My car disgraced me on thirdmainland bridge. I was in your shoe. I changed my radiator to dual cell.

Don't be too quick to change to a double cell radiator..
- how long have you had the radiator..
-when did this problem start.
-does the car overheat in the evenings/night

A whole lot of uncertainties could be the cause. It will need you delineating one from another.
I have a feeling the radiator is actually worn out regardless of whether its leaking or not and it will need replacement.. Double cell might be more appropriate. I'm assuming its an old model corolla (below 2006)

Before you change, have a competent rewire check out the electronic configurations.. Let him be certain the fan is not failing as you drive. If your fan fails, you will have this problem..

This should not be a rocket science problem..
Like i said before let a competent rewire advise you.
If you are in Lagos I have a good rewire at surulere (inside national theatre). His name is Wasiu +234 802 830 4229.
Have a great day.

Get a standing fan

FrankGiel:
Don't be too quick to change to a double cell radiator..
- how long have you had the radiator..
-when did this problem start.
-does the car overheat in the evenings/night

A whole lot of uncertainties could be the cause. It will need you delineating one from another.
I have a feeling the radiator is actually worn out regardless of whether its leaking or not and it will need replacement.. Double cell might be more appropriate. I'm assuming its an old model corolla (below 2006)

Before you change, have a competent rewire check out the electronic configurations.. Let him be certain the fan is not failing as you drive. If your fan fails, you will have this problem..

This should not be a rocket science problem..
Like i said before let a competent rewire advise you.
If you are in Lagos I have a good rewire at surulere (inside national theatre). His name is Wasiu +234 802 830 4229.
Have a great day.

Valid response.
My take

1.) The fan fails intermittently
2.) The radiator is expired
3.) There is an electrical component attached to the cooling system maybe thermostat, relayor fuse making partial contact.

Thank you.

Sixaxis:
Bro, u dnt need to scan anything..trust me.

Juz change ur radiator to "double cell" nd thank me later..
Gdluck..

best solution ....same tin i wuz abt to say

It's very disheartening reading the comments in this thread. Nigerians bask and pride in ignorance. After reading most comments on how people take pride in abusing their cars, I will never advice anyone to buy a naija used car. Shame.

When you switch on A/C more load is added to the engine and the cooling fan comes on and/or increases its speed. Ideal situation
With ur explanation it seem ur cooling fan is not pulling enough heat from the radiator and thats why u don't experience this at high speed because at high speed external air removes heat from the Radiator

Had same experience with my KIA and I almost ran mad not knowing it was a small issue that doesn't need the intervention of any mechanic. Just check your radiator filler and test if it doesn't leak water into your reservoir through the small hose that connects them together.
Test by closing the radiator with its cover and then place your mouth on the hose to try and siphon water. If the water comes to your mouth, it means your radiator filler is bad and you can get it for just 3k. the reason why it dries up when you put on your ac is because there is more pressure in the radiator and this causes more bubbles that quickly escapes to the reservoir and render the radiator empty.

Egji:
Hi everyone, I'm starting this thread to request help from the nairaland community in troubleshooting the issue I'm having with my car.

I drive a Toyota Corolla, it runs perfectly fine without the a/c on, but when I put on the a/c on a hot afternoon in traffic, the car starts overheating.

My radiator has a single fan, functioning for both the radiator and the condenser

I have visited a mechanic, who scanned the car. He replaced the a/c relay that controls a manual a/c compressor and the engine thermostat. But he left the fan running directly with the ignition because the compressor was not controlling the radiator fan when we put on the a/c.

I have flushed the radiator and steam washed the condenser. Then we refilled the cooling system with red abro anti rust coolant. And bleed the cooling system.

I tested the car in heavy traffic and it still overheats. Please what do I do now??

BumbleBee007:


And what brand of car do you drive?

Oh! and by the way, the last time you travelled from One Town to another, what Brand of Bus did you travel in I bet it was a Toyota product

Yeah, Toyota's over rated!!!

