Let's talk about Car-care in DR.

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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Let?s change the topic a bit and talk about car care. One of the benefits of living in this beautiful island is the repair and service industry, its dirt cheap. The work may not be up to the American standard but if you supervise the work, you can get service done for the fraction of the cost that will cost you in USA or Europe.
Now today?s topic would be over-heating of the engine. Yes, it?s hot as hell here so naturally some cars will get over heated. Overheated engine will cost you a whole engine overhaul if you are not careful. First of all, if your engine is over heating, the first thing you do is stop the car and turn off the engine. If the needle is near the red area or in the extreme red area of the gauge, turn off the car immediately. Some people look for the gas station to pull over or stop the car but keep the engine running, or try to get home to have the husband look at the engine. All wrong, in this last crucial minute, you engine will burn and the head gasket will explode and water will mix with oil to seize the engine.
Now let?s talk about the solution this very common problem in DR.
In DR, if you have an old car then chances are after a few years of driving here you will notice the engine is over heating if you are driving up hill with A/C on or on long drives usually involves up hill (low gear) drive. The temp needle begins to go up passed the normal range. The car will usually run cool in the evenings and in low speed driving but will begin to heat up on the highway and you will hear the fan running strong.
Now you can change the radiator cap, the thermostat and change the coolant, even the fans and still you have the same condition.
What is wrong?
The most likely diagnosis could be a semi-clogged radiator. Yes, this is very common problem and it has happened to both of my cars already. You can either replace the whole radiator or have it cleaned.
Great news: In DR, you can have your radiator uninstalled, cleaned with chemical, then have it opened from both ends and have a guy clean each and every tube (coil) with a strip of metal. The whole radiator is then reassembled and sealed and reinstalled. The whole job costs 500 pesos, including the anti-freeze. Yes, you have heard it right, 500 pesos and you have a virtually new radiator for another 7 yrs.
My over heating problem was resolved right after I cleaned and reconditioned my radiator.
Good luck.
AZB
 

planner

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Sep 23, 2002
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Thanks AZB - really usefull post!!! I will remember this one.

My experience has been that finding a great mechanic is difficult but once done it is amazing. I have finally found one in Puerto Plata who does not rip me off - does good work - and returns my car to me clean every time! Got to love it.
 

GringoCArlos

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Jan 9, 2002
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AZB, you skipped the whole concept of "Dominicano" car maintenance. When the car stops and refuses to start again, it's time for "maintenance". hehe

One (very) short term solution to an overheating car (like when AZB would find himself in a very tough barrio, close to midnight, and the temperature gauge is approaching the red zone) is to turn off the A/C, turn the selection over to "Heater" and turn the fan on High, as if you are in the middle of an Alaskan winter. This will bleed off some of the excess engine heat from the heater core.

You should be able to stop the temperature climb temporarily by doing this, and successfully exit the barrio, or reach the top of the next hill and then coast to a taller.

Radiators here crud up quickly because of bad water quality going into the radiator, no maintenance, and the temperatures. Salt air in the Caribbean can also turn the aluminum fins on the outside of the radiator into dust, (touch the lower fins in the front on any radiator / vehicle over 5 years old to check yours) which limits the cooling ability too.

Good post, AZB.
 

GringoCArlos

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Another ignored aspect of car maintenance here in the DR is air filters. If you want to do the single thing that can impact your gas mileage the greatest, go out and check your air filter. If it is gray, change it. If it is black, shame on you!

Blowing the filter out with compressed air does very little, other than driving the filth deeper into the air filter's fibers, but springing $300 for a new air filter can sometimes double your gas mileage. Very few dominican mechanics will even bother looking at it, or at the most, will blow it out and put it right back into the car.
 

azabache

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Apr 25, 2006
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Gracias

Let?s change the topic a bit and talk about car care. One of the benefits of living in this beautiful island is the repair and service industry, its dirt cheap. The work may not be up to the American standard..................
My over heating problem was resolved right after I cleaned and reconditioned my radiator.
Good luck.
AZB

Great post AZB..........thanks
 

jackieboo

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Mar 18, 2006
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For what it's worth

So I bought a Nissan X-Terra recently and it had a little problem with the airconditioner control either it was full blast or nothing.

