Well I was driving and my car started to overheat for some reason. I open the hood and a lot of smoke comes out. I knew it was coolant that was leaking. What happened was that the radiator cap was not completely tight. So I added some coolant and tightened it up. The problem is that the coolant buzzer keeps beeping. I got a 87' n/a. Please help.

 

generally that means you didn't add enough

 

if you ran out of coolant and the engine over heated. the motors gone and your eating ramen noodles and drinking tap water for the next year and 6 months.

 

or you could sell the car instead of rebuilding the motor.

 

Well, I don't think my motors gone because it still runs but the coolant still buzzes. Could it be anything else?

 

thermostat. when my hose blew due to the previous owner's inability to put on an oil filter, the coolant leaked out and the car overheated, when i got the roadside mechanic to come check he fixed the hose and filled it up but the buzzer still went off, he removed the thermostat and found it shut even though the engine was at operating temps, got it open and put it back and the buzzer had stopped. not saying thats what it might be, but thats what happened to me

 

I'm almost afraid to ask...almost.

How does one fail to properly install a spin-on oil filter and, assuming one did, how does that blow a radiator hose?

 

Top off radiator, top off fill cap, burp out all the air, replace thermostat with OEM f(from dealer, etc.). Check cooling system with guide at www.aaroncake.net. A Lisle funnel will be much easier and do a much better job of removing air compared to other burping methods. Do a search for more info. For now, do what you can to burp it.

If you must drive in the meantime, remove the old thermostat and drop in a pot of water. Bring to or near a boil. If the thermostat won't open, run without one until you get a new t-stat. As always, drive easy when the car isn't warmed up. A lot of the coolant will bypass the radiator if you don't have a t-stat, so watch your temp gauge and don't push the car too hard. But mostly I think you'd be fine and the biggest thing you'd have to worry about would be the 2mpg you lose from the ECU going into open loop.

The coolant sensor is located in the top of the radiator. If the thermostat won't open, and if there isn't enough coolant in the radiator already, then the buzzer will go off. If the thermostat will open but there isn't enough coolant in the radiator, the buzzer will buzz until the car warms up, then it'll stop.