CGRMls400

So im going to say what happened first and then what Ive done bit im going to start out with the cars history first.
I bought the car at an auction its a 1990 Lexus LS400
200xxxmiles (bought with 192xxx)
Everything stock except for the exhaust has straight pipe set up cats back with cherrybomb where the middle resonator was at
Other than that I know of no history prior to me
One thing I did notice was that it has three lines eliminated idk why but it ran fine ever since I bought it
Ever since I bought the car the temp needle sat at a lil bit above normal but not up at the red or close to it and drove just fine

So the other day I was picking up my mail from the post office and on the way there it over heated the needle went in to the red luckily it happened the light before the post office so I stopped and got my mail and waited for it to cool down I checked below for any leaks and nothing anyways it got back down to normal so I drove it home about a mile down the road It started going back up it got in to the red again so I pulled over popped the hood and looked at my fans and only the one behind the radiator was running but the two smaller one in front of the radiator were not so I cut it off and let it cool off I checked my fuses and they were all fine I checked my fans with my fingers to see if they would turn and they both did EASILY anyhow it got back down again so I drove it again this time again within the same 1 to 1 1/2 mile distance it got hot again so I stopped let it cool down this time I popped the hood and left it cracked so it could get more air and drove it again when I was back to normal (this whole time before I was driving 45) this time I have to get on the highway where its 55mph this time I drove it about the same distance before it started to get hot and I drove it close to a half a mile while In the red since I was then about a mile from my house whem I started to slow down to pull over it started squirting coolant fluid from the reservoir when I popped the hood it was coming out I let it cool and called my wife to come get me and bring me some water I waited for it to cool down again and proceeded to add the water In it ( keep In mind this is the first time I over heated to the point of coolant squirting out of the reservoir tank) and it took the whole 2liters in it. Before all of this I noticed it had a weak battery because anytime I would leave the music going with the keys off for like 3 mins like at work during break it would die and I could have to jump start it. So when I wad putting water In it and waiting for it to cool down I forgot about that with the situation in mind so when I went to cut it on again it would turn over but bever start and eventually the battery died (after about 4-5 tries) so I just started it but it didnt actually start it would turn over never fire up I could smell fuel but that was kind of normal since it was straight piped but ever since then it never started I even changed battery and all the electrical comes on and everything works ac heat and everything else except those two fans in front of the radiator and it wont turn over it will just go "jit tit tit tit" like its just about to go VROOOM but it wont ever go VROOM! Its been sitting there for about a week now and ive been checking the oil and its maintained level and its still in brand new condition (I had just changed it about 4 or 5 days prior to this) I took all theCovers off and got down to the spark plugs and they dont look abnormal could use new ones but arent in immediate changing condition or malfunctioning condition looked down inside the cylinders and theres no fluid in there that I can see except for some dark coloring on top of the piston heads all of them ive loomed under the car and its not leaking anything and like super said the oil is not like it would be if a gasket was blown one thing I did notice was that since I had to take the air intake assembly off I looked inside where the connecting pipe connects to the engine block?? Theres to valves there and behind the second one there was a lil bit of oil coming out I cleaned it and havent seen anymore come out but thats where im at...HELP!!!!

brybo86

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First off, I have never seen the front fan running on my car either. My temp gauge has never went past the 1/2 mark.... so I don't think that is your problem.

Have you tried bleeding the air from the system?

Try turning the heater to Max and see if that helps.

While your at it change thermostat too.

It's been sitting a week now and you have been "maintaining the oil level?"

How much does it leak?

dicer

Its a nice long story with no details. I guess you played your radio when adding water and the battery is dead?
Did you jump it? Maybe you need to start out with a nice new battery and rule that out. If there is not much power its not going to start.
Over heating ? and you say not typical. I say it sounds very typical. Things to check are any blockage of air through the radiator. Any blockage of coolant flow through it. How is the thermostat? Is the water pump working?
Did the engine make any strange noises? Do you see any other leakage any place, I'm guessing the stop leak the auction place added is probably not working any more (just a guess) and the head gaskets are now messing it up.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

Any maintenance that you've done on the car since buying it? What is the condition of the fluids: brake, coolant, power steering, oil, differential?

