Over heating issue..Need your help!

[Big Daddy]

Just in case : 1989 240sx KA24E

Ok here is the deal. Car started to overheat. The original radiator had a hair line crack in it. so i replaced the radiator. that was fine for a bit, then it started to over heat again, i then replaced the thermostat. car was running fine for about a week. there is no leaks coming from the hoses but i am replacing those today or tomorrow since they look a little bloaty.

this morning the car started to over heat badly when i pulled into work. i let it cool down for a few hours, everything was fine, went to lunch and on the way back the same thing, i was running the heater as well to try an take some of the heat away and nothing, it actually felt cool. so i manage to get to my parking space and i park the car. i popped the hood, let it cool for a bit and i proceed to open the radiator.

to my surprise there was no coolant, when a night or two ago it was full. as i'm about to pour some coolant in the rad, i noticed two black band looking things that had been deposited there. i get some pinchers/tweezer looking thing from my tool box and manage to fish both out. they are black plastic(feel) shaped like C, if you put both together they almost form a full circle, looks like it's missing a piece. they seem to have been in there a while cause it had build up on it. not sure what they could be, almost looks like a seal of some sort. i don't see any oil spotting in the coolant/water and no coolant leaking from anywhere. could my water pump be going out/is out and what could those black bands be?

your input and assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you! :bigok:

[s13gonwild]

best bet is try the waterpump....are you using water or coolant? if your using strait water..when your car overheats the water evaporates so that would cause it...but change the water pump..

[Flybert]

There was no coolant because you boiled your coolant and it came out the overflow tank. Everytime you overheat, you should put more water in there. Also, you need to bleed the air out of the system. The easy way that I like to do it is to jack up the front of the car really high in the air and start the car with the radiator cap off. Push the air out of the hoses by squeezing them. Then put a funnel over the cap and start pouring water in. Fill the funnel enough so that there is still water in the funnel. Then watch the bubbles come out. Let the system keep running until all the bubbles are out of there. Then put the cap back on with the radiator full of water/coolant.

[240trainee]

My cars been doing the same thing, just getting worse and worse. was hoping it would hold off til I could convert to a DOHC, but guess not. gonna put on new guides and a water pump tommorrow, hopefully it fixes it.

[sw20>>s14]

i don't see any oil spotting in the coolant/water and no coolant leaking from anywhere. could my water pump be going out/is out and what could those black bands be?

usually when a water pump goes out, the coolant squirts through the release valve. so it should make a constant puddle...i dont get the black band thing. there were two halves of plastic band? did you break the seal around the radiator cap?

[appleburger]

i know the guy and he also said that he put some water in and it shot back out of the radiator. could his hg be blown because of overheating?

[240trainee]

i know the guy and he also said that he put some water in and it shot back out of the radiator. could his hg be blown because of overheating?


Thats what I thought with mine, because I don't see coolent leaking anywhere, but I'll see myself... This is a heck of alot cheaper than a HG :bite:

[Big Daddy]

well, after we replaced the radiator, i put straight coolant concentrate in there. i was told this was ok so i left it alone. then the thermostat went out and i replaced that, along with more straight coolant. car was acting fine and then it started to over heat yesterday morning. i let it cool, it was low on coolant but still had some, so i added water cause that is all i had access to. let the car cool off all day, went to lunch, and on the way back from lunch it ran hot. i managed to pull into my jobs parking lot before it went HOT and i parked it, let it cool. checked the coolant and there was none. that is when i found the plastic looking thing. that is what i thought it was too, some sort of seal. i even looked at the radiator cap and it's seal was there as well. not sure what that is.

