OVERHEATING ISSUE

[savegoodautonfg]

Yesterday, I was driving home. car was running for about an hour in total. i was beating on it a good amount. my car was overheating when i got home. i parked it and the coolant was bubbling in my overflow tank. overflow tank filled up and coolant was leaking from the hole on top of overflow tank.

new thermostat, new water pump, new engine only 10,000 miles on it.

radiator COULD be original not really sure though.

any ideas guys?

thanks alot in advance

-Nick

 

[88mouse]

mine did that and it was the cap on the radiator. You can pressure check it with the pressure tester that does the radiator.

 

[savegoodautonfg]

CAP ON THE radiator was replaced about 10 months ago with a new one. haven't had any problems with overheating till now, but it just started getting hot over here. 80 degrees yesterday.

any other ideas?

thanks mouse for your input.

 

[savegoodautonfg]

Hissin, waiting for your reply, buddy

haha

 

[HISSIN50]

Hey Nick,

Is this the hottest ambient temps you've seen in awhile? The first hot day will generally see the most expansion, ergo some overflowing where you had none before.
Now that would be if the only issue was the overflow dumping a little excess coolant.

If it was just bubbling after you shut the car off (and that's all), I'm with 88 Mouse: I have received a bad rad cap when brand new. Ergo, I don't put a lot of stock in the age of them.

If you are actually overheating, what temp is your gauge reading (or how do you know you're actually overheating)?

Otherwise, just ensure there isnt crap in front of the radiator and condensor. Make sure your air dam is present and that the fan clutch and fan blade are in good shape.

As you can see, any more specific info (actual temps, etc) will really help. We can only toss out generalities right now.

Good luck bud.

 

[savegoodautonfg]

Hey Nick,

Is this the hottest ambient temps you've seen in awhile? The first hot day will generally see the most expansion, ergo some overflowing where you had none before.
Now that would be if the only issue was the overflow dumping a little excess coolant.

If it was just bubbling after you shut the car off (and that's all), I'm with 88 Mouse: I have received a bad rad cap when brand new. Ergo, I don't put a lot of stock in the age of them.

If you are actually overheating, what temp is your gauge reading (or how do you know you're actually overheating)?

Otherwise, just ensure there isnt crap in front of the radiator and condensor. Make sure your air dam is present and that the fan clutch and fan blade are in good shape.

As you can see, any more specific info (actual temps, etc) will really help. We can only toss out generalities right now.

Good luck bud.

Well would you think my radiator cap would be bad, its only about 10 months old. It is also weird that it would just start like the 3rd or 4th day. it has been 80 degrees here and today my car was at the half way mark.

yesterday when it overheated it was at about 210-230 degrees. then i stopped my car and put the hood up cuz i heard bubbling and the coolant just kept rising faster and faster in my overflow tank. then eventually, it just filled all the way up and then start coming out of the little hole at the top of the overflow tank.

up until these last few days when the weather starting getting hotter my car always ran at about 130-160 degrees.

this is really weird.

could it just be i need a new radiator? my radiator might be original?

thanks again hissin, get back at me bud

 

[HISSIN50]

Can you be sure the t-stat is opening consistantly? An issue with parts store t-stats is that they can suffer from hysteresis. This can drive you nuts. The only ones I put trust in are the performance variants that are balanced. The ones I use are Mr Gasket. I recall you have a parts store connection (I think). Your pops should be able to order you one. It's a solid investment (10-12 bucks). In my personal testing, I had a cooling system up to par. I had a brand new parts store 180*F stat. I ran this for a week and swapped it for a Mr Gasket 180*F stat. My operating temps dropped about 7*F across the board. The Mr G flows better sooner and again, is balanced (that's real big).

Now the cap: Here's the deal with pressurizing the cooling system. Each PSI in the system raises the effective boiling point ~3*F. A 16 PSI cap raises the boiling point 48*F. Water at 1 ATM would boil in the range of temps you're seeing. It's pressurizing the system that keeps things in check. A bad cap can keep you from achieving full pressure (or any pressure). That's why this is so important.

If you have a cooling system pressure tester, toss it on your radiator and see how the system holds pressure. You can check your cap with them too (though I dont trust the cap test as much personally. If I have doubts, I replace the cap).

Now I never like throwing parts at things but if you're going to keep the car, I see a new radiator as a wise investment. I'd go with a 3 core HD unit (from parts stores under the GDI [Go-Dan-Industries] or Modine name). Or get an alum radiator (universal, from speed shops like Summit) and do a little fabbing and make it work. I will say that I have NOT installed a universal alum radiator with a stock fan, so I cannot comment about how that works.

Does any of this sound decent? I'm sure others will have other ideas as well.

Good luck Nick.

BTW, it could be worse. It was 102*F here today.

 

[savegoodautonfg]

Can you be sure the t-stat is opening consistantly? An issue with parts store t-stats is that they can suffer from hysteresis. This can drive you nuts. The only ones I put trust in are the performance variants that are balanced. The ones I use are Mr Gasket. I recall you have a parts store connection (I think). Your pops should be able to order you one. It's a solid investment (10-12 bucks). In my personal testing, I had a cooling system up to par. I had a brand new parts store 180*F stat. I ran this for a week and swapped it for a Mr Gasket 180*F stat. My operating temps dropped about 7*F across the board. The Mr G flows better sooner and again, is balanced (that's real big).

Now the cap: Here's the deal with pressurizing the cooling system. Each PSI in the system raises the effective boiling point ~3*F. A 16 PSI cap raises the boiling point 48*F. Water at 1 ATM would boil in the range of temps you're seeing. It's pressurizing the system that keeps things in check. A bad cap can keep you from achieving full pressure (or any pressure). That's why this is so important.

