nath8642 Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 So today i decided to go on a week break to Clethorpes a 73 Mile trip from my home town in Pontefract. Anyway having only got 2 mile away from Clethorpes i noticed steam coming from my engine and an overheating from out of nowhere. I quickly pulled up as gave my car a break i wasn't pushing it hard there was adequate amounts of coolant and oil in the car so i found this strange. When i popped the hood i found the coolant bottle bubbling everywhere and everything was roasting, i also noticed a puddle accumulating at the bottom of my car which could have been from the boiling bottle and steam i don't know. Reluctantly i decided to carry n with m journey only being 2 mile away as there was plenty of fluid left and for another strange reason it had gone way over the max line. However while driving i noticed the temperature going down but when i stopped in traffic it began to rise. When i arrived i popped the hood to see if i could spot anything and to cool it down and there was nothing left in the cooling tank i filled it with ordinary water and it virtually vanished a couple of minute later 3 more cup fills i decided to leave it and check after my walk down the beach. The engine has cooled down and the water seems to have maintained its level. i daren't go out in it now or forbid the drive home. Anyone else hear know whats going on if there seems to be an obvious fault or just a overheating as it was a hot day and around 10 mile away i was stuck in long queues in a low gear as its an automatic the long queues was due to an air show being on and it was constantly stop and go so maybe this was a factor, i don't know. So nay help you guys can give me would be great and what to look out for if it's knackered or not. Thanks in advance will look forward to hearing from you all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Fine when moving and heating when stationary would to me shout fan problems - are they kicking in? I am sure one of our resident experts will be on this thread shortly though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Sounds like the fans aren't kicking in when they are supposed to when you are stopped in traffic and the heat builds up. I'm sure someone will be along with more technical know how Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 You definitely need to buy some proper coolant from somewhere before driving the car again ~ also I would have thought as the others have mentioned this could be due to a fan problem. When the car's up to temperature the fan should kick in, if not then somethings wrong with it. Also you can check the other fan by turning on the A/C as that should make that one run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nath8642 Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 thanks a lot guys i hope to god it is and nothing more serious like a radiator fault or even worse head gasket. There was coolant dripping everywhere though does this happen when it starts to boil. It completely emptied. Tomorrow i will be looking for some proper coolant but its never really been an issue just happened randomly i didn't think the fans would make such a significant difference obviously i am wrong i did have the air con on all the way here so if that kicks in a fan maybe that caused the problem. That is if A/C means air con or am i making a fool of myself not very car savvy but I'm getting there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Fan failure is a common issue. One of the 2 fans normally packs in and in the weather one isn't enough to keep the car cool. Clark Motorsport sell new fans. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 It's unlikely the system is empty, probably just the expansion tank is empty though. Ideally fill with Nissan green coolant, if not then deionised water will be fine as long as system isn't empty (i.e. if it takes more than a couple of litres!). 99% it will be the fans, not a huge problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nath8642 Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Thanks lexx and the rest of you guys panic over will definitely be getting in touch and looking in to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Fyi regarding the fans ~ unless you're going second hand when replacing them then price wise these are much better than OEM if you can stretch to them. http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/87662-mishimoto-replacement-fan-kit-350z-de-and-hr-engines/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjj Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Hope you get it sorted... incidently Cleethorpes is a "VooDoo" town to Zeds, thats where my clutch packed in a couple of weeks ago... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewen@Clark Motorsport Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 As the guys have said it does sound like the common fan issue so best to get them checked. New OEM fan motors from us are £199 each but the far better solution is the Mishimoto fan shroud that GMballistic posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nath8642 Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Quick update i started the car other day just for a quick test i filled the reserve tank with about 3 cups of water as it kept drinking it, it has now maintained its level however i only filled it with tap water ive just gone out on the bike to buy some prestone coolant from tesco a ready mixture i think (it says do not add water) to put in aslo will this be ok to drive home with? Also i staryed her up for a couple of seconds so it didnt get much heat and no fan started is a fan supposed to start on start up and then i turned the a/c on checked and also no fan was on do i have to wait till engine comes to temperature for a fan to kick in. And will this be ok to drive home if im on the move and not stopping and starting? Thanks in advance again from the car noob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nath8642 Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Quick update i started the car other day just for a quick test i filled the reserve tank with about 3 cups of water as it kept drinking it, it has now maintained its level however i only filled it with tap water ive just gone out on the bike to buy some prestone coolant from tesco a ready mixture i think (it says do not add water) to put in aslo will this be ok to drive home with? Also i staryed her up for a couple of seconds so it didnt get much heat and no fan started is a fan supposed to start on start up and then i turned the a/c on checked and also no fan was on do i have to wait till engine comes to temperature for a fan to kick in. And will this be ok to drive home if im on the move and not stopping and starting? Thanks in advance again from the car noob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Not 100% sure on the coolant thing but I think from what I've heard it's important you use Nissan coolant. Nissan has a unique coolant which is the only approved and homologated formula.It guarantees long life of a Nissan cooling system maintenance intervals stated in the service manuals. Other coolants can potentially damage Nissan vehicles. Link: http://www.h-dev.