car over heating???HELP

[nismo_drifter]

now my problem is that there is no flow in the coolant system???the rad. get hot and the top rad. hose gets hot but the bottom rad. hose stays cold as if i was not evening driving...is my rad. clogged???its been sitting for like 6 months???help

[SINxSELEKTAH]

it's either a clogged radiator or a stuck thermostat. over heating is BAD for your engine like a heart-attack in a human.

[tig_tech]

If you think its clogged, pull the radiator and run water through it and see what happens. If not that, then like he said, maybe bad or stuck thermostat.

[240XTC]

Buy A New Thermostat And Flush The Rad, Replace Coolant!!....just Knock Out Both Problems....no Sense In Trying To Diagnose The Problem When It Can B Fixed Asap With Less Than A Couple Bucks...also Before Placing New Thermo, Check To See If It Is In Working Condition By Placing It In Hot Water. 5 Seconds After Water Stops Boiling Is Perfect. Good Luck

[nismo_drifter]

wait put it in a pot and let water heat up and when it starts to boil for 5 sec then take it out???how do i know if its bad or not???

[240XTC]

That Can Work, But Nowadays We Have Microwaves That Are Pretty Cool To Use...lol... Let Me Clarify How I Did It

1. Pour Water In Cup
2. Place Cup Of Water In Microwave
3. Set For 3 Minutes Till Water Boils
4. Pull Out Cup (of Now) Hot Water
5. Wait About 5 Seconds And Place The New Thermostat In Water
6. Watch Thermo Closely To See If It Opens (spring Should Compress)

(for Best Views Use A Glass Cup)

*good Thermo Opens And Is Ready To Use

*bad Thermo Does Not Open And Is Ready To Be Returned To The Store You Originally Bought It From

[jrmiller84]

Just replace it (thermostat), they're like $10, maybe less. It'll take you 20, maybe 30 minutes tops.

[nismo_drifter]

yeah i just replaced the thermostat...i waiting for the sealant to dry...but i just wanted test the old one to see if that was the problem...well i find out right now...thanks

[nismo_drifter]

okay so i just tested my thermostat and its fine...it opened up and looks fine...im pretty positve that my water pump is still good cause the little hole on the water pump is not leaking yet...so if i run a water hose from the top of my rad hose then it should come out of the lower hose right???

[SINxSELEKTAH]

how many miles are on the engine? when were these parts last serviced? as far as your radiator is concered, it might be plugged. run previously stated tests:

If you think its clogged, pull the radiator and run water through it and see what happens. If not that, then like he said, maybe bad or stuck thermostat.

if it is clogged, a radiator shop can "ROD" out your current radiator and get the coolant free flowing again. if you feel that your current radiator is shot to hell and not worth it. new parts!

[nismo_drifter]

well its not the rad. cause i just ran a hose through it and water comes out the other side fine..free flowing...i replaced the rad. about a year ago...im going to replace the water pump right now and hopefully thats the problem...but if thats also not the problem then what is???also when its over heated there is no hot air coming from the heater???

[jackjack]

make sure you bleed the system correctly. i replaced my water pump and thermo not too long ago......... the first time i didnt bleed the system correctly and it started to overheat a couple blocks away from my house. went back, bled it again, and everything was back to normal. just double check everything and you should be fine.

[nismo_drifter]

WHAT???u have to bleed the cooling system???ive never bled the cooling system ever on all my cars and it always ran fine???how do i bleed the system???

[SINxSELEKTAH]

WHAT???u have to bleed the cooling system???ive never bled the cooling system ever on all my cars and it always ran fine???how do i bleed the system???

bleed or "burping" the cooling system, with everything working properly and coolant topped of (at radiator filler and reserve catch at max. start the engine and let it run until your temp needle moves a little. carefully uncap your radiator and constantly watch the level. it will move down as air bubbles pass up to the surface. keep filling the radiator until it can no longer be filled. your system will now be free of air bubbles and hot spots

[nismo_drifter]

ohhh...okay thanks yeah i do that all the time but i dont call it bleeding, i just say run the engine and keep filling it...lol

hey how do i know if my water pump is bad or not???i removed it and it spins just a little more free then the one i bought from autzone???

[fliprayzin240sx]

Best way to bleed it, start the car, crank your heater up, jack up the front of the car, open the cap, and massage the upper radiator hose until you dont see bubbles anymore. Sometimes you have air bubbles in the system

[nismo_drifter]

okay just replaced the thermostat and water pump...rad. is still good and the hoses are still good???what else could it be???

[nismo_drifter]

so nobody knows what wrong???

[jackjack]

are you positive you didnt install the thermo backwards? or upside down? try to bleed it again. it took me a couple times to get it right. even though i was doing it the right way, the car was still acting stupid. if all else fails take it to a mechanic.

[nismo_drifter]

okay so i removed the thermostat today and ran the car for about 30 min and the hotest it got was two lines up...its a s13...so im guessing there was something wrong with my thermostat???now my question is it safe to run my car with no thermostat???and if not then why???as soon as i started to push it the temp drop all the way down, as if i turned the engine off...but when im just cruising it will slowly go up to the second line...thanks for all the help...

[nismo_drifter]

hmmmm???anyone out there...i need my car???

[fairladysx_s13]

U need to have a thermostat. It takes the engine way longer to warm up because coolant is always going to be flowing. If u beat on ur engine at all when its cold it can start to warp the heaad over time. Ur best off replacing the 20 dolar part.

[jackjack]

go get another thermo and make sure you install it the right way. make sure the nipple faces up. make sure you're not putting it in backwards. bleed the system.

[nismo_drifter]

i already bought another thermostat...and water pump...still over heats so i removed the thermostat...the side with spring in and the little nail looking thing on the thermostat on top right...so what is wrong with the engine...i flushed it completely and filled it back up and bled it numerous times...

[cloudstrife930]

you check to see if your heater core is clogged? Do you get heat at all when and when not overheating? you can also have a bad headgasket. Lotta times a bad headgasket will cause the engine to over heat. By removing the thermostat in this senerio, it would stop it from over heating for a lil while anyway. So just because you remove the thermostat and it doesnt over heat dont think it was definitly the problem. Also make sure your fan clutch in engaging. I dont think these cars have ect temp sensors, do they? If they do check that, but I doubt it. Also make sure the cap is holding the proper pressure. A bad cap can allow the system to no longer hold proper pressure.

[fairladysx_s13]

ok put in the new thermostat. If is starts to overheat then feel the rad hoses again like u did when u started. If they both feel the same then u kno the term is working. before u said the top was hot and the bottom was narmal. So that would show the bad themostat. If they are the same temperature then u would have to change your radiator.. Also check ur heather core hoses behind the engine.