Car overheats to "Hot", need ideas on what it could be

[Jr's Sho]

I posted a couple of days ago about a leaking water pump causing an overheating problem. I just replaced it an hour ago, I refilled my system with antifreeze, and started it and let it warm up. It was on jackstands so I didn't drive it at all. The temp. started to rise and once it hit the N, the fan kicked on. But then the temp. kept rising until it got right up to the red zone so I shut the car off. Even though the car was sitting there warming up, it should have never gotten that hot. I removed the thermostat a while back so that isn't bad. The temp. sending unit is brand new, and the upper rad. hose was super hard with pressure so the cap is alright. Any ideas, when I drained the radiator, there was some strange stuff that came out. There was a little bit of clumps of orange stuff which I guess was rust but all in it there was small bits of metal shavings, not big sharp pieces but real fine shiny pieces, like what you would see in transmission fluid. Can anyone point me in the right direction on what to check and what the metal was?

<small>[ June 17, 2003, 02:06 AM: Message edited by: Jr's Sho ]</small>

 

[HopefulSHO]

Real fine pieces? Like the metals that are in the stop-leak type stuff? Did you check your lower hose too? Sounds like you *may* have some blockage is your radiator..see if the coolant is flowing through your radiator okay.

 

[JoeHoe_SHO]

I bet it is that amuseal crap...I've heard that stuff is bad news.

 

[Jr's Sho]

When I pulled my drain plug, I let as much as I could out. Then I wiped off the cap area and put my mouth to it and blew and a little bit more came shooting out. I guess I would have to take the radiator out to check for blockage right? I guess it could be stop leak stuff, it is the same color of metal shavings I seen in my old tranny fluid. I hate to have to take the radiator out and pay someone to check it, I'm trying to go as cheap as I can with my 1992. Is there anything else it could be?

 

[Jr's Sho]

A couple of other things I remember, when I shut the car off after it heated up, it shot coolant out of the overflow bottle, I guess from being too hot. The car warms up really quickly, at least compared to my 1993. I don't get a lot of passenger heat at all, even when set at 90 on the EATC. Remember, there is no thermostat and this thing warms up fast. Is it possible to have a blown headgasket letting exhaust gas into the coolant? The car runs too good for that though. Is there any way to test other than with a compression gauge? I did a search but got nothing but people crying overheating when theirs only went to N and then came down. Mine will only go up higher, even when the fan kicks on! Anybody else?

 

[JoeHoe_SHO]

You have NO T-Stat at all? Isn't that what regulates coolent flow throught the engine? shrug

 

[projectSHO89]

With no thermostat, you always have coolant flow through the radiator. That means that the engine will always run cold. Jr's problem is a LACK of flow through the radiator. The purpose of the thermostat is to limit coolant flow to WITHIN the engine until operating temperature is reached, then it opens the bypas to the radiator so that excess heat is removed from the system

Jr: Check the lower radiator hose to see if it is collapsed while the upper is rock-hard. If it is, your radiator is clogged, probably from whatever stop-leak product was used. The hard upper hose indicates the new pump is making pressure, so it would definately flow coolant if given the chance. The collapsed lower hose would indicate a suction on that part of the system.

I would disconnect the heater hose that enters the water outlet directly above the thermostat, disconnect the upper radiator hose, connect a garden hose to the water outlet, and back flush the radiator. See what comes out. I would also backfush the heater core while I am at it.

If backflushing the ratiator doesn't work, it's probably time for a replacement radiator.

Steve

<small>[ June 17, 2003, 07:22 AM: Message edited by: projectSHO89 ]</small>

 

[SHOZ123]

Sounds to me like you had a lot of air in the system.

 

[Jr's Sho]

Thanks Steve, I'll do that today if it stops raining. Well do you get rid of air by just driving the car with the system full or what?

 

[projectSHO89]

Several heat and cooling cycles will usually get most air out of the system provided the overflow bottle is kept filled and the radiator cap is good.

Steve

 

[masho89]

If you do end up replacing the radiator, check out www.radiators.com for a great replacement radiator and next day delivery service.