My car overheats!

[bendiz]

Some days ago my car suddenly started to overheat. There's a leak by the water pump i think. It just spits out water when the car reaches 100-110 degrees. I have a peugeot 306 xn. Do you know any guides that can explain how to change the water pump? Appreciate any help i can get.

[cwspellowe]

Er, it shouldn't be reaching those temperatures and it's not exactly suspension, handling or braking related

First off, why is it reaching those temperatures? Secondly, yes if it's leaking you have a problem. Thirdly, is the leak what caused the car to overheat in the first place?

[Tom]

Sounds like you need a new water pump to start off with, then try again. XUD's dont like heat though so the headgasket might not be in good shape atm

[bendiz]

Er, it shouldn't be reaching those temperatures and it's not exactly suspension, handling or braking related

First off, why is it reaching those temperatures? Secondly, yes if it's leaking you have a problem. Thirdly, is the leak what caused the car to overheat in the first place?

There is a problem with the water pump. I think i need to change it. Yes, it's the leak that caused the overheat. The first time it reached 110 degrees i remember hearing the sound of water vapor.. The water flows through the ?thermostat? just fine.. But the problem is a leak in the waterpump. So my question is, how do i change it?

[cwspellowe]

Yeah, but you said it spits out water when it goes over 110degrees. What i'm suggesting is that maybe the pump isn't the problem? At least not the root cause of the overheating. If it's pressurising enough to blow seals it could well be a blown headgasket. No point diving in to change the pump if you then have to do the headgasket too... as an example.

As for changing it, cambelt off, unbolt pump, new pump with new gasket, cambelt back on. There's a bazillion cambelt change threads kicking about, only difference is you'll want to change the pump while the belts off.

[Jonny81191]

Er, it shouldn't be reaching those temperatures and it's not exactly suspension, handling or braking related

First off, why is it reaching those temperatures? Secondly, yes if it's leaking you have a problem. Thirdly, is the leak what caused the car to overheat in the first place?

There is a problem with the water pump. I think i need to change it. Yes, it's the leak that caused the overheat. The first time it reached 110 degrees i remember hearing the sound of water vapor.. The water flows through the ?thermostat? just fine.. But the problem is a leak in the waterpump. So my question is, how do i change it?

You'll want to do it along with a cambelt change, the waterpump itself is very easy to do. I'd recommend buying a haynes manual, they're not 100% correct but it's probably the best place to start. If you get stuck along the way, people on here will usually help you out as best they can with advice

[bendiz]

Yeah, but you said it spits out water when it goes over 110degrees. What i'm suggesting is that maybe the pump isn't the problem? At least not the root cause of the overheating. If it's pressurising enough to blow seals it could well be a blown headgasket. No point diving in to change the pump if you then have to do the headgasket too... as an example.

As for changing it, cambelt off, unbolt pump, new pump with new gasket, cambelt back on. There's a bazillion cambelt change threads kicking about, only difference is you'll want to change the pump while the belts off.

Thanks! How do i know if it's a blown headgasket? I have very little knowledge. There is no oil in the water and no water in the oil btw..

[cwspellowe]

When a headgasket goes you can get one, some, or all symptoms, depends where the gasket blows. Mine went pretty catastrophically between the cylinders and water jackets so no oil escaped.

First off check the top hose to the radiator, does this feel overly pressurised with the engine running? You can run it with no radiator cap on too and check for bubbles.

Something has to be causing it to overheat, a leaky waterpump seal wouldn't cause that unless it's airlocked/ran dry

[ozonehostile]

check the condition of your radiator, a leaking rad caused my headgasket to blow

[Niall]

moved to correct section

[Piggy]

defo for the bubbles and pressure...

mine pressurised within seconds when it went big style.

fyi: 110degrees could mean warped head too