Hey everyone,

Today I decided to get a car wash at the gas station. And of course it was really busy because it was very warm today.

Anyway..
While i was waiting in line for my turn to drive through.. I heard like 6-7 chimes/dings. I looked at the dash to see what's up? no lights were on so I just ignored it. At that time I didn't actually notice what the temp gauge was at.. then about 2-3min. later I heard what sounded like a piece of belt had frayed off and was spinning around hitting something. So i popped the hood cautiosly cause I thought there'd be a peice of belt flailing around. But what I saw instead was the coolant in the reservoir boiling.. like water in a boiling kettle. it was bubbling and gurgling and everything. then I got back into the car and of course the temp gauge needle was right on the little pin stopping it at max

Didn't know what else to do, so I pulled over to a parking space and left it there to cool down then grabbed something to eat. Afterwards when I started the engine it was still warm (wasn't that long) but the needle was where it was supposed to be at. A little less than half the range.

I drive a 1st gen Neon. I would of went to the dealer today but they're only open for oil changes on the weekend.

 

dude,
I hate to say it, but that is exactl what mine did just before it steam cleaned cylinder #4 via blown head gasket.... There is no easy way to say this, but it sure sounds like your head gasket will need to be replaced; and don't try to drive it with it blown, if it overheats, you'll warp the head, adding to the woes, adn expense..
I just replaced mine about a month ago, did it myself at home, and it took about 8 hurs, but I had never done it before. I drive a 95 Neon

 

If your coolant level is full, you most likely need a head gasket or water pump.

 

What if my coolant level is way too low? There's a little coolant in the reservoir but well below the min. mark... could I top up the coolant with some premixed and drive it to the garage.. or should I have it towed? Yesterday I did drive it home took about 15min. while keeping an eye on the temp gauge.. for the whole trip the temp needle stayed right at a little past half the total range.

 

I forgot to mention.

Also I checked the oil cap .. it smells and looks like the oil is not contaminated with coolant. The little coolant that was left in the reservoir is still green. The exhaust looks normal doesn't smell like burn coolant... Could it still be a blown head gasket?.. I'm still going to the garage tomorrow. Can I drive there?

 

have u checked to see if the thermostat is stuck close? It would be a $10 fix and only take u about 20-30 minutes to do.

 

thermostat should be fine.. it warms up in reasonable time and the upper rad hose is too hot to hold comfortably after about 15min. of driving..

Would it be possible for the thermostat to periodically act-up.. Of course that would mean it will have to be replaced. But would it be possible that it was stuck close at that one time. or it's either stuck or unstuck?

 

same thing happened to my 95 sohc neon, had me baffled until i finally replaced the rad which looked fine from a visual inspection but it definetly was bad because i now have no problems.

 

No its just a faulty coolant temp sensor...it only happened when he stopped for a while 6-7 chimes isnt a bad thing its when it is repetitive and this only happened once but is actually bound to happen again/ If the fan isnt kicking on until it gets a quarter above half on the temp indicator might be your fan but if your fan is working definately the temp sensor...If it were the headgasket it would overheat in minutes or if the radiotor were plugged it would do the same. But unless your @ 90000 miles or its sat two years then its a good Idea to flush. A good way to avoid it overheating again until you get the necessary part or fix it yourself is to open your vent and turn the heat dial on but leave your fan speed off. But fix it asap or you might get a blown headgasket.

 

But anyways obviously your rad is fine cuz when u drive it stays cool so it means its not plugged.