SaabCentral Forums banner

Engine Overheated-Upper Radiator Hose Split-Temp Gauge Plunged! PLEASE HELP!

16K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  dougwentzel 
#1 ·
Hey guys. After 2 hours of intense Philadelphia traffic yesterday from 4 to 6, I had began my leisurely 30 minute ride back home on the highway. Cruising along at 70. Suddenly, I noticed my Temperature Gauge was all the way up at high, so I drove about a mile until I could pull off. As I pulled off, the temp gauge went from all the way hot to all the way cold in a period of 5 seconds. The car pretty much just shut down as I approached a complete stop. Before pulling off I had turn the air on to heat at full blast, but it was weakly blowing when turned to heat and blowing strongly when turned to cold (the AC was not on).

I tried to start my car 4-5 hours after this incident, which is when I noticed the upper radiator hose had a horizontal split on the side closest to the engine, and when turning the key, coolant would just shoot everywhere. I was also low enough on oil that only the bottom tip of the oil dipstick found oil. I have topped the car with Mobil 1 and a high quality engine protection additive. I only tried that one time for a few seconds to start the car last night but no start, only cranking.

Please, use all the knowledge you have! What could this be? I would like to tackle this tomorrow! What do I need to buy and do to solve this problem. Thank you so much!
 
See less See more
#3 ·
It seems to crank just as it normally did, just no start. Could it be from no pressure in the cooling system? Why would the temperature gauge on the instrument cluster just fall down suddenly? Do I need a new thermostat? Please help me here Ron, you've always helped me a great deal in the past!
 
#4 ·
Doug, if I'm not mistaken, you need to have coolant in the engine for the temp sensor to work. If you lost the coolant, the sensor couldn't measure the temperature.

I would start with basic toubleshooting: check the spark, fuel and compression. The easiest to do is use some starting fluid in the throttle body and see if it tries to start. Next, check the spark, and while the plugs are out check the compression... Ron
 
#5 ·
I pulled the plugs, they looked fine. Took a flashlight to check under the plugs for oil/water/coolant, and it was nice and dry. There was no oil visible when taking the center metal plate off the engine either. There really are no oil leaks, at least nothing immediately obvious or large enough to be noticed/worry about. I used starting fluid and the car would not start. It continues to crank normally but just will not start.

NOW FOR THE NEWS...
The battery charging light is on and whenever i even put the key in my car the radiator fan kicks on and blows until I take the key out. I killed the battery by trying to start the car, and when trying to jump the car, the lights in my car flickered and the car was still not starting. Cranking speed is normal, but it will not start. I don't know why the fan would come on when the car is just sitting there. Something electrical has gone wrong. Whats the next step?
 
#7 ·
My car still will not start. The connections to the battery have not changed and still look fine. The car will not start even when being jumped. Dash lights kind of flash when trying to start though, and cranking sounds pretty normal if not completely normal. Why won't it start, and what could this be? I need to get the Saab back on the road so I can continue driving to work! I'm a Drexel University engineering student and I have to commute from South Jersey to Philadelphia everyday. Thank you for your help!
 
#8 ·
I'm assuming you have replaced the cracked radiator hose, refilled and bled the cooling system, topped of the oil, and made sure the electrical system is working properly. Have you checked the car for error codes? I'm no expert, but perhaps the engine management system has some safety to shut down the engine in the case of overheating that may need to be reset via the OBD plug-in. Unfortunately, that would mean getting the car to a location where they can check fault codes, but provided all mechanical factors are in order, I would suspect a computer issue.
 