With an unknown my suggestion would be to do the cooling system maintenance: thermostat, coolant and the coolant temp sender that is next to the ECT sensor. With that accessible change the ECT sensor. Additional thoughts fan clutch.

As for the battery, check what the voltage is car off and when running(When you can get it started again.)

Legender

Let me see if I can summarize your current situation:

≈ Currently in a no start condition after overheating
≈ overheated while driving pushing needle to the red and squirting coolant out of the reservoir.
≈ Installed new battery and all electrical works and starter turns over fine
≈ The oil condition/color is normal and does not show to have coolant in it as it was freshly changed
≈ Plugs and cylinder heads appear to be normal
≈ No unusual leaking.

So looking to solve two problems
1. Current no start condition, possible caused by overheating as that's when it quit starting.
2. Overheating issue that lead to no start condition

Is that it?

dicer

Now I see you did change the battery. I guess its that Jit, jit stuff that got me all confused.
So then does the engine turn over fast like normal when trying to start it?
Did you turn off the engine the last time it ran or did it stop by itself?
If the water pump seized then the timing belt would break, and it wouldn't start.

CGRMls400

Yes that is it. It was fine until it over heated and it only over heated to the point of the coolant being expelled through the reservoir once, the other times the needle just went to the red. But yes thats my current situation just as you've described help!

CGRMls400

Yes the ignition turns over fast but will never fire up/turn on and I dont want to hold the key to long for ive heard thats how starters get damaged
Yes when I saw the steam coming from under the hood I pulled over and turned it off I popped the hood and saw it was coolant coming from the relief port of the reservoir ever since then It wont turn over actually I remember now that day I tried to turn it over after adding water and the temp was low enough after it happeded and it ran for one second and sputtered and turned off im not so sure though if it was about two weeks ago now
No the timing and serpentine belt are still on

dicer

Again a seized water pump could cause heating, and at some point it would break the timing belt.
I can't think of too many other things that from an over heat condition that are going to keep it from starting.
When it cranks, does it turn real freely? Heat can seize piston rings and or valves in guides, warp heads and that sort of thing, and would run badly or not start from it. You need to check for spark and fuel pressure to rule that out.

Unless there is some sort of failsafe thing to have to reset, that I know nothing about and have never seen in a manual that is keeping it from firing.

CGRMls400

No the oil does not leak, its maintained level and integrity.
No I have not tried bleeding the air from the system how would I go about doing that?

CGRMls400

Since the car wont turn on can I still the compression in each cylinder? How would I check fuel pressure

CGRMls400

All fluids are at normal levels and good condition.
Have already tried 2 different batteries and still same results.
Ive done the usual maintenance on the vehicle since I bought it

CGRMls400

No did not play radio when adding water I had the car off when I added water im guessing the interior cabin light is the culprit of the dead battery but yes I tried jump starting that day and Ive already tried two different batteries and still same results.
All fluid levels are the same at normal levels. There is No leaking of any fluid.
No no strange noises. The vehicle acts like its going to start just fine but never actually "turns on" just keeps turning over and over normally.
How would I check the water pump?

dicer

First check for spark, then fuel - and fuel pressure.
You would check the timing belt by removing the easy cover on the driverside.
Checking the water pump is not real easy, it would either be a visual check (digging into it) or removing thermostat and checking for flow.

CELSI0R

Regarding the electric fans, I would not dismiss them as an issue yet. There is a procedure to check them, and they should engage when the engine temperature goes somewhere between 3/4 to the max temperature on the gauge (overheating).

To provide some background, the fan behind your radiator is your clutch fan, run by the engine. That fan does not rely on electronic relays or fuses in order to run, and relies on the serpentine belt.

If your electric fans are not running, I would check the electric fan relay, located under your driver's side headlight. You will need to remove the headlight to get to the relay box.

Attached are some images to elaborate what I am referring to. One is a diagram of the cooling system, another is an image of the relay box behind the bumper (with the headlight removed), and the other is an image of the relay box. You should check the RDI Fan relays (Radiator).