My radiator light came on this morning i was running late for work so i topped it off with water (about twice a year the light comes on, it has only ever had to be topped off) and after about 20 minutes of driving it started to heat up, so i pulled over shut it offsomebody stopped checked the temp of the water in the reservoir, said it felt to only be about 100 degrees, but topped it off with more water. the gauge dropped right back down to being almost as cold as when you first drive it, but after about 2 miles it was right back up near the red line.I pulled over again there was steam coming off the engine. I stuck my finger in the water it felt warm, but nowhere near hot. I couldn't get it cool enough to finish driving to work. Does this sound like the water pump?If so, how long should this take a decent mechanic to replace?If not, what else could it be?
if it,s circulating then the pump is doing its job. sounds more like the radiator or the thermostat is sticking part of the time. flush out the whole cooling system and change the thermostat. also make sure the fan is working proper.
sounds like u have air trapped somewhere or a flow problem water pump not pumping or thermostat not opening do not keep driving it b/c further costly damage can occur this shouldn't take more than a day for a good mechanic
The water pump could be clogged a bit or the radiator could be the problem. the water pump should not cost much, but if changing the water pump does not help, then you should take the vehicle to a radiator place to see if they could replace the radiator or clean out your current radiator.
it could be your water temp sensor hitting an air pocket. but it may be more. if your thermostat is shot, the water in the engine will heat up very hot, but wont flow to the radiator. so the temp the the radiator will still be low. i would say you should get a new thermostat and go from there
If it is not your water pump then it sounds like a faulty thermostat. It is allowing some water to get by but not enough to keep it at a good operating temperature. It shows to be hotter than it actually is. It is just an idea, no sense in spending alot of money for something you dont really need.