I asked a Dominican friend if he knew a good mechanic in the area. He took me to Puerto Plata and told me to park on the side of the street, I asked him where the mechanics shop was and he pointed to a kid that was walking over to the car. The kid asked what the problem was, promptly took out the computer board under the dash, went across the street to the front porch of a run down house and soldered the board with what looked like a homemade solder gun. I thought to myself, great how much is it going to cost for a new board once this kid f**ks it up?


About 15 minutes later he comes back, pops the board back in and guess what? My air conditioner control works like new!

How much? $300.00RD - less than $9.00US.

Save the negative posts as I know I was lucky this time and believe me if it's something more serious I'll seek out someone in a proper garage.

Jack
 

RandyE

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Feb 4, 2002
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Short term solution...

If you're stuck in the middle of nowhere and the car starts to overheat- shut it off for 20 min. or so. If the car has a cap that sits directly on the radiator, back it off a turn which will keep pressure from bulding up. This will allow you to drive car to a more safe area.
 

jackieboo

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Mar 18, 2006
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Over heating

IF your car over heats turn on the heater to full blast.

It works and could possibly save the engine.
 

lilredrooster

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Aug 12, 2006
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Funny

You guys are too funny with your solutions. I am belly-rolling on the floor with one hand extended upwards, asking someone to please help me up. But no, they can't grab it, 'cause I'm waving it around like crazy thinking of these previous, and apparently seriously intended fixes! You should collectively write a book called: Zen and the Art of Car Maintenance in the DR.
does this pix.. you off? sorry.... I just find it humurous, boyz.
Spring for a nicer ride or get a 2-wheeler you can afford. Otherwise take a carrito.
 

GringoCArlos

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Jan 9, 2002
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Yeah, roosterboy, I'm rolling too. You must live in the US, where you can pick up an Escalade with no money down, and $400 a month payments on your lease, and ride around with your big brass chains and impress da ho's . Then go home to your crib in the south Bronx and sleep with the cockroaches during the daytime.

Come on down and check out the cost of your ride here, bitc*, and then you can stop laughing. If it wasn't for deported Dominican Yorks now living here in the DR, nobody would have to worry about their ride getting ripped off in the nighttime. Why bother? Cars don't make money, they eat it.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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That "Anti-Freeze" You Are Talking About,.........

Is not "REAL" Anti-Freeze you know??????
Just "Colored Water" with "Hopefully"...some "Anti-Corosivo" thrown in! But you are right about the "other" stuff!
I keep my 20 year olf "Ford Van" limping along with lots of "PM"!!! I "flush the radiator a couple of times a year,by disconnecting the drain plug from the radiator ,letting the motor run,and inserting a running garden hose in the hole under the cap.let it run until the water comes out clean.Turn off the engine.fill with a 50% solition of "Real",imported ANTIFREEZE. Can't hurt!

Why don't Dominicans ever have to change their car's air filter????

Their cars don't have an air filter! They take them out to get better gas mileage,and save money on replacing them!!! "Strange,but True"!
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canadian bob

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Jan 16, 2002
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If you have gas leaking from the tank of your vehicle, take a bar of soap & rub it into the dripping hole. It will fix it immediately as gas won't dissolve soap.
If you have a leaking radiator, put a couple of tablespoons of black pepper in the radiator, secure the cap & idle the engine. The pepper us sucked to the leak, swells up & plugs it. Canadian Bob.
 

Criss Colon

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That."PEPPER", Sounds Better Than Taking A Viagra!!!

:cheeky: :cheeky: ;)

"Sucks,Swells,AND Plugs"!!!!!
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J D Sauser

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Nov 20, 2004
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Some great posts here.

