EK79

i dont get what the deal is ....so yesterday we were headed to the beach and i noticed my temp guage on the rise (it was about 95-100 degrees outside temp) so i pulled off to the side of the road and popped the hood....to my surprise there was coolant every where and the rad was steaming like a tea kettle i poped the rad cap and it cooled instantly continued driving. when i got home i changed the coolant, thermostat, rad cap and checked the hoses for blockage i also bled the system and flushed the radiator and the thing this morning did the same thing WTF ......am i missing something?

when i turn in the heater the car cools but its like 200 degrees in my car when i do this why all of a sudden does my car choose to overheat?

anyone else have this problem any solutions would greatly appreciated as this is my only car. (PLEASE HELP ME)

B16 with I.H.E
stock DX rad (does it matter)

instructor74

I am guessing you have a motor swap in this car? If so and you have a stock dx radiator you should def. get a larger one. However this is prob not the cause of your problem right now. start the car with the hood up let it run until the fans kick on look for coolant leaks. I would look for a pin hole leak in one of the hoses a loose hose clamp/ cut around the clamp. If you come up with nothing its possible its a bad head gasket

EK79

ok you say bad head gasket ......what i dont understand is why when i turn on the heater it cools down i never noticed my headgasket leaking but if it is will this solve my problems ..........any other symptoms to a bad head gasket?

itrdelsol

does your car smoke? was there any oil in your water when u changed it? u can take you spark plugs out and check the color?

slowSOHCvtec

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by itrdelsol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">does your car smoke? was there any oil in your water when u changed it? u can take you spark plugs out and check the color?</TD></TR></TABLE>

def chekc those out, and if it seems like good head gasket, i would get rid of that dx radiator and get at least one from a b-series or even aftermarket like fluidyne

EK79

no smoke oil looks like oil and coolant look like coolant .......i almost 100% sure its not the head gasket .....however i did notice that a lot of the fins on the rad are bent and its a B16 with a dx rad should i just get a new rad ......like from an ls or gsr

see all the other post are like this every one tells me the symptoms but no real technical advise i do appreciate the help but looking for a definitive answer ......i boiled the other thermostat and it opened but i replaced it anyways i flushed my rad and added a 15% coolant 5 % water wetter and 80 % water mixture to the rad and still this

i thank you all for those who have posted to help with this matter

EK79

bump ....before car explodes

slowSOHCvtec

If your fins on the rad are bent, your not getting optimal airflow, especially on that tiny *** D series rad...anybody agree with me on the upgrade? Check out a B16 or B18 radiator

jibs

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EK79 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok you say bad head gasket ......what i dont understand is why when i turn on the heater it cools down</TD></TR></TABLE>
The reason for this is you are blowing air over your heater core which is like your radiator fan blowing on the radiator ...on a slightly smaller scale.
Peressure test for leaks? is water circulating? Maybe the water pump if it is overheating and you are moving at highway speed

EK79

yes i even connected it to a light to see when it comes on and a switch so i can turn it on manually

jibs

Edit: Sorry i realized your fan was probably working after I re-read your original post.

modifyORdie

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by slowSOHCvtec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If your fins on the rad are bent, your not getting optimal airflow, especially on that tiny *** D series rad...anybody agree with me on the upgrade? Check out a B16 or B18 radiator </TD></TR></TABLE>



no one can give you a definitive answer without seeing the car because it can more than one thing. you said you saw coolant everywhere right? meaning your leaking all over the engine so i would start there and check your hoses, especially the smaller ones because those tend to go unnoticed

EK79

i think the coolant everywhere was from the overflow boiling over and bubbling all over the place and what smaller hoses i see 2 one sending and one return i bled the sytem so no air pockets and i have no leaks .....will upgrade rad this week

Slammd Sol

Check for air in the system. With the car cool, open the rad cap and top it off, then start the car with the heater on and cap off to flush out any air in the system

Archidictus

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EK79 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i think the coolant everywhere was from the overflow boiling over and bubbling all over the place and what smaller hoses i see 2 one sending and one return i bled the sytem so no air pockets and i have no leaks .....will upgrade rad this week </TD></TR></TABLE>

Our stock radiators are known for going bad overnight. I've ridden two of them to death on my car alone. The top tanks deteriorate over time and the plastic will crack and begin to blow out fluid when the temperature comes up. You can get a dual-core replacement for $100 at Advance Auto and it'll cool WAY better than stock and almost as well as a Fluidyne or Koyo.

It's not your head gasket and you've done everything else. Get a radiator and take care of business

EK79

i have seen you post to people and you are ruthless when it comes to the stupid questions

thanks for not making me look like a complete fool Archidictus

also advance auto you say
will that dual core work better than a b series rad from a gsr

instructor74

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EK79 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i have seen you post to people and you are ruthless when it comes to the stupid questions

thanks for not making me look like a complete fool Archidictus

also advance auto you say
will that dual core work better than a b series rad from a gsr </TD></TR></TABLE> He is right its time for that new radiator it sounds like you have checked everything. I have a similar dual core radiator and it has worked great for me.

drumminforev

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EK79 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok you say bad head gasket ......what i dont understand is why when i turn on the heater it cools down i never noticed my headgasket leaking but if it is will this solve my problems ..........any other symptoms to a bad head gasket?</TD></TR></TABLE>

HERE IS A DEFINITE ANSWER. When you turn your heater on max it will instantly cool your temp down significantly...why? Because when you open when you turn it on max it opens the heater core valve, and all the coolant stuck in the heater core line is cold, and gets released into the rest of the cooland, cooling it down.

And like the other man said, it will keep your car cool because its blowing out a LOT of heat. The heater core takes the hottest cooland from the car and blows the heat into your face. I checked the temp and saw 180 degrees at the vents.

Lastly, yes, its your radiator. You are likely seeing this now because its summer and hot. I have a b series with a D radiator and have the EXACT same problem, and yes its my sucky radiator.

And if you run a straight 100% cooland mix, you will not have to worry about the cooland boiling. I ran a 50/50 mix and it started boiling, so i switched to 100% cooland and no long have that problem.