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=25498&osCsid=sk2thgk9bsaecqi6gsgafj5ig1 As far as the fans go I believe one fan should kick in when the vehicle gets up to temperature, the other fan will come on when the A/C is turned on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nath8642 Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Cheers buddy will have to risk it then take some stops on the way back to lighten the load and to check will get it serviced at nissan garage when im home due one anyway they do empty and refill the radiator dont they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Cheers buddy will have to risk it then take some stops on the way back to lighten the load and to check will get it serviced at nissan garage when im home due one anyway they do empty and refill the radiator dont they? Not likely unless you pay them to ~ personally I don't use Nissan dealerships as I found that a good independent garage is far better for my wallet and they seem to look after my car a lot better than Nissan ever did. If you drive with the A/C on the entire way home my thinking is that will keep at least the one fan on constantly so that's what I'd do as well as keep a keen eye on any indicated temperature change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Both fans should come on when you turn on the air con regardless of temperature, if they don't do it then neither will come on when the coolant temp sensor triggers them, So as soon as your going slow in traffic etc, the engine will overheat regardless of what coolant you have, coolant wise a 60/40 mix of any proprietary antifreeze and water will be fine as long as you font mix the type with silicates (green/blue) with organic acid types (red/pink) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nath8642 Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Quick update went for a quick test dri e 10 mins down the road trmperature held but with air con and without air con fans dod not come on either so they are definitly shagged thanks for the help guys going to have to buy some mishimoto fans anybody got any reviews on them and how they find them to the OEM fans. Hopefully i will make the journey home.tomorrow with not too much trouble if the cars maintaining decent temperature while running will just have to avoid the traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nath8642 Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Actually one fan comes on wheather the air con is on or bot however the intake and outake of the radiator are roasting is this ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Actually one fan comes on wheather the air con is on or bot however the intake and outake of the radiator are roasting is this ok? That actually sounds good, if the engine is up to temp? it could be that the fans are just hard to start and are intermittent, so just keep an eye on things and carry a large container of water/coolant with you, and be prepared to stop on a regular basis to protect the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nath8642 Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 (edited) Sotook a 10 min trip out today which went ok when I stopped to park up etc I noticed the temperature creeping up with one fan on. Seen as I had to put about 3 cups of coolant in as when it boiled over it leaked and steamed off do you think it would be good to bleed it if there is any trapped air in the system. If there's trapped air in there what would be the consequences off this and what would it do? And another nooby question how would I go about bleeding it I would look in my owners manual but unfortunately that's still at home so a explanation for dumbys would be great. If pictures was to be involved also that would be even better. Edited July 30, 2014 by nath8642 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 This link shows you how to fill/bleed th system (towards the end) http://crackaddict.com/~flynn/howtos/samco.howto/samco.howto.htm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Glad somebody added that link, as i cant upload pictures for some reason? Anyway i am inclined to think that even with the cooling system bled properly one fan wont be enough if your stuck in traffic, make sure you add enough antifreeze as this will help with cooling, but i would be inclined to make the trip back late at night when there is much less chance of getting stuck in traffic, with the system fully bled and being able to keep moving at a reasonable speed, you stand a better chance, also the night temps are also cooler, good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nath8642 Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 Cheers ricky and ebized. May the force be with me ha yeah i'm pretty sure one fan will not be enough when I'm in a stand still sure i can make it though then plans for home will be to by a set of mishimoto fans get it serviced and get a garage to drain fill my radiator or if i can find a topic on here on how to do it i may try myself and to have a garage give it an all round check especially that mysterious leak on the passenger side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davedutch Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I had similar last year, got mishimoto fan set from Mitz at Cougar Store in Leicester, problem solved. Fans cut in and out as they should and no issues since. Regarding journey home, turn your heating up to max and open the Windows, this will draw some of the heat from the bay and if you do find yourself in traffic stop and let system cool, also stop if gauge climbs to high, you might cause expensive damage if you keep overheating. Finally find a good independent garage they are much better value. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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