So the wife’s car starts over heating. Seems coolant is just low, makes sense since I just replaced the thermostat. So I add coolant and the next day she says it's still running hot. I remove the thermostat add more coolant again and take a spin. Hmmm... still hot. Now I'm thinking I have air lock. However I keep needing to add more coolant. Now I'm getting nervous. Keep her car, get up and add more coolant again. This time I leave the cap off the reservoir. In about five minutes running air bubbles start coming up out off the res. Then the mix starts to gush out! Shi... the head gasket is blown. I can handle some jobs but this is major crap with $$$ at the end. So I gather my thoughts and start searching for local import mechs. I call and get luckily a good honest guy. Bad news if the head is bad the work is so involved he says it's cheaper to buy a motor from a bone yard. He tells me how he can test the bubbles with a dye which will show if there are exhaust gasses. But says I should not jump to conclusions. It could be a bad water pump. Yeah it had crossed my mind days ago. So I jump in and start the disassembly. I had already replaced the pump and timing belt 55,000 miles ago. Bingo a damn broken impeller, a plastic one at that. Call the local Auto Zone which had what I needed. I got them to check and they had my purchase of the last pump with a lifetime warranty. So they replace it free, with a steel impeller by the way. New belt. new pump $49.00, etc... All looks good. Job done!
