2000 Nissan Xterra Overheated and heard loud pop

Hi, I have a 2000 Nissan Xterra, 3.3 engine, 2wd. It has always ran pretty good. I believe my thermostat was sticking and I was mistakenly putting it off a little bit longer thinking that when I took off the car would cool down. Unfortunately this time it did happen to cool down only after a loud pop. My heater no longer works and the vehicle seems to idle around 3,000 RPMs. So bad that it didn’t even want to start I presume from almost being flooded out but I’m not certain. When I shift from Park to drive I can really feel the transmission going from Park to reverse to neutral to drive and I can smell what I presume is cause from the engine overheating. Could it just be a busted hose along with the thermostat needing changed? Let me know if you need any other information. Before this I had no problems at all and my mileage is at 190,000 and have always kept up general maintenance. Thank you in advance.

Make sure your cooling system is full and there are no leaks. Running the engine with low coolant is the fastest route to its destruction. Good luck.

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Make sure your cooling system is full and there are no leaks. Running the engine with low coolant is the fastest route to its destruction. Good luck.
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That should be the 2nd fasted I would think low oil would be the fastest.

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You thought your car was overheating because of a sticking thermostat and you kept driving it until something exploded and the engine is racing and you have no heat. That sounds like just the opposite of keeping up with maintenance.

Have you even opened the hood when the engine is cool to see if you have a full radiator? Is there a puddle under the car or is their coolant all over the place? Get this car to a mechanic to see if it can be saved.

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Sounds to me like you just burst your heater core…and it is now leaking out thru the condenser drain…as if the AC were on in the summer…but its your coolant dripping onto the ground. I hope I’m wrong…

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If the thermostat is stuck open the engine will cool excessively when you drive. If the thermostat is stuck closed (unlikely) the engine will overheat when you drive. It sounds like you have been driving with a very low coolant level, this can result in engine damage.

Is there anyone around with the courage to open the hood and inspect the hoses, radiator and the rest of the cooling system?

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