#9 ·
Yep. I have refilled coolant and oil and fixed the hose. The plugs looked clean and no start with starting fluid. Gas is approximately 1/4 tank full. The check engine light and outlined red triangle lights are on, but they are always on since the car always reads the CPS code which was recently fixed and is now fine, and I pulled the SRS fuse by accident months ago, thus the red triangle. There could be a new OBD code, and I will have to check that. Any other suggestions to check for? What OBD code could be suspected to pop up? Resetting a code could fix the car? That would be wild...:p
 
#10 ·
The plugs may look clean, but have you checked to make sure they are sparking properly? You need four things to start: fuel, air, spark, and compression. You are missing at least one of those variables. Once we can isolate which of these are not present we can determine how to fix it.

When you try to start the car, you get the same cranking sound as always, so you probably have compression. You should still check the compression manually. Here is a site about compression checking: http://www.search-autoparts.com/searchautoparts/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=161

Definitely check the spark pugs for spark. They may look fine, but if they aren't sparking properly for whatever reason, then it would be impossible to start the car. If you find that there is no spark, I would suspect that the ignition coil or distributor went bad as a result of the increased temperature when the coolant line broke. As you probably can surmise, electrics don't like excessive temperatures. These are not particularly cheap parts, though, so I wouldn't just replace them without making sure they are bad.

If all these come up clear, and you have all the necessary ingredients for starting, that's when I would suspect a computer issue. No, resetting an OBD code will most likely not solve the problem. I am not as familiar with the NG900 as I am with the 9-3, but if there is a computer issue, it would require a reset of the computer to fix, and that would need to be done by a dealer (unless there are some Saab whizzes out there who can do this privately, I am not aware of any).
 
#12 ·
I have no DIC. How can I check for sparks at the plugs without a DIC (I have an NA). Also, what gauges should move when I try to start the car?

Do you think its more than a coincidence that I just installed a new CPS (non-OEM) about a week ago and now my car, after overheating, won't start? How can I test this assumption?
 
#13 ·
Did your Coolant Low Indicator work?

Sorry no help but a warning to others:-
In my opinion the coolant low sensor is the most valuable warning there is in a Saab 900. If you have a burst radiator hose and the there is a quick dump of coolant the temp sensor could be in hot air and not register correctly. So a working low coolant light gives the first indication of a burst pipe. Well, we all know you cannot drive far without coolant. Some people ignore the light, remove the lamp or even jumper out the sensor.
Martin Barnes - New Zealand (With a repaired Coolant Sensor)
 
#15 ·
Hkayssi,

Thanks for your input, its always good. How do I check my compression? Everyone keeps pointing me down the path of how you do things in a turbo car with a DIC.

How can I test whether my wires, cap, and rotor need to be replaced? The rotor is about a year old and I have a new-ish distributor. No idea about the wires. The hose spray coolant completely horizontal straight from the upper rad. hose to the engine, which is pretty much right were the rotor and distributor and wires are.

Also, how can I check for fuel getting to the engine? My fuel pump and fuel system was always fine but now is a time to check.

Finally, Hkayssi, do you think my CPS could have been ruined in this incident, or is that highly unlikely?
 
#16 ·
OK, I think your problem is possibly related to a wet cap and spark plug wires :cheesy:
Try to get a blow drier and dry them off. The wires can be left to dry on their own but that could take a few days especially in humid and rainy weather.

To test the compression you need a compression gauge. You remove the spark plug wires, the spark plugs and remove the wire going from the coil to the distributor. Then you screw the compression gauge and crank the engine a bit and check the gauge's reading, you shouldn't see a big difference in readings between the cylinders. For the engine not to start, the compression would have to be close to 0 in several cylinders and that is quite rare, in general, even with a blown head gasket, the car will start, will run very poorly and sputter and smoke.
 
#17 ·
UPDATE: Checked compression. Cylinder 1 was dry. Cylinder 2 (from the left) had visible coolant under the spark plug. Cylinders 3 and 4 were dry but glistened as if they had been wet recently.

Compression in all cylinders was 125 PSI. Is this healthy?

Also, THE CAR STARTED WITH THE COMPRESSION GAUGE STILL ON ONE CYLINDER. So, the car decided to run with only 3 spark plugs, but it still started (although not happily and it sounded like crap).

