Overheating plz help I need this fixed asap

[Boost2Perfection]

My car is doing the same thing i feel like... no matter how warm my car is the vent blows out cold. Unless the car is above 2K usually 2.5K RPM. On the highway the heat blows out warm/hot. At idle or red light the car warms up so fast u can see the needle flying up... it's scary... but when i drive it drops back to normal.

I guess i'll have to bleed my system also.

[C!ph3r]

thanks a lot guys. I have replaced the fan clutch about a month ago. I will continue attempting to bleed the system. Thanks a million.

[325ix]

Lifting the front end did the trick for me, until I blew some other gasket.

[325ix]

I found out my leak was due to a broken water pump gasket. I sealed it with rtv this time. However, I guess I managed to miss the tiniest of areas on the sealing surface. It leaks a few minuscule drops. Could I take a small amount of rtv and spread it over the little area that is leaking? Or, do I need to take the pump off again. I am really trying to avoid taking it off if possible.

[andrewm]

I never reccomend the patch job, you'd rather it not blow out on you on the interstate. I'm in the middle of doing mine as well, I'm *trying* it without RTV first.

[low330]

Ok well heres my other question wat is the torque specs for the headbolts bently and alldata says 22 ft lbs and ive talked to a mechanic of 40yearsand he said hes nevet heard of a head only being torqued down with that little of pressure.

[6gen91]

the head is torqued down 22 ft lbs then you have to go around all bolts and turn them 90 degrees and then repeat that step again ;)

[low330]

the head is torqued down 22 ft lbs then you have to go around all bolts and turn them 90 degrees and then repeat that step again ;)

yussirrrr you were right i didnt torque them down hard enough. pulled the head and sure enough blown head gasket haha replaced it and wahla problem solved.

[C!ph3r]

i am back. I have still been overheating since my last post here which was January.

Maybe i am missing something with testing the fan clutch but i have replaced it again because i could stop the other one with the temp gauge at about 3/4 with a piece of paper.

So i replaced it again today and the same thing. One thing i did notice was when the fan clutch was stone cold, out of the box onto the car, i couldn't stop it. But once it heated up i could. What gives? So frustrating. And i have bleed the system. I do have a new thermostat and aux fan switch on stand by ready to go in. because i noticed my aux fan isnt coming on either uless the ac is on. tested and verified from a thread here and the repair manual.

but even still, why is my fan clutch not engaging?

[jlevie]

The radiator may not be getting hot. And that could be because of air in the cooling system. If the radiator isn't getting hot enough, the aux fan won't come on either.

Then again, the gauge could be wonky. Use an IR or contact thermometer to check the temperature of the head.

[C!ph3r]

The radiator may not be getting hot. And that could be because of air in the cooling system. If the radiator isn't getting hot enough, the aux fan won't come on either.

Then again, the gauge could be wonky. Use an IR or contact thermometer to check the temperature of the head.

thanks for the info. i will give that a look. i was thinking maybe the gauge also, but if i can maintain a constant speed, temp usually stays just at the half way mark.

[jlevie]

thanks for the info. i will give that a look. i was thinking maybe the gauge also, but if i can maintain a constant speed, temp usually stays just at the half way mark.

Okay, that strongly suggests that the gauge is telling the truth.

Bleed the system by:

1) Using ramps or a jack get the front of the car 1' or more higher than
the rear. That will make the radiator and bleed screw the highest point
on the engine and facilitate removal of air.

2) With the bleed screw open, add coolant until no more air comes out of
the bleed.

3) Leave the filler cap off, or at least loose, and set the heat for max
temp and fan speed. Leaving the cap loose will prevent air that's still
in the system from causing a "coolant fountain" once the engine heats
up. Start the engine and allow it to warm up to operating temp. As it
warms up occasionally crack the bleed screw to release any air and top
up the coolant as necessary.

4) Once the engine is at temp bring it up to 2000-2500rpm for a few seconds
several times. Then crack the bleed until no more air is released. At
this point the heater should be throwing lots of hot air, which
indicates that the heater core is filled with coolant. You may have to
repeat this a few times to get all the air out.

5) Drive the car a bit, allow it to cool back down, and recheck the
bleed for air. Over the next few days you may get very small amounts (a
few bubbles) of air out of the bleed screw.

Then drive the car and see if the idle temp rises. If it does re-bleed per the above. If you get a significant amount of air out then, the head gasket is probably damaged and pumping air into the cooling system. If there has been an inexplicable loos of coolant, the chances of a head gasket problem go way up.

[C!ph3r]

I have already bled the system exactly as you indicated above. I have found a small amount of fluid on the top of the radiator end cap near the small hose going to the coolant overflow rsevoir. It looks like i may be loosing fluid where that end cap meets the radiator at the top. I am going to replace the radiator next. At 200k+ miles, its probably gummed up a lot also. i will keep you guys posted on what i find.

[RobertC]

Anyone ever think that the original radiator might be just plugged?

Happened to a good customer. They had overheating issues and a shop changed out the T-Stat, still overheating they changed out the water pump, told her it was all good, overheated again, cracked the head.

She found my shop and let me check it out. Cracked head, radiator plugged. replaced the head and new radiator, never had a cooling system issue again.

So just recommending to at least check the radiator for a date, if its over 10 years, replace it.

You can only bleed the cooling system so many times before you have to realize there is something else going on.

Good Luck

[C!ph3r]

thanks robertc. could be a possability. i haev a new one coming this week. i dont drive the car but maybe once a week so it has been managible by running the heater up until now. its just getting to freaking hot. so tiem for a real fix. once the rad gets here, i will be chaning the tstat, hoses, and rad with fresh coolant. hopefully that takes care of it and i dont have any head damage.