So I stupidly overheated my 05 Sequoia tonight. I'm not sure if they have an overtemp light because mine never turned on. However, while driving home from work I noticed during one of my infrequent dash checks that the temp was pegged. Pulled off as soon as possible but I have no clue how long it was overheated. I let it cool down for a half hour or so, then added fluids. Looks like the radiator sprung a pretty good leak. Started it up, sounds good runs good, but was only able to drive 10 more minutes or so until it overheated again. I was getting close to home so I did that a few more times until I realized how stupid I was being and stopped and called a tow truck. How screwed am I?
Overheated my Sequoia. How screwed am I? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Retroguy
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Obviously overheating isn't good for any engine. However there is a chance that no significant damage may have been done.
I know a mechanic at dealership that was in the middle of servicing a car, when he was asked by a service adviser to come explain something to another customer. When he came back to his bay he lowered the car and went for a test drive. He learned that a GM 3600 engine will drive 6.4 miles without oil in it.
Replace the radiator fill it back up and give it a go!
I know a mechanic at dealership that was in the middle of servicing a car, when he was asked by a service adviser to come explain something to another customer. When he came back to his bay he lowered the car and went for a test drive. He learned that a GM 3600 engine will drive 6.4 miles without oil in it.
Replace the radiator fill it back up and give it a go!
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Update. Got it home and cooled down overnight. Oil is clear/honey colored, doesn't feel gritty or smelled burned. Turned it on to move it into the garage. Sounds perfect and no smoke out the tailpipe. Hopefully I'm in the clear!
You should be ok. Fix the leak and whatever else may be causing the overheating though....
How resilient are the 2004 4.7 V8 iForce motors to overheating? Overheated mine in a tunnel, it was knocking pretty bad like bad fuel until I got out and saw the steam...
If you ran it till it was knocking you probably wrecked something. Refill with coolant, change the oil and see if she runs. You might have gotten lucky. If she does run, fix whatever caused the overheating and then run it for a couple days and check for white exhaust, oil in the coolant, coolant in the oil, or overpressure/bubbles in the overflow. These symptoms would point to a cracked head or block, potentially just a head gasket. You probably know this, but you have to pay attention to your gauges.
Had the car serviced right before a long trip, mechanic forgot to replace cap on radiator. First, heard a small metallic rattle which sounded like a heat shield over a cat rattling (may have been coolant hitting the fan)...next, entering a tunnel, some minor knocking like bad gas....checked the gauges, temp was off the gauge LOW (I hear no coolant, no reading). Exiting tunnel, knocking increasing, and only then did we see the steam, pulled right over.
She is running, has a minor bit of roughness in drive and at idle, not when driving. It threw an O2 sensor code shortly thereafter. Mechanic was to change the sensor today, look at the plugs, already changed the oil, and was going to check for residual coolant around the coils which may be contributing to rough idle when in gear.
I'm hoping we dodged a bullet, but if there is an internal crack, only time will tell.....the mechanic, although he took responsibility, is pushing us to trade it in right away, I think he knows that if there is a crack, it will worsen in the coming days/weeks, and lead to one of the problems you cited.
I'm hoping to hear that for a brief overheat and some knocking, that these engines are super-resilient, but it's more likely a crap shoot...any thoughts on their ability to take an overheat?
It really depends on how hot you got it. I don't know of anybody that has run that long with no coolant. Have the mech do a leak down test--this will reveal any cracks/compromised gaskets. Make him promise to do it again in a month. These engines are pretty robust, but they are also aluminum--once you get it heated past a certain point, it compromises the structure of the metal. How long did you drive on the trip before this happened? How long after hearing the rattle did you stop? Any big hills?
I think the mech is pushing you to trade it because he knows that he owes you a motor if that one is damaged. Have him do the due diligence to check it over and don't let him off the hook until you are satisfied. If you aren't upside down on the rig, sequoias are going for pretty cheap right now--you might get an upgrade with lower miles for not very much more money than you are paying now.
Is the "leak down test" the same as a pressure test? Thanks again.
Also, drove about a mile after hearing the first engine knocking, tried to drive easy while trying to figure the noises out...
Leak down is the same as the pressure test. Did you already have that done?
A mile isn't too bad, but there is no way of knowing how long it was overheating before it started knocking. If it were me, I'd keep it and see what happens but the smart thing to do is dump it. Is the mech a friend? If not, I'd keep him on the hook for at least 12 months--engine replaced/repaired on his dime if anything goes wrong. If you want to push it and make this hurt, demand that they rebuild or replace the engine. You might not get them do do it, but depending on the shop size and how this is their fault, they owe you that.
