sorry, another overheating thread

[VIP S14]

ive been searching and see alot of overheating problems...but none were really my specific problem, so here it goes.


i have an sr s14

koyo rad

not sure what else you need to know.


so i bought the car about 3 weeks ago...drove it for a while fine and then all the sudden one day i noticed my water temp was pretty much maxed out and smoke was coming from the left side of my hood.

i pulled over and noticed no coolant was in my car, so i had a friend bring me some and we filled it up and i was good to go, for about a week.

i just drove it home and noticed my water temp was going to the top and then dropping to normal and then working its way back up. so i got home and looked and i have no coolant again, what could be the problem? i dont notice any of it leaking out or anything like that. its just like my car drinks that sh!t like water :duh:

any suggestions?

[GSXRJJordan]

Sounds like a leak (because it runs normally most of the time, then heats up) - fill it up, let it run, and make sure you keep an eye on that temp gauge. By the time the OEM gauge gets up there, you're VERY hot.

You could also have a defective radiator cap, that lets the coolant escape out the top - are you running a coolant overflow tank?

[singlecamslam]

OH yea summer is coming and let the overheating problems begin. How does your tailpipe smell? does it smell sweet and is there smoke? Could possibly be a head gasket leak.

[whyrun?]

have you checked your oil yet?

[Killa_D]

maybe a bad heater hose or didnt bleed the coolant system right or bad thermostat

[ryguy]

You likely need a new water pump or radiator. Go borrow a coolant system pressure tester, or look to see if the water pump is leaking. It's designed to leak before the seal goes bad.

get this:

http://www.al-jazirah.com.sa/cars/topics/pressure_tester.jpg

The pressure tester will tell you right away if it's the radiator.

[godsmack]

If there is no noticeable leak from pipes or radiator then it's going to either be ur headgasket or heater core. Perform an oil change and look for milky oil if you do then head gasket. If it's ur heater core you should be able to smell anti freeze if you use it anyway because it'll be leaking in ur car. You should also always use antifreeze no matter what since water will evaporate without it and cause a similar problem but usually takes alittle more time than a weak to disappear.

[ryguy]

If there is no noticeable leak from pipes or radiator then it's going to either be ur headgasket or heater core.

I had to replace both a radiator and water pump between my 240 and my Jeep in the past year, and the bad water pump was noticeable (very) and the bad radiator wasn't noticeable. The end tank had come apart and it leaked out from the top where the hose empties into the radiator, while driving, so I had to pressure test to discover it was the radiator.

[V8slayr]

I had the same problem w my SR when i first swapped it. It was the headgasket. But, something I noticed is my car idled like shit when i would first crank it, after 20 sec or so it would clear up. It was from coolant leaking into my cylinders and taking a second to burn off. Anyway, good luck!