Hi there!
My car's (a 2001 QX4 with about 145,000 miles) check engine light went on recently and i soon noticed that my temperature gauge was in the the H (hot) end.
I happen to be close to my mechanic so i took it to him...He plugged in his diagnoser and it came back with two codes....P0217 for engine over-heating condition and P1131 for Swirve Control Solenoid Valve Circuit.
He initially thought that replacing the thermostat would fix P0217 and then we would not have to worry about P1131.
My mechanic ordered the thermostat but before replacing it, he said that during a test drive, he noticed the heat suddenly go off so ran some kind of test by disconnecting one of the coolant systems hoses, sticking the hose from the radiator into a cup full of water to check for bubbles while the engine was running....He did find bubbles and decided that my gasket head needs to be replace to the tune of about $2000.
I told him that i needed to think about making the investment because i also have a small leak in the main rear seal which is another huge expense to fix.
I want to get another mechanic's opinion and plan to raise replacing the radiator as a possible solution...It seemed to work for one of the other Nico club member in fixing an over-heating problem but I am not sure if it was a permanent fix....So i want to check with you all to see if any of you have any suggestions.
Hope you're reading and would really appreciate any advice you could make.
Cheers!
InfinityLady
Posts: 11
Joined: 07 Oct 2009 14:18
P0217 - Replace thermostat or head gasket?
-
InfinityLady
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 3:18 pm
P0217 - Replace thermostat or head gasket?
Last edited by InfinityLady on Thu Mar 26, 2015 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
rgk
- Posts: 588
- Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 4:48 am
- Car: 02 Pathfinder LE 3.5 auto 4x4
- Location: Indiana Dunes National Park
Re: P217 - Replace thermostat or head gasket?
Your mechanic should have performed a leakdown test to check for leaks in the coolant system and head. Have your second opinion do it.
A leaking head gasket will often cause coolant to get sucked into and burned by the engine, causing a low coolant level, often without any sign of a leak. Is your coolant level below the 'low' mark in the coolant tank?
Lack of coolant will cause your engine to overheat. Overheating an engine will cause a head to warp, and a head gasket to blow. This can be repaired, but it means lots of time and money. A V-6 engine has two heads, both of which are probably warped and will have to be milled. This can get pretty expensive, upwards of $2,000 parts and labor.
A leaking head gasket will often cause coolant to get sucked into and burned by the engine, causing a low coolant level, often without any sign of a leak. Is your coolant level below the 'low' mark in the coolant tank?
Lack of coolant will cause your engine to overheat. Overheating an engine will cause a head to warp, and a head gasket to blow. This can be repaired, but it means lots of time and money. A V-6 engine has two heads, both of which are probably warped and will have to be milled. This can get pretty expensive, upwards of $2,000 parts and labor.
-
InfinityLady
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 3:18 pm
Re: P0217 - Replace thermostat or head gasket?
RGK:
Thanks for your quick response....I think he did say that he replaced the water and to watch the water level since i asked him if it was safe to drive while i think doing the head gasket repair.
I will ask my other mechanic about the "leakdown" test.
Thanks again!
Thanks for your quick response....I think he did say that he replaced the water and to watch the water level since i asked him if it was safe to drive while i think doing the head gasket repair.
I will ask my other mechanic about the "leakdown" test.
Thanks again!
-
rgk
- Posts: 588
- Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2014 4:48 am
- Car: 02 Pathfinder LE 3.5 auto 4x4
- Location: Indiana Dunes National Park
Re: P0217 - Replace thermostat or head gasket?
No problem. I don't mean to scare you, but overheating generally means death for a car engine.
Regardless of whether it overheated because of a thermostat or a coolant leak, overheating will cause the head gasket to blow. The vacuum created in the system will cause the car to run poorly, and the lack of pressure in the cooling system will cause the coolant to run hotter, quickly deteriorating your hoses. By far the worst aspect of all this is coolant penetrating your engine, and getting into the oil. This will spell an early death for the engine.
I once overheated a four cylinder engine with one head and, except for a machine shop milling the head, performed all the work myself. The job still ran me about $750, since, in addition to the head gasket, there were also head bolts and other gaskets I had to replace. Also, as long as I had everything disconnected I went ahead and replaced some other parts. Specialty tools, too, are not cheap.
Regardless of whether it overheated because of a thermostat or a coolant leak, overheating will cause the head gasket to blow. The vacuum created in the system will cause the car to run poorly, and the lack of pressure in the cooling system will cause the coolant to run hotter, quickly deteriorating your hoses. By far the worst aspect of all this is coolant penetrating your engine, and getting into the oil. This will spell an early death for the engine.
I once overheated a four cylinder engine with one head and, except for a machine shop milling the head, performed all the work myself. The job still ran me about $750, since, in addition to the head gasket, there were also head bolts and other gaskets I had to replace. Also, as long as I had everything disconnected I went ahead and replaced some other parts. Specialty tools, too, are not cheap.
Re: P0217 - Replace thermostat or head gasket?
A leak down test should have been done. Two rings you can do on your own would be to pull the oil dipstick. Does it look like oil or does it gray and milky. Gray and milky means you have a blown headgasket. You can also take your oil cap off and look for the same gray milky fluid.