Honda and Mercedes

VickyWinky:

Exactly!!! This happened to my car though not a Toyota. I went through hell on Apapa route., you know what I mean. Immediately I was advised to change the radiator to double cell and double fans and I did, it ended the over heating. In fact, now the car under heats even with the ac on.

then be ready to replace your car engine soon. With the AC on or not, the temperature gauge should remain in the middle at all times. It seems your thermostat isn't working or is absent.


Replacing a single cell radiator to the double cell is wrong if the factory fitted radiator was single cell. You should not just act on whatever your roadside mechanic tells you. With the make and model of your car, research online. there are tons of information and videos to benefit from.

paradigmshift:


which one we go buy oga

Mercedes-Benz

3kay945:


Wetin make we come buy na?

What is the cost of new radiator now? I need to change mine too soon.

Mercedes

juninho:
Perhaps you have a single cell radiator. Consider changing it to a double cell radiator

Wrong advise without first finding out the factory spec.

shortiespro:
Check if ur radiator is a one cell or 2 cell... mine heat up like dat each time the ac is on... my Mech advice to use double cell radiator .. and ever since then I don't experience over heating ... my temp is very low no matter the amount of sun / or drive distance ...

be preparing to replace your car engine soon

tchymoe:
ask a good Japanese mechanic to remove ur car thermostat so the car can have a free flow of water....because of white man's cold Temperature were the car was manufactured , the thermostat regulates the flow of water, now the car is in Nigeria and you know the hot weather....so Bro, remove the thermostat and the car will be OK........... frm experience

bad advise....

chukel:
It's very disheartening reading the comments in this thread. Nigerians bask and pride in ignorance. After reading most comments on how people take pride in abusing their cars, I will never advice anyone to buy a naija used car. Shame.

spot on

Check ur fan,also ur radiator if its single cell change to double cell.Then ur top gasket,check if its still intact.

Sixaxis:
Bro, u dnt need to scan anything..trust me.

Juz change ur radiator to "double cell" nd thank me later..
Gdluck..

The Kazeem in you is talking. That advice kills engine gradually

femi4:
The Kazeem in you is talking. That advice kills engine gradually

Ok sir!
Mr Femi Branch..

Sixaxis:


Ok sir!
Mr Femi Branch..

I m a victim.... If you like listen

neonly:
Let me tell u d truth yur ac isn't working properly at intervals ac must switch off then pick again pending on how d regulator is adjusted no matter d kind of car if ac doesn't switch at intervals d car must over heat

neonly:
Let me tell u d truth yur ac isn't working properly at intervals ac must switch off then pick again pending on how d regulator is adjusted no matter d kind of car if ac doesn't switch at intervals d car must over heat

neonly:
Let me tell u d truth yur ac isn't working properly at intervals ac must switch off then pick again pending on how d regulator is adjusted no matter d kind of car if ac doesn't switch at intervals d car must over heat

out of all the comments read on this thread, your comment is the simplest yet the real solution to the guy's problem. with all things normal, it seems his compressor is not switching but permanently on.

femi4:
I m a victim.... If you like listen

Yea right! If I had listened to your type when my baby boy had same issue 6yrs ago, it wldnt be solved nd the person I sold it for wldnt enjoy it uptil now..

Hello Sir,
I had the same issue with my honda civic for 1 year....i changed everything changeable including buying a new double radiator..wasted money changing all these things...the only thing i did not change was the water pump because the unavoidable mechanic only listened to sound to check if the water pump was good or bad ..alas...i decided to actually remove and check the water pump and realised that the blade of the water pump had spoilt..this was the cause of my ac on then vehicle starts over heating or in traffic etc......i strongly believe that your overheating problem is as a result of a bad water pump...please check this water pump very important...the blades get rusted after sometime

Egji:
Hi everyone, I'm starting this thread to request help from the nairaland community in troubleshooting the issue I'm having with my car.

I drive a Toyota Corolla, it runs perfectly fine without the a/c on, but when I put on the a/c on a hot afternoon in traffic, the car starts overheating.

