Figure out why my m20 is overheating...

[mother_russia]

I'm getting closer and closer to getting my 1990 e30 sedan to be 100% fully functional, but running into some issues.
I finally drove it today for the FIRST damn time, and it's long ways away from being perfect.
One of the issues, is that it oveheats.
I filled the engine up with coolant, took off the bolt off of the thermostat, and let it bubble until it was just coolant coming out without bubbles. Closed it up, and it still overheats!

Where do I go from here?

[ak-]

I'm getting closer and closer to getting my 1990 e30 sedan to be 100% fully functional, but running into some issues.
I finally drove it today for the FIRST damn time, and it's long ways away from being perfect.
One of the issues, is that it oveheats.
I filled the engine up with coolant, took off the bolt off of the thermostat, and let it bubble until it was just coolant coming out without bubbles. Closed it up, and it still overheats!

Where do I go from here?

Assuming your system is fine, keep bleeding.
Air has a the tendancy to make it to the heights point in liquid right(your T housing)? It's just not all there yet.

[dnguyen1963]

This was the reason why I drilled a small hole in the tstat to remove the trapped air during bleeding. Jlevie has posted the proper bleed procedure many times here. You should read and re-bleed your car.

[jalopi]

Does it overheat while idling or going down the road? If at idle, check the fan clutch. Same thing happened with my car. Way to test:

1. Start the car up
2. Roll up a newspaper
3. Press the rolled up newspaper against the spinning fan. If the fan substantially slows down, the clutch is bad.

If it's not overheating just at idle... well, maybe it's the head gasket. That's all I've got.

[Blowchacho]

Does it overheat while idling or going down the road? If at idle, check the fan clutch. Same thing happened with my car. Way to test:

1. Start the car up
2. Roll up a newspaper
3. Press the rolled up newspaper against the spinning fan. If the fan substantially slows down, the clutch is bad.

If it's not overheating just at idle... well, maybe it's the head gasket. That's all I've got.

+1 to this!

[jlevie]

Does it overheat while idling or going down the road? If at idle, check the fan clutch. Same thing happened with my car. Way to test:

1. Start the car up
2. Roll up a newspaper
3. Press the rolled up newspaper against the spinning fan. If the fan substantially slows down, the clutch is bad.

This must be done with the radiator hot and the engine at normal operating temperature.

Or you can go by the "rule of thumb" which calls for replacement of every part of the cooling system every 10yr/100k.

[jalopi]

In case what I suggested didn't work:

http://www.tooltopia.com/uview-560000.aspx

I'm sure you can find something like this at Sears or a local parts store. I have one - works great.

[Pocket Chant]

I had an overheating problem recently as well. Make sure your coolant is flowing and all of your hoses are clear. I had a blockage in the return line that was giving me some trouble.