Water not circulating radiator engine running hot

Hi Kim,

I can feel your frustration. It sounds like you've done all the logical stuff already. The "donut hole" in your process would seem to be not changing the water pump. The water pump as you might imagine, is responsible for circulating (pumping) the relatively cool water in the radiator into the running engine that contains the hot water. Hoses connect the two together. A thermostat is between the radiator and the engine. Once the water in the running engine gets to a certain temperature, the thermostat opens allowing the water pump to send cool water into the engine and hot water out to the radiator to be cooled. The heater core is usually on the passenger side firewall area.

It sounds like the water pump is the only thing left to change - if it isn't working - it can't circulate the water - and will result in overheating. Lastly, a clogged heater core shouldn't cause the engine to overheat - in fact, if the engine begins to overheat, you should turn the heat to HIGH fan and HIGH temperature to help remove some of the heat in the coolant.

Good luck!

Yes, you are running hot from leaking all your coolant out. No one can tell you where it is leaking without looking at it. Could be a hose leaking, the radiator, a bad head gasket or intake gasket, the water pump...if coolant is leaking from the front of the engine, that could be the water pump or radiator hose or a water pump gasket. Pretty common for the water pump to leak when it is worn out, that's how you know when to change it.

When you fill the radiator and overflow tank back up to full, does the engine still run hot? If it does, I would not advise running it-have a shop diagnose it before more serious damage occurs. Head gasket repairs can get very expensive-that is the danger you are facing, and if the head gasket has already gone bad from overheating, continued running of the engine can cause you to have to replace the engine. Overheating is a major cause of early engine failure.

Try to determine where the leak is, from where it drips off the engine. The coolant constantly circulates from the engine to the radiator and back into the engine. The heater hoses circulate coolant from the engine to the heater core in the heater case and back into the engine. Besides the overflow tank, these are the only places coolant would be on the car. The engine can leak coolant from a lot of places, but if leaking to the outside, you should be able to spot where it is coming from. Good luck.

check for water coolant circulation. either you might have a clogged radiator or faulty water pump. to check the radiator after you run the engine for a while switch it off and try to find an easy access to radiator vents and touch all surface to see whether is all ho or if is some,then you remove it and send it for cleaning. as regards water pump,take the thermostat out put water in and start the engine follow the water circulation when you rev.if it rotates the water pump is working if is steady and coming upwards to over flow then the water pump is faulty. Also the other possibility is the matrix to be clogged..

For car running hot and overheating issues, I suggest to you go through this help links. Click this link below and go through the troubleshooting procedure to take care of the problems: ----Car runs hot? http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/car-runs-hot-in-traffic.html
-----------All types of car overheating problems and troubleshooting?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2011/11/all-types-of-car-overheating-problems.html
Car freeze overnight and started overheating while driving?http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/car-freeze-overnight-and-started.html-----------Engine Overheats and heater blowing cold?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/engine-overheats-and-heater-blowing.html

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Car overheats and Air blows hot at idle?
http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/car-overheats-and-air-blows-hot-at-idle.html
--------overheating? http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/buick-century-overheating.html
----------Car engine Overheats and transmission starts slipping?http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/car-engine-overheats-and-transmission.html
----------This details will help.Thanks.

Bad Head Gasket

Overheating can seriously damage a car's engine if left unchecked. Although overheating simply means that a car's engine temperature exceeds normal operating temperatures, the causes of overheating are varied. What follows is a brief list of some of the most common causes of engine overheating.

Faulty Radiator
1. A car that overheats will often have a faulty radiator. A radiator is responsible for cooling hot engine coolant that picks up heat from inside a car's running engine. A radiator "radiates" the heat from engine coolant out into the outside air. A faulty radiator loses its "radiating" effects and allows engine coolant to become overheated, thus rendering it ineffective at adequately cooling and engine.
Faulty Water Pump
2. A faulty or malfunctioning water pump prevents adequate engine coolant flow and can cause a car to overheat. A water pump serves to pressurize and propel engine coolant throughout a car's engine and radiator to increase the heat-reducing capabilities of engine coolant. A faulty water pump loses its ability to adequately pump and propel engine coolant, and can cause a car to overheat.
Coolant System Leaks
3. A leaky engine coolant system reduces the level of circulating engine coolant, which increases engine temperature and leads to engine overheating. Radiators, water pumps, and coolant system hoses and seals--all of these coolant system parts can develop leaks, which can result in low coolant levels and engine overheating.
Faulty Thermostat
4. A car thermostat regulates the flow of engine coolant. A thermostat is a heat-sensitive valve that opens when a car engine reaches a set operating temperature and closes when a car engine is cold and warming up. If a thermostat gets stuck in the closed position, coolant will be prevented from reaching the engine, which will quickly lead to engine overheating and potential engine damage.
Low Engine Oil Level
5. Engine oil, in addition to lubricating an engine's internal parts, helps to keep engine operating temperatures reduced by eliminating friction within the engine. If engine oil levels are low, friction and heat build up inside an engine, a condition that causes increased engine operating temperatures and can lead to engine overheating.

Overheating can be numerous things: Fans not working, water pump, thermostat, overflow cap, and the list keeps going. When the engine is running and heats ups, feel the heat of the top hose, if the hose isn't hot, the thermostat is most likely stuck open and needs replaced. If it is hot we know you have circulation. The cap on the expansion tank may be defective, if it can't hold the pressure of the water, it will release at the overflow cap if the cap is bad. Also check the coolant level.

1st you need to make sure no air in your system open you radaiator cap and your heater to max and see if air bubles or circulation is going on fill up accordingly otherwise you have blockage in your system or water pump if no circulation ////make sure no bubles all bubles should be gone////look for coolant circulation in your radiator make sure your thermostat is not defective or placed in the right position.

what about the water pump? is the water circulating
is the electric fan working? check all these things outlook in the radiator see if the water is circulating feel the top hose is it cold or hot when the engine is runing

1. start the engine and leave the radiator cap open.
2. put a cardboard cover or a rug in the front of you radiator.
3. let it runs 20 minutes or more, see if it is overheated and see the water or coolant in the radiator circulated or not. If not, as soon as you have already changed water pump. thermostate and check the hoses, no leak, I think your radiator was blocked.

Did you put stop leak before?