Overheated! Diagnosis/Plan Needed

[tpcroozer]

OK, bought a sweet 2006 GT convertible with just 85K on it. Drove it a few weeks and life was good... My son in law got a new job that was about 30 miles away and needed something that got decent mileage so he started driving the PT. On the night of the 3rd day, the car overheated to the point that it shut down. He said he had no warning lights until the overheat. He coasted to a point and called me. I drove over and picked him up so we could let it cool off. When we returned, we added a gallon of 50/50 universal antifreeze. We could see there was a drip on the drivers side that was pretty bad but we were only about 3 miles from home. We started it up. It took about 10-15 seconds of cranking before it started but didn't smoke and the engine idled fine and seemed to have full power.

We coasted into the drive way and let it cool off until the next day to try and diagnose the leak location in daylight. The best I can tell it is the radiator, so I ordered one online. It has now arrived and I'm ready to remove the old one and install the new but am hoping for some long distance but experienced input on a few things...

1st question: The car is taking about 6-10 seconds of cranking before it will start. I don't see any water in the oil or smoke from the tailpipe. The oil definitely has a burned smell and needs to be changed. What kind of things will cause the delayed start and what should be my game plan for diagnosis?

2nd question: When replacing the radiator, should I replace both hoses and the thermostat at the same time or should I stick with one thing at a time?

Many Thanks!
-Troy

[rob302]

I'd hold off on the hoses and thermostat until you see what you're up against and what you're actually going to need. Money may be better spent on a new radiator cap, and you'll be due for a timing belt soon which is $$$$$ unless you're doing it at home.

Strange choice buying a PT and wanting a car with decent mileage, no?

[chuzz]

I'm not like Rob. I'd go ahead and replace both hoses, clamps, thermostat and radiator cap. Call it preventative maintenance. Are you sure the radiator is leaking and it's not just a hose, though? I'd borrow a pressure tester from the local auto parts store and pressure test the system and the cap, before replacing the radiator. Unless, of course, you can see an obvious leak from one of the seams on the cheap ass radiators they put in them.

[rob302]

I guess i just believe the less you touch, the better. I had to go through a couple thermostats before getting a good one. If it doesn't leak, why risk creating a leak or breaking the housing? Then since you'll be removing the upper intake, why not do the plugs and wires while it's off? Why not change the intake gaskets as well to avoid p0300 codes we commonly see? What if the nutserts in the intake spin or pull out? What if he bumps and breaks the brittle plastic fuel line? There's just so many common issues in that area, i feel it's better to stick with one problem and not risk creating more. Maybe I'm just cheap and paranoid.

[rob302]

Originally Posted by tpcroozer

OK, bought a sweet 2006 GT convertible with just 85K on it. Drove it a few weeks and life was good... My son in law............started driving the PT. On the night of the 3rd day, the car overheated to the point that it shut down.

you and chuzz have a bit in common.. every time he had a problem with his car it was after letting his son use it. chuzz gets 27mpg, his son gets 21mpg..

Capture.JPG

it got to the point i kinda snapped at him one day:

Originally Posted by rob342

i would clear the code and take your key back. every code you get involves him. buy the boy a bike until he grows up.

SORRY CHUZZ!! ...and just a heads up TPC..

[Handy_Cruiser]

Originally Posted by tpcroozer

OK, bought a sweet 2006 GT convertible with just 85K on it. Drove it a few weeks and life was good... My son in law got a new job that was about 30 miles away and needed something that got decent mileage so he started driving the PT. On the night of the 3rd day, the car overheated to the point that it shut down. He said he had no warning lights until the overheat. He coasted to a point and called me. I drove over and picked him up so we could let it cool off. When we returned, we added a gallon of 50/50 universal antifreeze. We could see there was a drip on the drivers side that was pretty bad but we were only about 3 miles from home. We started it up. It took about 10-15 seconds of cranking before it started but didn't smoke and the engine idled fine and seemed to have full power.

We coasted into the drive way and let it cool off until the next day to try and diagnose the leak location in daylight. The best I can tell it is the radiator, so I ordered one online. It has now arrived and I'm ready to remove the old one and install the new but am hoping for some long distance but experienced input on a few things...

1st question: The car is taking about 6-10 seconds of cranking before it will start. I don't see any water in the oil or smoke from the tailpipe. The oil definitely has a burned smell and needs to be changed. What kind of things will cause the delayed start and what should be my game plan for diagnosis?

2nd question: When replacing the radiator, should I replace both hoses and the thermostat at the same time or should I stick with one thing at a time?

Many Thanks!
-Troy

Let discuss a plan forward. This would be mine.

The slow start (engine turns over fine but must spin a while to start) is likely from a loss of compression on one or more cylinders due to a failed head gasket. But it might just be spoiled spark plugs. Based on the reports here and the many many salvage PT's I've picked over, blow head gaskets are extremely common on these cars and can be expected after any major overheating event.

I will first pull the plugs and examine them for signs of coolant damage. I'd look into the cylinders to see is there is coolant in them. I would perform a compression test. If any of these gave an indication, I would then replace the head gasket first before buying a new radiator, hose, etc.

While the head is off, I'd take it to a machine shop for rebuild. This is money VERY WELL spent as it assures your head is good and renews it for many more miles of good service.

I'd reinstall the head with new gasket along with a new timing belt, water pump, tensioner and idler pulley. New plugs too. I'd fill the cooling system with water and see how well the engine runs. If it runs well, I'd then flush the cooling system thoroughly. Then I'd buy and install a new radiator, thermostat, hoses and the rest.

[chuzz]

Originally Posted by rob302

you and chuzz have a bit in common.. every time he had a problem with his car it was after letting his son use it. chuzz gets 27mpg, his son gets 21mpg..

Attachment 19967

it got to the point i kinda snapped at him one day:




SORRY CHUZZ!! ...and just a heads up TPC..

No harm, no foul, Rob! LMAO Since I took him out of my PT and put him in the 2013 200, he's actually getting damn good mileage from it. He drives about 130 miles round trip 3 days a week to work and back and is averaging 30.2 mpg from it. It might also have to do with the fact that he has a commercial drivers license now and KNOWS if he gets caught speeding, that it'll be points on his license. He's currently a bus driver at Disney World. He loves the job, even though it's part time. He's been told that he'll be hired full time around the first of April. I told him to beware of an April Fools joke. And you made some very valid points on doing more and more. I'm looking at things as a turbo owner, though. Not an N/A owner.

[ptcruisersteve]

I would suggest fixing the overheating issue first before doing anything else. Confirm you have fixed the overheating issue. Then work on the hard starting issue.

You don't want to do major work on it if necessary and have it overheat again.

[AnRAutotech]

Originally Posted by ptcruisersteve

I would suggest fixing the overheating issue first before doing anything else. Confirm you have fixed the overheating issue. Then work on the hard starting issue.

You don't want to do major work on it if necessary and have it overheat again.

And before anything else to check the Battery

[redtom]

Hi, I do not know whether you have resolved the issue yet but will assume not. Sounds very similar to the problem I had. The overheating warped the head slightly and blew the gasket so I had to have the head skimmed and new head gasket. Also needed a new coil pack and sparks. Went the same route as you for the hoses and radiator then went on to replace the water pump, thermostat etc befor I discovered the the ACTUAL CAUSE OF THE OVERHEATING was the radiator fan. The fans have a dual speed kick in and the switch on the lower speed was not working. Getting one from a scrap yard doesn't work (I tried) ...as soon as I fitted a new fan the problem went away