Hi everyone, so recently I was driving around and saw my temperature gauge at hot maximum. Then, I drove home and let it sit for a day. The next day I checked for coolant and it was empty then I figured I should refill it and bleed it. After that I drove to a nearby mall and parked, then came out of a store and seen all the coolant on the floor. I will check under the car tomorrow morning to see where it is leaking from. Is there any recommended things I should do first? Such as pressure test etc.

 

Also, the codes I pulled were p0300, p0302, p0304, and p0420. The code for cat converter p0420 I have it for a while and I been driving with it ever since I got my car. I'm not sure about the misfires. It was not there when I found the p0420 code couple months ago.

 

First things first. If a car ever gets as hot as you have explained, it is highly recommended to not drive the car, and immediately shut it off. It is very possible that the engine could be damaged from the heat, also dependent on how long you let it stay at that temperature.

Secondly, if you see that the car is leaking coolant as much as it is, find the leak first. Check all coolant lines for cracks, holes and that they are tight. Inspect the radiator for damage as well. Once you have done this... we can move on to seeing if any damage was done once you add coolant and fix the leak.

 

Probably really messed up your engine letting it run even after you saw it was overheating. Headgasket and waterpump are probably shot.

 

Head warp is about 70% chance. You are to never drive the car when its overheating. Put car in neutral, shut off and coast to the shoulder while having your hazard lights on. Go ahead and refill with coolant and pay attention to where its leaking from, this will be a start.

 

Turn on your heater full blast at the first sign of overheating. Especially if you are not able to pull over right away.

 

Yeah this will help too, but that doesn't mean you can make it all the way to where you need to get to though so don't take it the wrong way.

 

No. It's an emergency measure for allowing you to pull over to the side of the road to let your car cool off before causing catastrophic damage. Not for getting home on.

BTW, if there's anyway to permanently move the pictures onto HT let me know. I'll be glad to email them to whomever needs them.

 

I was just adding onto the advice.

 

Me too.
You were right. I can see how some might try and drive the car back to the house thinking they're safe.

 

Thanks for all ypur replies, yesterday I was checking under the car and didn't see anything leaking I let it run for about 10-25mins stepping on the gas and it didn't reach "H" it stayed at the middle. I hope that is a good thing I don't know if I should refill the coolant again to find the leak. Does bleeding the coolant have anything to do with the car overheating?

 

You were suppose to fill it back up and check for leaks.

 

Ok so I refilled it and no signs of leak. Then I drove around for about 20-30 mins my hood feels hot but my temperature gauge is still in the middle. What should I do next?

 

Nothing. If the codes are still there then you probably messed up your engine. As in blown headgasket/warped head (not waterpump). Compression/pressure test it.