms up it will probably overheat all the time. The best way to tell is buy a new one and change it. They are usualy around $10.00 at any autoparts store. If you change it and it still overheats, it could be the waterpump.