Ever since I changed my timing belt engine overheats...

[jimdigs]

No coolant leaking. Can the water pump go bad without leaking all over? Should of changed the pump while I had the belt off. It was new back 5 years ago so I thought I would be good to go.

[firebush357]

Does the car have the same amount of power as before the belt? Asking because the car will run a tooth off sometimes but will overheat most of the time.

[jimdigs]

Does the car have the same amount of power as before the belt? Asking because the car will run a tooth off sometimes but will overheat most of the time.

Seems to have the same power. Plenty of coolant too. Do you know if the the pump goes bad does it always leak? Thanks

[harpon]

Yes- you should have changed the water pump with the timing belt. Maybe a tensioner isn't tensioning. I cant recall if the pump is run off the timing belt or serpentine.Have you checked the serpentine belt?
Had that repair done a little over a year ago- the mechanic somehow knocked out the sensor and cooling fan circuit- I could tell later because I'd tested it a day or two before the repair and the fan was coming on at temp.

The "good news" is that the A/C switch still drives the fan as well as a manual toggle I put in. With a new pump, it hasn't been close to over heating since.

[1990new]

If you start it up cold and let it idle, how long does it take to get to the point where the temperature gauge is beyond the mid point?

[firebush357]

Seems to have the same power. Plenty of coolant too. Do you know if the the pump goes bad does it always leak? Thanks

I have only ever had to replace one before but it was not leaking when it went bad.

[zoe60]

Could have air in the system. Squeeze the upper hose a bunch of times and see if bubbles come out. Add more coolant after.

[1990new]

Have you verified that the thermostat is opening? Sometimes things happen that are unrelated to your expectations.

[WmWatt]

My water pump is 30 yr old and no problems. Does the engine stay hot or does it cool after running a while?

[jimdigs]

My water pump is 30 yr old and no problems. Does the engine stay hot or does it cool after running a while?

It keeps getting hotter as I drive. Does not cool down until I turn the engine off. I cannot drive it to work because I know by the time I got there it would have overheated. About a 20 minute one way drive. I have not been driving it because I have my other festiva for winter time.

[1990new]

image_20652.jpg This is a link to a great article about engine overheating.

https://dannysengineportal.com/autom...-causes-cures/
I eliminate the water pump and thermostat from causing the problem by opening the radiator cap and idle the engine until it heats up enough for me to see water coming into the radiator at the top. If you see water flowing, the pump is working and the thermostat is open.

Also one of these is very useful to see the true water temperature.
I believe the normal thermostat opening temperature is 190 degrees but you can get some to open lower or higher. Some Festivas had two stage thermostats with a smaller opening at lower temperature.

IMG_4362 1.jpg

[WmWatt]

You can also tell if the thermostat is opening by feeling the big rubber hoses going into and out of the radiator but I can't remember which is supposed to be warm or cool to the touch. Sorry, not much help.

An old automotive book I have says the water is pumped out of the bottom of the rad, through the engine, and back into the top of the rad. Until the thermostat opens the water bypasses the rad so the top hose should be cooler than the bottom hose. Once the thermosat opens the top hose should get warm. Sounds about right.

[1990new]

You can also tell if the thermostat is opening by feeling the big rubber hoses going into and out of the radiator but I can't remember which is supposed to be warm or cool to the touch. Sorry, not much help.

An old automotive book I have says the water is pumped out of the bottom of the rad, through the engine, and back into the top of the rad. Until the thermostat opens the water bypasses the rad so the top hose should be cooler than the bottom hose. Once the thermosat opens the top hose should get warm. Sounds about right.

That is correct... The water pump accepts coolant from the bottom of the radiator when the thermostat is open. In addition, anytime the engine is running, whether the thermostat if open or closed, it accepts coolant from the heater through the pipe that crosses over the transmission and across the front of the engine. Coolant also flows through the little bypass hose that comes out the side of the head near the thermostat housing anytime the engine is running.

Also, anytime the engine is running, coolant flows through passages out the back of the head into the intake manifold. A temperature sensor screws into the intake manifold which sends sensed coolant temperature signals to the ECA. There is an outlet from the intake manifold which sends coolant into the heater core and another small hose coming out of the manifold which passes coolant into the IAC valve and then out the IAC into another hose into the throttle body and then out into a hose from the throttle body into the hose that goes back into heater outlet pipe.

If you coolant seems to be disappearing slowly and you cant seem to find the leak, it could be a very small leak in one of the small hoses mentioned above. The leak may be so small that it only leaks when the engine is hot and then the amount of coolant leaking is so small that it evaporates as it leaks. If this is happening, you may be able to smell the cooked coolant when you open the hood.

[Cdubb]

Does it start hard when it's warm? That would tell me the timing is too advanced

[ricko1966]

Did the car overheat before the belt change? I've changed literally hundreds of timing belts without changing the pump or tensioners without ill effects.And yes pumps do go bad without leaking,impellers erode and sometimes even come off, but if it didn't overheat before it isn't a water pump issue.Did you have the cooling system open? Did you mess with ignition timing? Many times someone will put one back together a tooth off then adjust ignition timing to get the now out of time ignition back in time with the crank but the cam is not in time with the crank.