cooling problems (1 Viewer)

[Man Jerk]

I seem to be having trouble with my cooling system. The radiator was re-cored last fall. I thought it might be my water pump, so I replaced that sunday. It was obiously bad, because there was fluid spraying out from it. That didn't seem to keep it cool so t hen I thought it might be my thermostat stuck closed so I replaced that tonight. I let it run for about 15 min, and the temp gage pegged all the way up. What else could it be? I'm about at my wits end here.
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[Mavric1298]

this may sound dumb, but plenty of people have done this.....do you have enough fuild in there??? haha, also check the hoses for a blockage of some kind

 

[Man Jerk]

Another thing is that while the engine was hot when I turned on the heater all I got was cold air.

 

[3_puppies]

I know this also sounds stupid, but could it be a bad sending unit? You can put a magnet thermometer on it or screw in a non-electric guage to double check. Are the hoses hot? If you have a good radiator shop close, they should have a tester to check if there is exhaust gasses in the coolant, bad head gasket? That's all the ideas I have!

 

[Erics75]

Bad radiator cap? Timing retarded to far? Radiator shop screwed up?

 

[woody]

if it blew cold air with a hot motor, then it sounds like the block has a air pocket trapped in it...usually trapped directly below the thermostat, not opening it.  Remove the thermostat and top off the block prior to reinstalling.

Was the radiator hot or just the temp gauge pegged?


I've had brand new thermos that were junk too, and one that lasted 6 months and siezed again....worth testing in a pan of boiling water to see if it actually opens up.

 

[Design311]

Have you tried letting the system come up to operating temperature with the radiator cap off? You can see whether the thermostat is opening if the level drops. Also, it essentially "burps" the system of air if you keep the cap off while it warms up. Turn the heater on full blast and let it warm up, if the tstat is good the fluid level will drop down and you will see air bubbles come to the surface. That should get all the air out if that's your problem. Just be careful not to get burned if it kicks fluid back up.

Also, like Woody said they do sell bad tstats. I've had first hand experience with bad tstats from the auto parts store...

 

[toddslater]

I'm with Woody and Design. &nbspoes't sound like the tstat is opening up.

 

[Man Jerk]

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Bad radiator cap.

Big sigh of relief though. easy as pie

Thanks for the responses folks.

 

[Halo3]

<shadetree mechanic>

Another tidbit of shadetree wrenching that was handed to me...

Drill one or two 1/8" holes into the thermostat's flap before installing it (this obviously originated in the days before fail-safe thermostats). This will allow the block to be bled of air easily...especially when the engine is cold. It will also provide some form of productive heat exchange should the thermostat fail in a shut position. Warm-up times on wintery days will be slightly longer, but nothing excessive.

Other's mileage & opinion will likely vary, but I have had good luck with this for many years.

</shadetree mechanic>

 

[Rollin'in'Zona]

Drill one or two 1/8" holes into the thermostat's flap before installing it...

As a result of personal experience, I've also done this on every Cruiser t-stat I've installed for the past 8 years.