Ok, here goes:
Thursday night I set out to install a new radiator (OEM) with new radiator hoses (OEM) and some prestone pre-mix coolant and my redline water wetter.

Everything is going well, except the stock hoseclamps are pretty much impossible to put BACK onto the car, so i left the clamps off until I could get some the next day. Fine. I finished everything on the car and started to lower it, so my jack was not holding pressure. I used my friends jack which was smaller and put a brick on top...as soon as i cracked the valve the car fell and crushed my hand somehow between the jack and subframe (dont know how this happened, it happened so fast). Only bad thing that happened from that was the upper radiator brackets bent. I got my hand x-rayed at the ER and everything is cool.

Friday. Bought new OEM upper radiator brackets and installed those. Car seemed ok, no leaks still no hose clamps though.

Saturday. Go to grocery store, lower radiator hose comes loose off the block and dumps coolant all over parking lot, I cuss and bitch and re-attach it. I borrow stepdad's audi and go by store and get new hoseclamps and more coolant. fill coolant up a bit to get home to my house and baby the car all the way home so it doesnt get hot or dump coolant.
I get home and put hose clamps on without a problem, fill coolant up to proper levels, get all the air out and double check the clamps. Everything is A-OK

Monday (today). Drive car to work....car starts steaming pretty bad upon arriving to work, i pop hood and steam comes out like crazy but I cant tell where its coming from other than the vague area around the intake manifold where the lower radiator hose connects to, i check the clamp real quick and its still tight and the hose is secure but thats where the steam seems to be coming from, and its a lot of ******* steam.

Go to burger king for lunch to see if my car steams again, it does a little bit...on the way back to work my car starts to get hot and almost to the H...i turn heat on all the way and none comes out. I cuss and coast as much as possible back to work, let the car cool off a bit and come up to my desk here.

Anyone have any clue what could be wrong? Could I have a bad hose? Clamped it wrong somehow? There is about a little less than a centimeter between the end of the hose and the place where it connects, which is from what i understand about the correct amount of space to have between the end of the hose and the clamp. I cant figure it out without looking at it and I cant look at it until tonight, but im pretty sure my car is going to overheat on the way home. Im going to get some coolant in a co-workers car and fill it up, but this **** is pissing me off so bad, i thought everyhting was set with my car and installed ok. and my hand still ******* hurts and is black from the bruises.

Notes: its not the radiator that leaking, hose was in a Honda bag when i bought it, brand new, fits right is OEM. Hose clamp is tight and seemingly in the right place, i dont know whats up.

Sorry for the long post, but anyone have any advice/insight to offer?

 

ttt

 

I dont see how you could have clamped it wrong since its is so simple.

Steam coming from thermostat housing? Um, did you accidnelty unbolt or not tighten the thermostat housing bolts? Check to see if the thermoswitch is screwed in tight (15/16) deep socket. Does your thermostat have the rubber gasket on?

Maybe when you dropped your car something fell loose?


Edit: Also the steam could be coming from all the leaking coolant that probobly sprayed around when the hose popped off.
That is all I can think of. Good luck. Ive had my fair share of overheating problems and its damn frustrating. Have a


Be sure to drain the coolant bubbles for maybe 45 minutes. Took me forever to get alll the bubbles out. When your draining bubbles, make sure the heater is all the way to the red.


[Modified by intekragsr, 1:10 AM 4/1/2003]

 

also you should wash the radiator out before you install it. My new radiator had all kind of **** in it.

 

Did you get the thermostat gasket on properly? It's split on the inside, so it fits around both sides, on the edge of the T-stat. Sounds like its leaking thru the bolted flange of the T-stat housing.

 

I didnt even replace the thermostat yet.

 

Check the small coolant lines that run from the head and throttle body. I have had to replace a couple of those to rid some of my leaking issues.