My radiator has a single fan, functioning for both the radiator and the condenser

I have visited a mechanic, who scanned the car. He replaced the a/c relay that controls a manual a/c compressor and the engine thermostat. But he left the fan running directly with the ignition because the compressor was not controlling the radiator fan when we put on the a/c.

I have flushed the radiator and steam washed the condenser. Then we refilled the cooling system with red abro anti rust coolant. And bleed the cooling system.

I tested the car in heavy traffic and it still overheats. Please what do I do now??

All those steps are useless. Just take ur car to a Toyota place

Check and be sure that your WATER is not mixing with engine oil and very importantly, Be sure u dont have a burnt gasket. Lastly, connecting the fan directly to the battery will have its effects on your optimum temp. You may loose your Oxygen sensor with time which may also increase fuel consumption on your vehicle. Safe your engine bro

tempex88:
Gasket don dey spoil small small. Had same issue

Quite on point, speaking from first hand experience. Bad gasket is the primary suspect here. You may also have to oil your compressor.

Hello OP the following is the cause of your car overheating each time you on your AC. It requires sequential troubleshooting:

1. The direction of fan flow - check if the fan is still force draft i.e blowing air across the radiation. It should be clockwise direction - the same principle with standing fans. Also, check the blade angle if it is still okay.

2. Check your water pump if it is still functional or worn.

3. Check your thermostat if is stuck. I once had the same issue which thermostat was part of the root cause. You can check yourself by removing the thermostat and put it in boiled water. If it opens then is still okay, if it doesn't then the spring is damaged; change it.

4. Check the radiator for leakage and blockage.

5. Check for possible leakage from the connecting hoses.

6. Check also possible leakage from the condenser

7. Check if your car is using the right compressor. It might be of higher capacity which definitely will overheat the car.

8. Function test the top gasket if is still okay. You can check by feeling the radiator with water while the engine is running (Not when the engine is hot oh!). If it bubbles like continuously then definitely, the top gasket is gone; change it.

Hope it helps

Egji:
Hi everyone, I'm starting this thread to request help from the nairaland community in troubleshooting the issue I'm having with my car.

I drive a Toyota Corolla, it runs perfectly fine without the a/c on, but when I put on the a/c on a hot afternoon in traffic, the car starts overheating.

My radiator has a single fan, functioning for both the radiator and the condenser

I have visited a mechanic, who scanned the car. He replaced the a/c relay that controls a manual a/c compressor and the engine thermostat. But he left the fan running directly with the ignition because the compressor was not controlling the radiator fan when we put on the a/c.

I have flushed the radiator and steam washed the condenser. Then we refilled the cooling system with red abro anti rust coolant. And bleed the cooling system.

I tested the car in heavy traffic and it still overheats. Please what do I do now??

Change the radiator to double cell and make the fan two.

Change your radiator to double cell and make the fan two.

Egji:
Hi everyone, I'm starting this thread to request help from the nairaland community in troubleshooting the issue I'm having with my car.

I drive a Toyota Corolla, it runs perfectly fine without the a/c on, but when I put on the a/c on a hot afternoon in traffic, the car starts overheating.

My radiator has a single fan, functioning for both the radiator and the condenser
I have visited a mechanic, who scanned the car.

He replaced the a/c relay that controls a manual a/c compressor and the engine thermostat. But he left the fan running directly with the ignition because the compressor was not controlling the radiator fan when we put on the a/c.

I have flushed the radiator and steam washed the condenser. Then we refilled the cooling system with red abro anti rust coolant. And bleed the cooling system.
I tested the car in heavy traffic and it still overheats. Please what do I do now??


In my view, there are a lot of things that could cause this problem, and this is how I intend to help.


***I would suggest you allow a professional electrician to look at the fan connections and the AC system for you*****


1. Having a single fan that extracts the heat from the radiator and AC condenser comes on some cars. Such fans are called flex fans, and it doesn't matter whether its a double bladed fan.

The rate of air flow and extraction has already being out into consideration by the manufacturer already.

CHECK the speed of rotation of the fan.
In your statement, you started the fan has being connected to run directly with your ignition system (fan set at Hi now).

