Overheating and more need help

[john21]

I have a 2002 Mazda protégé 2.0 and over the weekend I went to go shooting, and on my way there I noticed my engine temp was off the needle. I stopped and checked my coolant and it was boiling, I managed to baby the car home and on my way home I noticed that the transmission was stuck in 3rd gear. When I got home I noticed that the alternator belt popped off and that when I started it the shaft that spins the alternator belt wasn’t spinning (is this normal?). I don’t know what is wrong with my engine someone said the timing belt but the engine is running fine. I cheaked the oil and it is low and there is a small leak in my head gasket i did not notice because it was leaking on the exhaust. Any help would be appreciated thanks...

[E21BIMMERHEAD]

your alternator bearing probably got spent/stopped working, belt burned away/melted, your engine began to over work its self because of the extra drag from that accessory, lots of oil was consumed because of the heat then when there wasnt enough oil in the head the cylinder head temp rose beyond the cooling system's range of operation causing excess water temps wich then inturn blew out your head gasket..........all in all I would recommend replacing your alterator, changing your oil, replacing your water pump(mite as well to the timing belt while your doing the water pump so you dont have to worry about it), replacing your head gasket, rebuild your head(at least make sure valve lash is in spec, seats are ok), flush out your cooling system. Running 3rd gear rpms for a long time could also cause all these failures(or atleast over-stress weak areas), so you may have a tranny issue/computer issue wich lead to all this...... good luck man! let us know what ya find!

[john21]

Thanks, I am going to take it to a mechanic tomorrow I don’t no if the alternator is bad it was spinning freely when I spun it and no wobble in it. I will see what the mechanic says tomorrow and put a reply up to let you know whats going on. I am leaning towards something internal though, hopefully not.

[P-Funk!]

your alternator bearing probably got spent/stopped working, belt burned away/melted, your engine began to over work its self because of the extra drag from that accessory, lots of oil was consumed because of the heat then when there wasnt enough oil in the head the cylinder head temp rose beyond the cooling system's range of operation causing excess water temps wich then inturn blew out your head gasket..........all in all I would recommend replacing your alterator, changing your oil, replacing your water pump(mite as well to the timing belt while your doing the water pump so you dont have to worry about it), replacing your head gasket, rebuild your head(at least make sure valve lash is in spec, seats are ok), flush out your cooling system. Running 3rd gear rpms for a long time could also cause all these failures(or atleast over-stress weak areas), so you may have a tranny issue/computer issue wich lead to all this...... good luck man! let us know what ya find!

Well done! Good anaylsis and recomendation!

[slavrenz]

your alternator bearing probably got spent/stopped working, belt burned away/melted, your engine began to over work its self because of the extra drag from that accessory, lots of oil was consumed because of the heat then when there wasnt enough oil in the head the cylinder head temp rose beyond the cooling system's range of operation causing excess water temps wich then inturn blew out your head gasket..........all in all I would recommend replacing your alterator, changing your oil, replacing your water pump(mite as well to the timing belt while your doing the water pump so you dont have to worry about it), replacing your head gasket, rebuild your head(at least make sure valve lash is in spec, seats are ok), flush out your cooling system. Running 3rd gear rpms for a long time could also cause all these failures(or atleast over-stress weak areas), so you may have a tranny issue/computer issue wich lead to all this...... good luck man! let us know what ya find!

OR...your water pump stopped turning because your belt broke from your seized alternator bearing. The alternator and water pump use the same belt, so your car's gonna overheat if the pump quits turning.

I'm not saying this is a bad diagnosis, I just think maybe you're being too dramatic with recommending $2,500 in repair work from the start. start by replacing your alternator and alternator/water pump belt and see what problems you still have.

[john21]

wow 2500 is alot, probly better off getting a new engine for that much. I hope its just someting simpler the mechanic is looking at it today.

[john21]

I got it fixed!!! The belt for the alternator was replaced and everything is fine now, idk how the tranny wouldn’t shift but it does now. And the oil magically got full and the seal stopped leaking... Thanks for all the help guys...

[E21BIMMERHEAD]

OR...your water pump stopped turning because your belt broke from your seized alternator bearing. The alternator and water pump use the same belt, so your car's gonna overheat if the pump quits turning.

I'm not saying this is a bad diagnosis, I just think maybe you're being too dramatic with recommending $2,500 in repair work from the start. start by replacing your alternator and alternator/water pump belt and see what problems you still have.

well that was a worse case senario of course, I just wanted to try to list as many things so they could be ruled out quicker and more easily. Plus the water pump is driven off the timing belt I thought....It has been a 5 years since I replaced my timing belt/water pump, so my memory could be fuzzy. If he did replace all that himself it shouldnt cost more than $300 depending on where you get the parts.



Im glad you got it all worked out though! alternator belt probably just wasnt tight enough so i wore out fast? Oh well awsome you got your car running so you can enjoy it some more!

[E21BIMMERHEAD]

Oh and I would change your oil soon because it probably got all hot and funky lol.

[john21]

That the first thing I bought the 5 quart value pack of royal purple :), yea and I also thought the water pump was run off the timing belt but I guess not.

[P-Funk!]

I am just glad your head isn't warped form the over-heat.

Watch coolant levels for a few days after a good run...