Possible Cooling Problem

[Mister.E]

Ok, im gonna try and describe this the best i can and hopefully someone can help me out.

Engine is a Redtop SR20DET

The main problem is that there is no pressure in the upper radiator hose. So my temp gauge reads absolutely nothing because the temp sensor has no liquid rushing around it. Every now and then when i am driving the temp gauge will fly up past 120 and send an alarm and then it will drop back down as if its reading nothing again. im guessing that this is just spurts of coolant and/or air.

The bleeder screw on the upper water neck is completely tightened down, the radiator is topped off, and the overflow tank is topped off. It has a fairly new thermostat and the car has no problem cooling whatsoever, as in it doesnt overheat. the heater works fine so i am assuming that coolant is flowing through the system perfectly fine. also, with the radiator cap off, i can give it throttle and the fluid level in the radiator will fluctuate. with my limited amount of knowledge i would assume that the water pump is working fine.

If anyone can explain to me why the upper hose wont hold pressure, they'd be a real savior. thanks.

[jspec240]

Blockage?? Have you flushed your system latley?? is it running hot or have you ran it? I had the same problem and it was because some idiot before me put rad sealent in the system and there was all kinds of shit in there, I had to flush it two times. Are there any leaks?

[Mister.E]

there are no leaks anywhere and everything seems to be operating fine. it doesnt run hot at all, surprisingly enough it actually runs pretty damn cool. i can try to flush it and see if anything happens.

[jspec240]

well when you say that its not holding pressure are you saying that its acting like a vaccume and auctually imploding? or are you just cant feel anything go through when you grasp the hose?

[ANVIL]

did u burp ur radiator/cooling system?

[Mister.E]

well when you say that its not holding pressure are you saying that its acting like a vaccume and auctually imploding? or are you just cant feel anything go through when you grasp the hose?

sorry for the poor description, what i meant is that it doesnt feel like anything is flowing through the hose and putting resistance against my hand when i try to push it in.

how do you "burp" the radiator/cooling system?

[ANVIL]

remove radiator cap while engine is off and cold. start up the engine. let it idle/get warm for 10-15 min while observing the coolant level. if you have air in your system you should see some air bubbles come out and just keep topping it off for that 10-15min. then put the cap back on and see what happens. sometimes you have to burp vehicles a few times before you get all the air out. i find that if you drive the car after and then let it fully cool before you drive try to burp it again it helps speed up the process for stubborn air bubbles.

[Mister.E]

oh yeah, we've done that many times. i didnt know it was referred to as burping...im retarded.

[ANVIL]

maybe its a gauge/sensor problem? sounds like if you have been topping it off, theres no way your sensor wouldnt have any coolant around it.

[jspec240]

Yea instead of letting it just sit. put your hand over the rad with the cap off and squeeze the top hose a few times to force it through. your fluid level will go down, fill it up, keep repeating until your fluid level wont go down anymore. if not thats not the problem. You might want to even try running it without your thermostat for a bit ( checking your water temp alot) last resort

so has anyone else auctualy checked it or are you just wondering.

do you have an aftermarket gauge or OEM??

to tell you the truth I think if its not broke dont fix it. as long as it hasnt affected your performance

[Mister.E]

i have both types of gauges. the supposed problem stemmed from the aftermarket gauge not taking readings like it was supposed to. i then noticed that the upper hose wasnt pressurized.