Are you sure the mechanic did connect the polarities of the fans according? If he didn't, then the direction of rotation of fan would be opposite(can't extract the heat from the system).

ACCORDING to you, that direct fan connection hasn't helped matters.
This tells me the fan isn't the problem.

2. You also said the thermostat has being replaced with a 2012 one.

CHECK if that thermostat was properly aligned in its position. If it isn't, the bleed valve incorporated on the thermostat would not open, to allow to flow of cold coolants from the radiator to the cylinder head.

Also ensure that a thermostat with the right T°C rating was afixed. If my memory doesn't fail me, Toyota has a rating of 82/83°C.

3. "You flushes radiator and condenser, and same problem persists".

Steam washing the radiator and the condenser, would not solve this problem.

SOLUTION: If you can't replace both radiators and condenser, dismantle the radiator, and thoroughly wash it. For the condenser, here's the magic wand:

¶¶¶¶¶{Remove the condenser from the car, and ask your AC tech guy to remove the CYLINDRICAL FILTER embedded in the side of the condenser itself. If that filter inside the condenser is clogged, the condenser builds up excess pressure>T°C that the single fan might not be able to contain.¶¶¶¶¶


4. Have that compressor looked at by an AC tech.
If that car's compressor system isn't OK (a compressor system in which the pistons in it are gradually seizing), the extra load added to the engine, would cause the car to overheat.

5. Cylinder head gasket might be failing already.
But this should be a last resort.
Iron out the least issues first before jumping to the gasket.



In summary,

¶¶¶¶¶get a professional electrician, an AC tech, and a mechanic to rule out the Ac and electrical system.

This would help identify if the mechanic routed the fan and AC circuitry correctly, and also if the thermostat of the AC was set properly; the mechanic would find out if the engine thermostat was properly aligned, etc.

Get the AC tech to inspect the CYLINDRICAL FILTER FOR YOU FOR CLOGS.

¶¶¶¶¶finally!!!, the top cylinder gasket might be the culprit.





Please, do keep the house posted on how you were able to sort this out.



PS: Do not replace parts yet. Just try as much as possible to CUT COST down by dismantling the radiator and flushing it, remove the condenser internal filter to asses its state, and ask the mechanic to revert all connections back to OEM (the way he met them), then a competent electrician/AC tech/mechanic, to have those looked at.





Regards,
Joseph
Isolo, Lagos
DW Nig Ltd
info@dxta.net.ng/oigonojoseph@yahoo.com
08066643532(call/WhatsApp)

Try the following;

1. Ensure you buy a new "DOUBLE CELL" not fairly used(Belgium) no matter the grade whether 1st grade or what ever.

2. Since your fan is connected directly and has a relay attached the speed should have increased directly more than the normal speed, test the direction of the air flow of the fan, normally the fan air is supposed to be flowing inwards I.e towards the engine etc

3. Ensure the condenser is changed to a new one

4. Check the water pump whether it may have become faulty, Replace if something's wrong noticed

5. Check the coolant

6. Remove the thermostat

This is all I can remember I hope my suggestions would aid you. Cheers

Egji:
Hi everyone, I'm starting this thread to request help from the nairaland community in troubleshooting the issue I'm having with my car.

I drive a Toyota Corolla, it runs perfectly fine without the a/c on, but when I put on the a/c on a hot afternoon in traffic, the car starts overheating.

My radiator has a single fan, functioning for both the radiator and the condenser

I have visited a mechanic, who scanned the car. He replaced the a/c relay that controls a manual a/c compressor and the engine thermostat. But he left the fan running directly with the ignition because the compressor was not controlling the radiator fan when we put on the a/c.

I have flushed the radiator and steam washed the condenser. Then we refilled the cooling system with red abro anti rust coolant. And bleed the cooling system.

I tested the car in heavy traffic and it still overheats. Please what do I do now??

You are using an oversized AC compressor
Generating too much heat for radiator to handle
Radiator is not meant to be topped every so often unless there is a leakage. It is meant to be a closed system; so if you top your radiator even weekly, you need to buy a brand new one and find a mechanic that knows how to read to install it for you.