If you have a cooling system pressure tester, toss it on your radiator and see how the system holds pressure. You can check your cap with them too (though I dont trust the cap test as much personally. If I have doubts, I replace the cap).

Now I never like throwing parts at things but if you're going to keep the car, I see a new radiator as a wise investment. I'd go with a 3 core HD unit (from parts stores under the GDI [Go-Dan-Industries] or Modine name). Or get an alum radiator (universal, from speed shops like Summit) and do a little fabbing and make it work. I will say that I have NOT installed a universal alum radiator with a stock fan, so I cannot comment about how that works.

Does any of this sound decent? I'm sure others will have other ideas as well.

Good luck Nick.

BTW, it could be worse. It was 102*F here today.

Hissin, well yea i was looking at that radiator (3 core HD Unit) your talking about im thinking im going to get it. (go-dan part # 433138) the only problem i see with that i read its HD which is good but i saw its for cars without a/c and its also not direct fit?

now my question is to you hissin. if i use this pressure tester on my radiator where do i put the pressure tester on what part of the radiator and also how do i test the cap.. and what will all this tell me?

 

[HISSIN50]

I actually don't run the HD radiator. I would surmise that the mention about it not being used with AC is because it's thicker. As a result, the guys have to slightly modify their radiator mount to make it work (If Vristang or TheUser see this thread, they might comment. I believe both run the HD unit).

The pressure tester goes in place of the radiator cap. It screws down like a cap and then you pump it up and see if it holds. If it doesnt, the first thing to check is that the tester sealed against the radiator neck properly. The neck itself can deform or sometimes the tester just doesnt seal well (my tester is old and I have to get it 'just right', for example).

Some testers have an adapter for testing the cap and some I've seen dont. It works under the same principle - complimentary fitting. Once you see the tester kit, it's really self explanatory.

ONE WORD OF CAUTION: if you don't depressurize the system after you test it, when you loosen the tool from the radiator, it will blow coolant all over. If the coolant was hot, that would really suck. Just so ya know.

Good luck.

 

[savegoodautonfg]

Ok, well i found out it is direct fit and it would work great with A/C.

Hissin, out of what i've told you, do you think it most likely seems like the radiator.

again water pump and thermostat brand new, new heater core, only started overheating since it became summer time and the weather in 80+ degrees

lemme know your opinion on this reply.

 

[HISSIN50]

Nick, we haven't gotten into super-specifics. Just a quick run-down so you can take away what you need:

Running hot at speed: radiator issue, lack of air dam, hystersis of the t-stat.
Running hot when slowed but cool at speed: Fan fan fan.
Running much hotter in a given condition than before just because of A/C: Radiator is likely. You might have been on the edge before and the addition heat rejection from the condensor puts it over the top.

One more thing we don't know is if there is an issue with a blown HG, etc. That's where pressure testing helps.

Like I mentioned before, if you're going to keep the car for awhile, I think a new HD radiator is a cool (no pun intended) investment. It will probably be LLT so you can swap it any time you need to. And your car will thank you (and it will relieve stress from having to worry so much) over the hot summers.

Just MHO.

 

[savegoodautonfg]

Nick, we haven't gotten into super-specifics. Just a quick run-down so you can take away what you need:

Running hot at speed: radiator issue, lack of air dam, hystersis of the t-stat.
Running hot when slowed but cool at speed: Fan fan fan.
Running much hotter in a given condition than before just because of A/C: Radiator is likely. You might have been on the edge before and the addition heat rejection from the condensor puts it over the top.

One more thing we don't know is if there is an issue with a blown HG, etc. That's where pressure testing helps.

Like I mentioned before, if you're going to keep the car for awhile, I think a new HD radiator is a cool (no pun intended) investment. It will probably be LLT so you can swap it any time you need to. And your car will thank you (and it will relieve stress from having to worry so much) over the hot summers.

Just MHO.

Oh yea, forgot to add has a new fan wen i got the new engine. i dont think the head gasket is bad. definetly dont think so.

What do you mean by "Running much hotter in a given condition than before just because of A/C"???

My A/C is not blowing cold air but the compressor does click on tho like it should.

don't know if that helps?

 

[Shakerhood]

What did you set your Timing to? Is the Air Dam, Fan Shroud, and other components in place?

 

[savegoodautonfg]

all those components are there. and timing has never been touched. still stock.

 

[HISSIN50]

My A/C is not blowing cold air but the compressor does click on tho like it should.

don't know if that helps?

The car will run a little hotter (5-10*F in higher ambient temps, say 100*F) in my experience. So if you run at an average of 190*F normally and then at 200*F with the AC, that would be fine. But if you run at 190*F normally (no A/C) and then heat up to 220-230*F just because the A/C is on. And then once A/C is turned off, you gradually cool back down), that suggests the radiator simply cannot reject enough heat. A new and/or bigger radiator will probably help.

If your A/C still isnt working in any meaningful way, that makes me wonder again (unless your existing radiator is really in bad shape). If it is a radiator issue, you will indeed want more cooling capacity for once the A/C is fixed anyhow.

 

[Twisted306]

if your car is still over heating its could be a cracked head. sing of a blown head gasket is white smoke. but i have seen crack head and not smoke. runing a cooler thermostat will help like a 160.

 

[88mouse]

I would still have the rad. and cap pressure check even tho its only 10 months old. You can probably stop by any shop and they will check it for you pretty cheap.
If it was a cracked head it would blow the water out with the cap off.

 

[STROKED_LX]

have you done a radiator pressure test yet?

 

[savegoodautonfg]

no i havent..

its def not cracked head or anything like that.

so Hissin, at this point you feel that my overheating seems like its caused by the radiator and im most likely should just get the 3 row radiator? is that what your trying to tell me?