'98 Neon, DOHC...may the force be with you!
#1
'98 Neon, DOHC...may the force be with you!
Hey everyone..this is my first post! I must say, this site is amazing..
I am driving a '98 Neon with DOHC. I am not very car savvy so I have a few questions for you all! (Questions that I am sure have been answered 1.567 million times in previous posts...). My car has over 330k and is still running strong. Except....
1. Overheating. My car has recently started over heating, normally when I am driving up hills for a bit (I live in BC..lots of hills). When I stop, the gauge cools down to the mid point only after about a minute and when I lift the hood there does not seem to be any extra heat coming off the engine. The radiator was replaced less than a year ago. I also seem to be losing coolant...the reserve tank ran completely dry and ive since had to put about a jug and a half of coolant back in the car in the last month. Is this pointing to a head gasket? There is no evidence of a leak (while parked at least..) and the exhaust is clean. Any ideas?
If the head gasket is the problem..has anyone tried a sealant that can be tossed in the system as a band aid? I am months away from buying a new car for work and dont want to dump $1k+ into a head gasket job. Whats recommended?
2. Vibration. When braking around 100km/h, I get crazy vibration in the steering wheel..the whole car actually. I know the front brakes are less than a year old..but i am not sure how old the rear drums are..could this mean they are warped?
Other than this (and a few rough paint spots..) this car has been the best car I have ever owned.
Sorry for the lengthy post..but I am trying to get as many details out there as I can!
Thanks in advance for the help
I am driving a '98 Neon with DOHC. I am not very car savvy so I have a few questions for you all! (Questions that I am sure have been answered 1.567 million times in previous posts...). My car has over 330k and is still running strong. Except....
1. Overheating. My car has recently started over heating, normally when I am driving up hills for a bit (I live in BC..lots of hills). When I stop, the gauge cools down to the mid point only after about a minute and when I lift the hood there does not seem to be any extra heat coming off the engine. The radiator was replaced less than a year ago. I also seem to be losing coolant...the reserve tank ran completely dry and ive since had to put about a jug and a half of coolant back in the car in the last month. Is this pointing to a head gasket? There is no evidence of a leak (while parked at least..) and the exhaust is clean. Any ideas?
If the head gasket is the problem..has anyone tried a sealant that can be tossed in the system as a band aid? I am months away from buying a new car for work and dont want to dump $1k+ into a head gasket job. Whats recommended?
2. Vibration. When braking around 100km/h, I get crazy vibration in the steering wheel..the whole car actually. I know the front brakes are less than a year old..but i am not sure how old the rear drums are..could this mean they are warped?
Other than this (and a few rough paint spots..) this car has been the best car I have ever owned.
Sorry for the lengthy post..but I am trying to get as many details out there as I can!
Thanks in advance for the help
#2
Hey everyone..this is my first post! I must say, this site is amazing..
I am driving a '98 Neon with DOHC. I am not very car savvy so I have a few questions for you all! (Questions that I am sure have been answered 1.567 million times in previous posts...). My car has over 330k and is still running strong. Except....
1. Overheating. My car has recently started over heating, normally when I am driving up hills for a bit (I live in BC..lots of hills). When I stop, the gauge cools down to the mid point only after about a minute and when I lift the hood there does not seem to be any extra heat coming off the engine. The radiator was replaced less than a year ago. I also seem to be losing coolant...the reserve tank ran completely dry and ive since had to put about a jug and a half of coolant back in the car in the last month. Is this pointing to a head gasket? There is no evidence of a leak (while parked at least..) and the exhaust is clean. Any ideas?
I am driving a '98 Neon with DOHC. I am not very car savvy so I have a few questions for you all! (Questions that I am sure have been answered 1.567 million times in previous posts...). My car has over 330k and is still running strong. Except....
1. Overheating. My car has recently started over heating, normally when I am driving up hills for a bit (I live in BC..lots of hills). When I stop, the gauge cools down to the mid point only after about a minute and when I lift the hood there does not seem to be any extra heat coming off the engine. The radiator was replaced less than a year ago. I also seem to be losing coolant...the reserve tank ran completely dry and ive since had to put about a jug and a half of coolant back in the car in the last month. Is this pointing to a head gasket? There is no evidence of a leak (while parked at least..) and the exhaust is clean. Any ideas?
Also, you may need to check your radiator hoses./connectors. As they go bad/get loose, they can slowly leak the fluid out. Get a can of dye to put into your radiator and the next time you need to find out where it is going, you can use a black light to see where it may be leaking.
Most likely you have a bad rotor in the front (warped). It can be caused by excessive braking over time, having to emergency stop to avoid a wreck, bad calipers dragging creating heat and quickly wearing down the pads, bad rubber lines, etc. It can also be worn steering components (bad tie rod ends, warped CV, etc.) You need to have it look by a reputable repair shop. Most places in the US will look at your brakes for free and let you know what is wrong, I don't know about Canada. Rear Drum brakes usually don't cause this kind of a mess, unless they are seized up.