My car overheats within 5 miles off driving under 30 mph haven’t been able to see if fan is turning. My hydraulic fan reservoir had a creamy white substance in it. It kind of looked like paint. Had a yellowish white tinge to it. There’s a steam being released near passenger headlight/under upper radiator hose close to the ground…any ideas? I have a 2001 Lincoln ls
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RESPONSE
I’m just going to identify the issue as a busted radiator.
The transmission fluid is cooled inside the radiator as well as the coolant. When a radiator busts internally it allows transmission fluid into the coolant. No need to worry about coolant getting into the transmission as the pressure is greater in the transmission. But since the coolant now has trans. fluid in it the color will turn creamy as you also described.
Hood up on 2001 Lincoln LS – Engine Compartment
– What to expect from overheating the transmission
What should I do when my car engine overheats?
When your engine overheats with in 5 miles from the house you’d better turn around and park it. Take notice of any liquid trails on the ground from where you just drove. pay particular attention to where it was parked when you left. The first place to check is the coolant reservoir, which you did and that helps to tell the story of what happened. In most cases the coolant tank would just be empty and you could just look for the leak, repair it and top off the coolant level. But when things decided to head south under the hood and the radiator overheats beyond its abilities to function….. or more likely you ran over something and didn’t know it…. and the radiator busts open. Sometimes when she overheats like that you need to flush the entire cooling system to get all the contaminates out. Make sure to replace the thermostat at the same time so you save money by not using twice as much coolant.