I am not a big fan of turning an overheating engine off... unless the radiator is blown completely -> no more water left. Otherwise, when turning the engine off, you cut any water flow off too.
Turning the heating cycle on can raise cooling power up to 30%, depending on brand, model and system so it is the first measure to take when things get critical.
Turn A/C off... A/C puts a considerable work load on the engine and exports all the heat the A/C takes out of the car's inside to some radiators located to the front of the engine (a stupid design, I know).
Pressing the clutch (or selecting "N" on automatic cars, but keeping it below 20Mph/30Kmh) running downhill and when stopping (instead of halting in "P") can cool down a an engine significantly too. Engines are water cooled, but it is air flow which cools the radiator.
Many newer cars (typically Mercedes and Citroën, at least they have that ONE thing in common ;)) have auxiliary electric fans attached to the engine cooling radiator(s) (not to be confused with the A/C cooling cycle!). They (should) go on and off automatically depending on the water themp. Either the sensor or the fan motors die and you won't see anything is wrong until your Themp indicator seems to reach out for the sky. To check such a system, cut off the AC and let the engine run in idle for a good while... soon after the engine reaches higher operating themp, they should go on. If they don't, have them checked.

Never, never splash a hot engine with cold water... it may crack! But you can water the radiator and after carefully releasing the pressure (don't forget that although you may have cooled the radiator, there may still be hot water in the engine!), feed the radiator with cold water, whilst keeping the engine running idle so that the water circulates.

Good engine oil is an other factor.


Hope this is of help... J-D
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AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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When I noticed, my temp needle was all the way up. I had no choice but to shut off the engine immediately to prevent any damage to the head gasket. It was at a critical point. I was lucky to have seen the temp guage in time.
I shut off the engine but then turned on the power to run the electrical fans to keep the radiator and engine cool with air.
If I had left the engine running, I am sure my head gasket would have exploded and who knows what else.
AZB
 

D & D

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Jul 17, 2003
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AZB.

Who did you use for the radiator repair? Got a telephone number? We hit the wall yesterday!

Thanks,

Dianne
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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Its a hole in a wall place in santiago.
Here is how you go there.
Take bartelome colon av. coming from hache, after Bellon take a right, you will pass by repuestos santiago (auto part store) and then keep going and you will end up or I should say, merge into a bigger avenue (forgot the name) sort of making a left on the avenue but this is something you will do automatically. Now keep going and you will see on your left hand side Alex radiadores. This is the place. Pay no more than 500 pesos for a complete cleaning job wheich includes unassembling of the radiator and cleaning of the coils. I mean, complete unassembling of the radiator to get to the coils to cleans them with a strip of a metal.
AZB
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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AZB, is this the Tercel that you're talking about??

no, my camry 2000. But tercel also had the same problem a few months ago. My both cars were treated for radiator partial blockage.
I suggest all cars in Dr should have their radiators cleaned throughly after a few years in use. My camry is in brand new condition and the radiator seemed also new but inside, it was partially blocked. So don't be decieved by the looks alone.
Now I am in the process of having my tercel reconditioned. I already had all mechanical jobs done over a period of time. So the engine is redone and runs like new. the transmission has been sealed and no leaks. the power steering system is also reconditioned, rebuilt. The car runs like new but its all dented up and paint is all faded. My next project would be to paint it, all dents taken out, seat covers changed by a professional tapicero. They can take out the original seat fabric and sew on new seat fabric, just like the factory standard. Then I will have a new carpet installed and all plastic interior cleaned. All this should cost me 1 thousand dollars in total and I will have a car in a very decent condition. I use the tercel for work in the day time. the reason being, good on gas and I can park it in the street because parking is scarce on my street where my office is located.
I will have a thread where I will have before and after picture of the tercel and prices for the paint job and quality etc.
Stay tuned.
AZB
AZB