Sohc Driver

I recently got my engine swap done and trying to enjoy it..but im running into problems. My heater didn't work so i took it in to have a shop look at it. We he told me he wasn't able to exactly identify the problem, so he asked me to take it in this monday so that he can check it out completely. When he pulled the hoses coolant flowed out of the engine. But i refilled the resevoir and the radiator. So i left and drove not more than 6-8 miles down the road and i notice the temperature guage approaching the "H" So i pulled over right away on the highway. I had a friend come up and we checked the resevoir, it was still full, but the radiator was bone dry. He told me that it maybe because the engine was dry because when we unplugged the hoses the coolant ran out. So that when we refilled the radiator and resevoir it wasn't enough coolan. So we filled up the whole engine again with coolant. Temp was back to normal...driving for about 20 more miles the gauge starts approaching the "H" again but not as high as before just a lil more than halfway between "H" and "C"...I check the resevoir..still full..but the radiator was not full...but not completely empty either. I checked the heater hose in the back of the engine and there is a leak...small drips but constant. My question is...is everything ok? do i just need to replace that hose and tighten it? I hope i didn't blow my engine or anything. Oh yeah..its really cold outside too in the high 30s.
Any opinions and ideas on why my car is overheating? Or is that small leak the culprit?

Khoi

romeo619romeo

did you change your thermostat? if so you might hav eit on backwards.. sosme may say its impossible but my friend did it

Sohc Driver

Well..problem fixed i hope....that one hose that was connected to the rear of the engine had a clamp on it that was too big. So we replaced it with a smaller one. This solved the leak. I drove it for 20 miles...no increase in temperature according to the temp gauge in the cluster. I also checked the coolant resevoir and its still at max. I held both radiator hoses...the top and bottom both hot...I checked for leaks no leaks..is the problem fixed?

Khoi

JimBlake

After all that, make sure all the air is bled out of the system.

tC_Dragon

good to hear that ur problem was fixed simply.

car trouble sucks. been there, done that... hated it.

Rory Breaker

Definitely get the air out of the lines now. And youre using a 50/50 coolant/water mix correct, not just coolant?

Sohc Driver

yes...using 50/50 mix....you don't think i warped the head do you? everythign drives fine....the needle never touched the red zone..it was approaching it very fast though...but i pulled over before it when into the red zone...thats my concern now..that everything is ok...And thank god for 30 degree weather! Another thing that i am curious about is before all this my heater didnt' work..but now it does...how is that?

Khoi


[Modified by Sohc Driver, 10:01 AM 2/28/2003]

Sohc Driver

Hey guys..i just checked my resevoir..i havnent' driven it since last night..and checked on it this mornign..and my resevior is empty...whats goign on?

Khoi

And i re checked that one hose that had the leak..its leaking again!..what the hell!


[Modified by Sohc Driver, 11:48 AM 2/28/2003]

tC_Dragon

hmm are you sure the hose clamp you're using there is the rite size?? if either hte hose clamp or the hose is alittle off then it could leak coolant there...

sounds like ur gonna need to do a pressure test on ur coolant system to check for the leaks source


[Modified by pdcdragon, 9:57 AM 2/28/2003]

confucius

you probably didnt bleed the coolant stystem right or got rid of the air bubbles. etc.


just check ur radiator. if its still full. then its cool. just keep on filling the resevior.


sooner or later, the airbubbles or whatever would be gone.


if not, if this happens for more then a week, than u have a problem.

Sohc Driver

what kind of problem? The leakage is from that heater hose...its only leaking where the connection of the engine and the hose is...its tight like no other...i dont' get it....I plan on changing out the hose and the clamp...is this the right size..for the heater hose behind the engine under the intake manifold. 1foot 3/4 inch heater hose?

Khoi

Sohc Driver

Well...i bought a new heater hose...turns out the old one was too short and it didn't clear the bead where the hose hooks up.. So i bought a new hose and new clamps. Seemed to solved the problem..no more over heating..but i notice my resevoir is fluctuating. When i left it over night..it lowered just a lil bit under max when i checked it in the morning, but when i drove it to work and then checked it out again..it went a lil over max...what is going on..still no over heating, radiator is also full and the thermostat is in working order..any ideas?

Khoi




[Modified by Sohc Driver, 1:03 PM 3/1/2003]

Sohc Driver

any ideas?? bump

JimBlake

Lets see... Your original leak is fixed now you're worried about the reservoir level fluctuating?

No worries - thats what its supposed to do. When the engine's hot, the radiator cap bleeds coolant out to the reservoir - level goes up. As the engine cools off, the cap lets some coolant suck back into the radiator - level goes down. The reservoir just has to stay full enough so the hose doesn't suck air back into the radiator.

Sohc Driver

cool!!!..i guess my overheating issues are finally fixed! i do notice a litte coolant leaking out of the resevoir though..its from the cap of the resevoir...it runs along the side of the resevoir and ends up at the bottom..at first i thought it was a leak from the bottom of the resevoir..but turns out its coming from the cap of the resevoir..how is this possible if the resevoir isn't completely full to overflow the resevoir? Oh yeah..this only happens when i leave the car overnight.

JimBlake

How about that funky elbow fitting built into the reservoir cap? Cracked? Maybe the little hose is rotted & cracked? The tube from the cap that goes down inside the reservoir - is it plugged? Or maybe even the reservoir itself cracked near the cap? I'm just making some dumb guesses here.