2003 Infiniti g35 - Overheating !!!! please help

[crazyboy3012]

2003 Infiniti G35 sedan. 130K miles (US Car). Coolant flush and refill in 2011 oct . Oil changed every 3 months or 3000 miles whatever came first. Used Pennzoil @ the the local lube center. Still running on original plugs.

Ok !!! Keeping my fingers crossed...but here are the details.

On sunday evening I went to the automatic car was and got the car washed. On the drive back home i noticed the temp gauge increase from the mid level (which is where i have always seen it over the last 7 yrs) towards the higher end. I turned of the in cabin heating and slowed the car...I was very close to my house so I decide to drive instead of pulling over...the temp indicator never went all the way up to "H"

After few hrs, i opened the hood and noticed that the coolant level in the overflow box was below min. I had no coolant in stock...so on monday morning i went to walmart and got Prestone 50/50 coolant and filled up the overflow tank to the max level. I proceeded to work which is about 15 mins drive on the freeway and i noticed that the car did not overheat...the temp indicator was right around the mid range between "H" and "C". One thing I did notice is that when I turned on the heat in the cabin, it blew ambient air.

On my way back home yesterday the car was running allright until a couple of minutes before i entered my driveway the temp indicator started rising up mid way between mid and "H".

I stopped at the driveway, let the car cool. Looked online for possible problems. Found a thread that explained how to bleed the cooling system so this morning I opened the radiator cap and noticed that the coolant was not all the way to the top...so I added about 2 cups of coolant that brought it up to the cap level...the coolant at the overflow tank is at the max level. I turned on the car and let it idle for 10 mins...when the car warmed up I revd it to 3000 rpm for 10 s about 2-3 times and then turned on the heat and to my amazement the in cabin heating worked like a charm. I drove around the neighborhood for about 10 mins and i noticed that the temp gauge was steady at the mid level. the heating worked fine. Also i could hear the fluid (water) flowing.

Also, checked the oil level yesterday and today and the level seems ok and the oil is not mucky..i.e i don't think the oil and coolant have come in contact...hope not. One think i did notice was a slight white fumes from the tail pipe...i know thats not good news.

Not sure what the problem is. I Called the infiniti dealership and they quoted me 109$ for a diagnostic test. I have just given my car at the dealership and received a courtesy car.

My wife is 39 weeks pregnant and a baby is due any moment...I have to take her for her 39th week chk up this afternoon. With all this stress I took a day off work..... I just cannot cope with an unreliable car at the moment...for my piece of mind, i gave it at the dealership for diagnostic and got a courtesy car in return that way i have a mode of transmission.

What do you guys think?

1. leak in the cooling system
2. water pump
3. thermostat
4. head gasket (hope not)

any other possibilities?

Appreciate your feedback and advice as always.

Once I hear from the dealership I'll let you guys know what they found out during the diagnostics.

Thanks in advance.

[crazyboy3012]

Trying to attach a photo using photobucket

[telcoman]

1. leak in the cooling system
2. water pump
3. thermostat
4. head gasket (hope not)

1. leak in the cooling system Possible
2. water pump Also possible
3. thermostat replace it
4. head gasket (hope not) doubt it

Are the fans working?

Congrats on the baby. More important than a 12 year old car

The dealer should let you know soon.

Lucky you have a loaner

Good luck

Telcoman

[crazyboy3012]

Thanks Telcoman !!!

I have not heard from the dealership today...hopefully I'll hear from them tomorrow morning.

They usually don't give out a loaner car but I did explain my situation on the phone and they gave me a Nissan Micra

[crazyboy3012]

The dealership called me this afternoon and quoted 1175 $ (tax incl) for changing the radiator, upper and lower hose and the thermostat. Apparently they did a leak test to arrive at the conclusion.

I went into the dealership and spoke to the technician and he mentioned that changing the radiator is a must, the hose and the thermostat are not mandatory but as well get it done while you change the radiator.

After talking to the infiniti dealership on the phone and before paying them a visit I walked into a local radiator specialist garage that is close to my work place and I requested a quote from them.

Radiator - Tax + labor =350$ (including the cost of coolant) (one year warranty on the radiator)
Thermostat - 130$ labor 45$
Both the hoses - around 15$ each.

Does that look like an honest estimate?

Couple of questions though. What is the rough price of a good radiator? The range I saw online was between 75-200$ Can anyone suggest a good brand or P/N?

Whats the typical labor hrs required to swap the radiator?

Does the price of thermostat look ok? I was hoping it will be cheaper. Rock auto reflects the cost between 13-57$

I am thinking of just putting in a new radiator and the 2 hoses from the radiator specialist garage...should cost me less than 400$. Why pay the additional 175$ for the thermostat ? Thoughts...comments?

Appreciate your response as always.

Thanks !!

[telcoman]

Call or visit the dealer parts department and ask for a quote for the radiator, thermostat, and hoses

The price of the parts if you purchase them may very well be lower than what you were quoted by the service department.

If the price is indeed lower then try to negotiate the labor price for the install lower after you purchase the parts and hand them to service for installation

Good luck

Telcoman

[crazyboy3012]

UPDATE

Got a new radiator (KOYORAD) installed for 350 (parts + labor)

Drove the G a little more aggressively than usual...so far so good...no overheating.

[crazyboy3012]

very Weird !!!!

On friday afternoon @ lunch I overheard my colleague talk to someone that her car overheated right after she got out of an automatic car wash. I spoke to her and found out that she has a 2011 altima and that 2 weeks ago she went to an automatic car wash and right after the car wash the engine temp gauge went towards the "H" and she lost cabin heat (stuck thermostat). She also had a check engine light. Her brother had an OBD2 and got rid of the check engine light and bled the cooling system and since then her car is running fine.

I did a quick search online and found few threads about nissans, BMW etc overheating right after a car wash. Any idea why?

http://www.nissanclub.com/forums/2007-2 ... -wash.html

Just out of curiosity, did anyone have to replace the radiators in their G? At what milage? My car has 130 k Miles (200k kms).

How long does radiators last?