I have a nice 2001 V70 wagon but it overheats easily, especially going up any type of grade. I am wondering if it needs a new water pump. The radiator reserve is full and I do smell evidence of an over-heated engine when I park it, so it is not a faulty thermostat. It settles down when in park and just idling. I am thinking it might be the water pump. Any thoughts?

 

Radiator cooling fan works?
Plugged /clogged radiator? Externally I mean. Debris on the outside front of the AC condenser/rad? Between the condenser and rad?

Over heating how?
The temp gauge gets high temp readings? Coolant boiling out the coolant tank?

Smelling coolant. Have you checked for leaks.

 

+1 on ssicarman. Utah, are there any other signs that point to the water pump? ie did you pop off the timing belt cover and inspect for leaks? is it making any whining noises? has it boiled over yet? do the hoses get very hard when at full temp (ie signs of a head gasket issue)? does the temperature gauge go down if you put the heater on full fan? how does the coolant look - clean and green or brown and oily? Note that to do the water pump, you need to remove the timing belt, so if that service is due (10 years/120K intervals), then its an easy add on.

 

I have not checked under the hood except to check to coolant in the reservoir and it is clear and green. I am a woman so don't get under the hood to tear things apart. I will bring these points up with my mechanic and he can investigate. He will probably have to keep the car for a few days. I really appreciate this input. Thank you. I will loop back once it is fixed and let you know.

 

it shouldn't take a tech more than an hour to diagnose the problem. Fixing a thermostat or coolant temp sensor should take less than an hour. Replacing the radiator is somewhat of a pain as the radiator/AC Evaporator/Intercooler/Oilcooler are all right up under the cowling in the nose of the car so it can be come a 3-4 hour job. Water pumps usually fail by leaking or spinning on the shaft but if it turns out to be that, then they'd need to remove the drive belts, timing belt to get at the pump. That would be a 3 hour job as well. Worst case scenario is you have a head gasket or cylinder head issue. That's the least likely but most expensive cause.

 

Thank you....I am taking it in on Monday and will attach your comments. I really appreciate them!

 

It turns out that I needed to change the cooling fans which involved changing out the entire controller assembly. This was changed out and the car is running fine. Parts-$788, labor-$129.

Thanks for your input.

Best,

Utah23