overheating.

purple571 · 03-02-2009, 06:45 PM

my 99 sportage overheats after driving it for about 30 mins. I think the problem is partially due to the little electric fan right behind the grill, its not kicking on when it gets hot. i replaced the thermostat and still having the same problem. and when it gets hot the radiatior boils over and im losing my antifreeze every time i drive it. It stays at about norm. temp when i keep the heat on, so its telling me all the motor needs is some kind of draft. i dont know why the fan isnt working,. any suggestions?

kiaracer · 03-02-2009, 07:04 PM

that fan is for the a/c to keep the radiator/condenser cool when the a/c is on. how long has it been since you changed your thermostat and coolant and was the coolant changed properly to get all the air bubbles out of it?

JH180IQ · 03-02-2009, 07:40 PM

Yeah, the front fan is only on when the A/C is on. These older sportages have a puley driven fan that almost always on. It doesn't cost $50 to have a shop change and flush your coolant and install a new thermostat. Well worth the cost. Green coolant only has a lifespan of 3 years or so and most people never change that stuff.

ron1004 · 03-02-2009, 07:46 PM

It sounds like the thermally controlled viscous coupling on the main cooling fan is faulty.

There is a very narrow margin from HOT to OVERHEATED and once it has overheated it will inevitably warp the cylinder head and blow the head gasket, and if this has happened then this would also need to be corrected once you have resolved the cause of overheating.

tlstotelmyer · 03-02-2009, 07:47 PM

might want to check to make sure that the cluth in the belt driven fan is working properly. If it is not allowing the fan to come up to speed that will cause an overheat problem. Also something else that can cause it is a blown head gasket but lets hope thats not it but if you keep driving it hot that can happen.

purple571 · 03-02-2009, 11:18 PM

well, ill have to chek all that out, and no i dont drive it that much, it stays out at my farm until i get my license. Ive drove it a couple of times with the heat on to keep the temp down. Then another time after i changed the thermostat. Plus its not spewing any oil anywhere so i think the head gasket is ok.

Baratacus · 03-03-2009, 02:02 PM

the valvecover gasket will make it leak oil outside the engine, not the headgasket. The head gasket will make it leak internally. You'll either get water in your oil, oil in your coolant, or water in the combustion chamber... or all of the above. To see if you are blowing coolant or oil into the wrong place, check the dipstic for a white creamy substance. Same for your coolant, pop the radiator cap and see if the coolant is white and creamy instead of coolant colored. To see if coolant is getting in your combustion chamber look at the exhaust. If its billowing white smoke, you blew the headgasket.

purple571 · 03-07-2009, 11:34 PM

no blown headgasket. I'm for sure. Theres no smoke or power loss. and yes, head gaskets can cause oil (in some cases) to kind off seep off the side of the block though at the same time letting the oil and the coolant coming in contact with each other. im just trying to figure out why its overheating. Im thinking its the fan clutch, so would an aftermarket electric fan that replaces the pulley fan solve the problem?

kiaracer · 03-08-2009, 03:59 PM

you could put an electric fan in it's place but you either want to wire up a switch to turn it on, have it on the whole time the key is on, or if you wanna get fancy have a thermostat circuit wired up so when it reaches the thermostat temp it will kick the fan on.

purple571 · 03-08-2009, 04:25 PM

http://www.jcwhitney.com/DERALE-ENGINE-COOLING-FAN-ELECTRIC/GP_2000833_N_111+1999+200728855+600001645_10101.jc w[/url]
thats the one i was looking at, probably would wire up the thermostat with it.