So over the last couple weeks I've been having a situation where after about 8 to 10 miles of driving the engine starts to overheat, and it will push whatever coolant is in the radiator into the bottle, but it doesn't return back to the radiator. I've replaced the cap but it's still doing it. I caught it before it got too hot and the motor is running good. I wonder if the T-stat is the culprit? (I doubt it because both hoses are warm.) I have been hearing a slight gurgling sound possibly from the heater area when I first start it up cold. Please help me fast since I've resorted to using my son's Sentra (gag) for work... Vicdat
Could be an air lock or blockage, Give the system a good flush through and then a good bleed with the car facing up hill. Heaters on full and a/c if you have it
are the fans working? does it just keep heating up or does it stop after it hit s the middle for a moment? have you properly replanished the coolant? radiator in good condition? (i know this seems like an obvious question but you'd be amazed)
Sounds like a thermostat not opening all the way! I had the same problem except mine returned to the bottle BUT boiled away. So like mentioned above flush and purdge the system first then post results here forfurther cooling system problem info
So today I put in a new thermostat and hopefully purged the system. Only drove for a few miles and ran at slightly under halfway. Probably take a little spin tomorrow to see if all is well again... I'm feelin a little gun-shy about driving too far in case it's still pushing the coolant into the bottle without equalizing the balance. One of the nuts on the t-stat housing was a real skitch and I had to use a tiny vise-grip to wrestle it off...luckily I'd bought two new ones at the local dealer... Vicdat
Still overheating.., So I drove it around today on a couple short trips and it seems like it's still pushing fluid into the plastic bottle... I'm kinda fearing the dreaded HG and that's a bridge I don't want to cross ...
If the temps are normal?, I'd be swapping the rad cap 1st, if it still pushes out then I'd suspect the H/G Do a cyl compression test to get a quick indication, also any rad shop can pressure test your water system quickly
coolant is supposed to flow into the overflow tank as the engine warms ups, what you need to check is if the radiator is full when the engine is cold. If the radiator is not full when the engine is cold then you need to find out why the radiator caps vacuum relief valve is not allowing coolant to return to the radiator. possible reasons - hose inside recovery tank has fallen off - hose from radiator to recovery tank has softened and collapses under vacuum - internal leak So let me know if the radiator is full when the engine is cold. If its full when the engine is cold and the engine overheats we need to look elsewhere for the overheating problem. I think your the cooling system problem king. If you want I can drop by on Thursday evening and I'll bring my compression tester and we can check that and if you have a compressor I can bring my cylinder leakage tester and see how healthy your engine is.
Just had the same thing on my neighbours Mitsi and sure enough it was the reservoir tank pipe had fallen off. Thanks for the in-depth notes Dave, I doubt you'll be hitting SoCal anytime soon.
I went ahead and had the WP switched out, and I'm having my back-up (metal) radiator cleaned and rodded out to replace my cheap aftermarket plastic one tomorrow; All the problems had caused the plastic upper tank to crack near the fitting. I did your basic hillbilly modification of only putting the cap on loose to get it home. Thankfully it ran cool the whole way home from my wrenches place. I'll do the rad myself tomorrow AM along with new hoses, clamps and antifreeze. Hopefully this will be the end for a while (although we all know it wont ...) Vicdat
Common for them to crack along the top, sometimes you leave it running till the fans come on before you see any water come out. Always do your testing in the driveway, leave it running till the fans come on and look for leaks before heading onto the street.
So I went ahead and did all the stuff ... I think I purged it real good it's running ok and cool (11:00) but I still seem to have some pushing of coolant and bubbling in the reservoir. I fear that after 10 or 15 miles it may start to overheat since coolant seems to be moving out into the bottle but not returning. I'll keep my eye on the gauge and see if it's just equalizing due to the new metal radiator and hoses. I'm also still getting a vague gurgling sound maybe from the heater area. This is killin me ... my ol' lady's gonna be pissed if I even mention the word "headgasket" after having so many hits on this car recently (motor mounts, tie rods, cv boots, wheel bearings, etc.) Anybody in SoCal work pro bono??? Vicdat
Now I'm really screwed... I just made a couple 35 to 40 mile trips... I stayed nice and cool till I got off the freeway both time then the temp stared to creep up to the red. Stopped and let it cool and refilled from the bottle. I'm pretty sure its gonna be a head gasket...possibly head work too... Vicdat
Reverse Fontucky engineering Instead of buying one of those fancy big yellow funnels with various rad caps to really help purge the air I went the other route...gutted an old radiator cap until all that's left is the cap and upper rubber seal. This essentially becomes a tool for use anytime but don't accidentally drive with it on. As long as the end of the overflow tube stays well below fluid level the system can can let air out without pressurizing the system. When cold I topped it off an put on this cap attached to the tank and let it run slow for about 15 min all the while watching quite a few bubbles come up through the tank. Topped and put on the regular new cap on and tested. First thing I noticed was that there was less water sound coming from the heater. I haven't done a compression or dye test and I am praying that there was so much air in there that it would cavitate the pump. I Let it cool a couple hours and did the procedure again and got a very few more bubs... I'm thinkin I'm on the right track. Happy Holidays! Vicdat
What's all this b/s about purging? The system is designed to purge itself - even if there is air in the system it will be pushed out into the overflow tank. The only way air can stay at the water pump is if you put the thermostat in upside down with the jizzler at the bottom. I have proven the system by 3/4 filling and letting it run, it dumps air into the overflow and sucks water back into the radiator and fills itself - it can only happen if the cap/pressure etc is correct. In the case of a blown h/g the pressure just keeps increasing and blowing steam into the overflow till there's no water left. A faulty (leaking) cap will do the same thing, if the cap is too stiff - you end up with a burst hose (usually the top one for some weird reason - more heat?)
I'm screwed ... So my mechanic has flaked out on me... A couple weeks ago he came to my house and pulled the head and was supposed to have the whole job (HG and head to machine shop) completed in five days. A week later he brings the head back from the machine shop and says he'll come today (Sat) and put everything back together. He still hasn't shown up today and of course never returns calls etc. I've pretty much lost faith in his work ethics and performance so I'm thinkin that I should get someone else to finish the job. No mechanic ever wants to be brought in at this point but I fear he's not going to show up any time soon and will I trust his work even if he does .? At least I've got all the parts cleaned up so all I need is a gasket set for a 3sge and a few misc hoses etc. Any one in San Gabriel Valley (So Calif) know a good reliable wrench? Vicdat