After all the testing was done, the car started (barely) but idled at usual speed. Every 10 to 20 seconds there was like a blow off noise like PFFFFFFF for about a second, like pressure was blowing off somewhere. There was white smoke from the exhaust (coolant). I checked cylinder 2 after it ran and there was no more visible coolant.

So is my head gasket in need of replacing? Do you think my engine is warped? What is going on here? What could it be that allows for the engine to still start (kind of sounded like the engine and everything slowly wound up until it all started and idled decently)? Please, help as best you can!!!
 
#23 ·
UPDATE: Checked compression. Cylinder 1 was dry. Cylinder 2 (from the left) had visible coolant under the spark plug. Cylinders 3 and 4 were dry but glistened as if they had been wet recently.

Compression in all cylinders was 125 PSI. Is this healthy?

Also, THE CAR STARTED WITH THE COMPRESSION GAUGE STILL ON ONE CYLINDER. So, the car decided to run with only 3 spark plugs, but it still started (although not happily and it sounded like crap).

After all the testing was done, the car started (barely) but idled at usual speed. Every 10 to 20 seconds there was like a blow off noise like PFFFFFFF for about a second, like pressure was blowing off somewhere. There was white smoke from the exhaust (coolant). I checked cylinder 2 after it ran and there was no more visible coolant.

So is my head gasket in need of replacing? Do you think my engine is warped? What is going on here? What could it be that allows for the engine to still start (kind of sounded like the engine and everything slowly wound up until it all started and idled decently)? Please, help as best you can!!!
The cylinder head may be warped, this has to be measured and checked at the machine shop.
During a compression test, all the plugs are removed and the ignition is disabled - but we never bothered with this step...a little fire and noise breaks the routine of the day in a shop..:lol::cheesy:
 
#19 · (Edited)
i think that compression figure sounds acceptable. i remember something like 175psi in mine, but that's a t5 DIC turbo, etc etc....

if it's the same in all 4 you should be good as far as head/head gasket integrity are concerned though.

as for the smoke... um.. might be a stretch, but is it possible coolant got splashed into the intake at some point? or water/coolant into the cylinders during testing? might explain the rough start afterward but the smooth idle once it got going. is it continuing to smoke or was it temporary?
 
#20 ·
Tristan, it continues to start but it continues to show white exhaust, meaning coolant is definitely still burning. 10 seconds after the car turns on, there are two sounds, 10 seconds apart of air escaping like PSSSSST for 1 second or less out of something in the engine bay. Sounds like its at or near the coolant expansion tank. What's going on here guys?
 
#21 ·
Tristan, it continues to start but it continues to show white exhaust, meaning coolant is definitely still burning. 10 seconds after the car turns on, there are two sounds, 10 seconds apart of air escaping like PSSSSST for 1 second or less out of something in the engine bay. Sounds like its at or near the coolant expansion tank. What's going on here guys?
The head gasket is "blown". Too bad that you could not have shut her down as soon as the hose burst. The visualized "white" is from the super heated coolant.
At least some of the chambers will be clean. The "sound" should be the pressure relief cap working. There are exhaust and combustion gasses in the coolant.
 
#22 ·
The head is made of aluminum. At extreme temperatures it will warp, allowing coolant to be consumed. If your exhaust is white, you most likely have warped your head, or at the very least blown your headgasket; most likely both. If you need a new head, I have a rebuilt one, just saying :cheesy:.
Tom
 
#24 ·
Alright, I kind of suspected this. Is there a chance a recommended engine sealer like K&W Engine and Block Sealant could save the day (at least temporarily)? Or do the symptoms of my case show the damage too serious to repair without replacing the gasket?

If I've been able to replace the thermostat, CPS, distributor, plugs, valve cover gasket, NSS, coolant hoses, vacuum lines, check valves, dash and cluster etc., should tackling the head gasket be a feasible task for me?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top