Radiator cracked , and overheated I30

[Bishopxm]

I was driving on the expressway no indication of overheat... The car stalled out out.... I pulled over & pop the hood ... noticed that the radiator had a large crack on top of the tank... now the car will not turn over... is there a overheat protection switch that shuts down the engine and wont allow it to start? This is my first major breakdown and need all the help I can get

[maxhopper]

Damn, sorry about the bad luck. Replace the radiator, refill the coolant, and reset the ECU (directions can be found in the FAQ sticky at the top of the forum).

If it got hot enough to shut down, I would definitely be worried about the heads warping. The VQ is an aluminum engine, and subject to distortions at high temps more so than an iron block.

You should also pressure testing the coolant system, to see if the head gasket is bad.

[Bishopxm]

I couldnt find the thread for resetting the ECU....I looked for hours...thanks

BishopXM

[MinisterofDOOM]

It's under 4th gen in the FAQ thread: "How to retrieve your CEL codes." Reset instructions are at the very bottom.

[Bishopxm]

Max, I just got bad news form the shop.... They repaced the radiator....tried to start it ...couldnot get it started, they said that the water had shorted out the starter, starterreplaced they crancked it over and then they notified me that the car was still overheating....and that I needed to change the thermostat, I went over to the shop....by this time they had already soaked me for $675 dollars....I ask them to show me what they had done and asked them to start the car for me so I could see for myself if it was overheating since I had no indication the firet time when the radiator blew... I got the mechanic to start the car up , or I should say attempt to start it but he was having a hard time .... I immediately told ihm to stop....My car had always started within a second or two of turning over the key.... I knew something was not right. I went and opened the hood and checked the oil and found "chocolate" since this indicated that the heads must be warped . What is the best course of action to take.... the mechanic says just labor alone is over $2500.... any suggestions. thanks in advance for the help

BishopXM (for the moment I30'less)

[rxm6]

Thats cr@p!!! $2500, he is really trying to soak you on this one. What does he charge $500 an hour?

For that price, you might as well buy another engine. Or, find a new mechanic.

I just walked over to the mechanic next door to where I work and he says its marked as 21 hours labour, but in reality its about 17 to a mechanic who knows what he's doing and has worked on the car before. He said with parts and labour, total cost should be somewhere around $2500 TOTAL. Anymore than that, they are either Porsche mechanics or giving you the long distance runaround.

[maxhopper]

Yeah it's pretty rediculous, but it takes more labor to replace one head gasket than to remove and replace the entire engine.

My advise would be to look for a motor on http://www.car-parts.com, or a trusted local junk yard (usually around $800). Then see if you can round up some friends to help you swap out motors.

[Bishopxm]

I just wanted your opinion on the JDM Engines that appear on the internet accross the country most supposedly have less than 50,000 miles and can be bought for $650 to $1000.... any thoughtsthanksBishopXM

[MinisterofDOOM]

JDM takeouts can be a good option. A lot of them have fairly low miles and have been treated decent. Just make sure you're careful not to get one that's been abused.

[maxhopper]

The best place I've heard to deal with is http://www.soko.com. Give them a call, they have one of the longest warranties around.

[Bishopxm]

I found a mechanic that will repair my engine for parts plus $900, He is replacing the oil and water pump,and lifters, machining the heads....He seems to know what he is doing, is there anything that I should do before he puts it all back together?thanks for all the help and suggestions

BishopXM

[maxhopper]

If the mechanic thinks there are lifters in an DOHC engine, then I would probably look for another mechanic.

If you machine the heads, just make sure the valve clearances are adjusted accordingly. Also be sure to use new head bolts (like ARP).

[Bishopxm]

Just to clarify my statement he knows its not lifters but since I am not familiar with what they are called.... I called them lifters for my lack of knowledge of the correct terms , I am very happy that he's very knowledgeable and in my opinion very reasonably priced. He also suggested that the water pump and oil pump should be changed to prevent having to go back in and replace them later should they fail. Its a small mom and pop shop but he has ASE certified mechanics.

BishopXM

[maxhopper]

Cool. Just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to get screwed over. It is a very wise idea to go ahead and do the water and oil pump, as they are a bear to change with the motor in the car.

Also realize that the lower intake plenum may have to be worked as well with the heads being machined. As you take material off the bottom of the heads, it will expand the distance of anything mounted to the top of the heads (I can't recall at the moment if the lower plenum mounts to the heads or the raised middle portion of the block itself).