Overheating? kind of..?

[swiftymcfeat]

Ok i have been to 2 mechanics so far and the problem still lays unsolved...

There is no way im spending anymore money until i know the ACTUAL PROBLEM!?!?

Here is the situation:
1- My water BOILS when the temp gauge is at under half...
2- My engine fan does not kick in until my temp gauge reaches well over half (causes problems, you will understand why if you read number 1)
3- I have to ALWAYS have the air con or heater running on at least 1 so the engine fan is always kicking in so the car doesn't boil

This is becoming a VERY annoying problem for me and im sick of it, i just want a solution. I thought it might be the thermo-stat but i don't want to bother changing it if its not the problem.


ALSO: Is it common for the VN heaters to not be that hot or is that another problem? I find if im going 100+ on a highway then my heater isnt really hot which is annoying on a cold morning...

Thanks in advance!

[falcomwreck]

have you had the radiator flushed or replaced?
it could have a blown head gasket..

[Fonzie]

I'm a bit of an amateur, but it sounds like the thermostat... Thermo fans aren't kicking in early enough. Maybe a thermo fan bypass switch? Engine won't heat up a highway speed because of the air blowing into the bay.

[dans_vz]

by what your describing, I would say its the thermostat

[skruba]

flush radiator n run it on coolant c if that work then no look at thermostat

[Smallies]

Go straight to the thermostat, replace it, flush the radiator, fill with coolant and go for a drive. Thats what i think will solve your problem bud.

But I'm thinking it can't be that simple - otherwise why would two mechanices miss that? Im no mechanic by all means, and by the time i read your 2nd point i knew what the problem was. Atleast i thought i knew.....guess we'll see. Keep updating the thread man. It will be interesting to see if thats the problem.

[azzfox]

Use coolant. It shouldn't be boiling to begin with. Ive had the gauge to the 'H' mark by accident and it diddnt boil.

Heater core could be blocked. The heater circuit bypasses the thermostat so it wont be that.

For the record, the fan should come on above 107 degrees, and turn off below 101 degrees. The boiling point of plain water is 100 degrees. Do the math! Being pressurised it should raise the boiling point, but ever get a coolant leak or faulty cap and BAM!

[the collector]

1.take to a radiator specialist
2.get the radiator and the entire system flushed and cleaned
3.get thermostat replaced
4.easy
5.mechanics are new parts specialists,old one off,new one on.
6.always take to a specialist,these guys deal with cooling systems,the first mechanic should have told you this.
7.DONT USE EITHER OF THOSE PEOPLE AGAIN
good luck
cheers

[Smallies]

Nip into Natrad.

[levymetal]

i fail to see the problem. your car seems to run at around half temp - you realise half means half and does not mean overheating. you didn't say your gauge gets to the top, so i am assuming that it doesn't. some vns run at 1/4, some run at 1/2, anything higher than 3/4 most of the time is a problem.

the vn heater is GREAT. if your heater doesn't even get hot then i see one of 2 problems
1. your engine is actually not hot enough, despite what you think. a gauge is not a thermometer... you don't know what 1/2 actually means temp wise. try getting a proper temp gauge that tells you what the water temp is, that might help you out.
2. your heater core is blocked.

and apparently your water boils.
1. i am interested to know what method you used to determine this. please elaborate. i have a feeling that what you think is boiling is not boiling at all, no offence.
2. you should be running coolant and not water.
3. if you're running coolant, it's boiling point is MUCH higher than water, so it's not boiling at all, refer to point 1 if you haven't already.
4. engines run hot, expect the coolant to be hot as well.

if i was you, i would replace the thermostat with the correct temperature rating ($13), flush the system, get some good new coolant in there ($30), and see how you go. i would assume that your car would run a bit hotter if you used water instead of coolant, if that is in fact what you're doing.

[fkford]

i have had massive issues with my cooling system to. forget thermostat etc thats simple, its more like air lock or air in your heater somewhere. it could be as simple as a leak somewhere wich causes you to lose pressure....let the car boil and open the bonnet, look for a clue e.g a hissing sound for a broken hose or a leak somewhere.

[-Junior-]

i have had massive issues with my cooling system to. forget thermostat etc thats simple, its more like air lock or air in your heater somewhere. it could be as simple as a leak somewhere wich causes you to lose pressure....let the car boil and open the bonnet, look for a clue e.g a hissing sound for a broken hose or a leak somewhere.

WTF,


Use a pressure tester when it is cold, a hell of a lot safer for both you and car.

[DavoVP]

I had a simular problem, But mine ended up being a very small pinhole in the top rad hose, and it would not leak at all untill you gave it a gut full, the only thing that gave it away was the green stain left on the engine from the coolant !

So one day when it was nice and hot, ( above half ) i poped the bonnet, gave it a rev and there it was spurting out lol, replaced hose bled the system problem solverd :P

[swiftymcfeat]

K ill take all these notes in...
THANKYOU ALL SO SO SO MUCH!

Ill post when i know the what it really was