But Alas this morning i checked her coolant, she was low again, i never once noticed a puddle. i looked at every angle and no water whats so ever. so i filled it up with water, no coolant at my disposal. she ran fine, i managed to get about half way to work when she started to act up. i plume of smoke shot out the exhaust. car jerked a little, well more like hesitated.i pulled into a parking lot, let her rest, popped the hood, didn't smell anything or see any smoke. about 15 minutes later, started her back up and drove back home. about less than a mile from my house, she hesitated again, a little more smoke from the exhaust and then she cut off on me. i coasted to the middle divider lane(emergency lane) and there she didn't want to start. 50$ bucks later had her towed to my house and now she sits lifeless. And i'm broke. :bash: When it rains it pours as they say :wtc:

so yeah looks like i blew my HG, 1. the plume of smoke and 2. i checked the oil dip stick and the oil was milky. She never once over heated though this morning. that i find strange.

[Big Daddy]

There was no coolant because you boiled your coolant and it came out the overflow tank. Everytime you overheat, you should put more water in there. Also, you need to bleed the air out of the system. The easy way that I like to do it is to jack up the front of the car really high in the air and start the car with the radiator cap off. Push the air out of the hoses by squeezing them. Then put a funnel over the cap and start pouring water in. Fill the funnel enough so that there is still water in the funnel. Then watch the bubbles come out. Let the system keep running until all the bubbles are out of there. Then put the cap back on with the radiator full of water/coolant.
yeah i burped the system, everytime i had to fill it up or when i did the thermostat as well.

[240trainee]

Dang, you're making me nervious. My car was hesitating on the way home today. replacing water pump and tensioners tonight and tommorrow, I hope it fixes it. sucks for you, are you able to replace a head gasket yourself?

[240trainee]

Well Big Daddy, we've gotta meet sometime. our cars did the exact same thing at the exact same time. Guess I'll be replacing a head gasket.

[Big Daddy]

Dang, you're making me nervious. My car was hesitating on the way home today. replacing water pump and tensioners tonight and tommorrow, I hope it fixes it. sucks for you, are you able to replace a head gasket yourself?
i'm going to try and do the work myself, well at least with friends help that is. I'm not a car tech, never really learned how to work on my own car. i went the computers route and my older brother went the car techs route. thing is we haven't been on best of terms lately. so it's pointless to ask him for help. i wish i would have went the car route instead, cause moments like this is when it's best needed. but for now i have to garage her, i don't have the funds to buy anything right now or know were to even begin. plus i don't have the tools, it's a never ending story with me.

[SxMachine]

Yup milky oil means ya got coolant in it (as you've prob noticed all ready). I wonder if you ever checked your fan belt/alternator belt to see if it was loose. If the fan stops turning it'll definately overheat. Since your changing your headgasket u might want to change your oil pump just in case. Also make sure your piston rings r ok as well. Did u ever check to see if u had a radiator drain plug by the way?

[smithers584]

yeah check your fan(s). In my SR i have dual radiator mounted fans and my car started acting up one day. Well a couple of days later i noticed that it was getting real hot and i pulled over and had coolant surging from the overflow. Come to find out that my fans werent turning on and that was causing my problems, it was just a bad connection on a wire to the relay. Simple fix for what i thought was a big problem.

[s13gonwild]

dont run straight coolant, mix it with some water.

[Big Daddy]

SXMachine : The fan was running. Not sure if i need to change out the fan clutch though. I noticed the day before it happened that the fan looked a little whobbely(sp?) Slightly though. I was actually planing to do the whole dual electric fan thing before this happened.

Smithers584: Thanks for the heads up bro. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for that once i get her back up and running. The person that was suppose to come over and help me this sunday to remove the head flaked on me :mad:

s13gonwild: yeah i shoulda run the 50/50 but my brother assured me that it would be fine running straight coolant. I mean i took his word for it being that he's been a mechanic for years and is ASE(sp?) Certified. :( I think this was going to happen no matter what though.

[240trainee]

Yup milky oil means ya got coolant in it (as you've prob noticed all ready). I wonder if you ever checked your fan belt/alternator belt to see if it was loose. If the fan stops turning it'll definately overheat. Since your changing your headgasket u might want to change your oil pump just in case. Also make sure your piston rings r ok as well. Did u ever check to see if u had a radiator drain plug by the way?


I just put in a new engine, was a whole lot easier, lol. :Ownedd: That motor was nasty inside....