Overheating

[Jaym]

hey guys,
My VN is getting a overheating problem, have flushed radiator, new coolant, new water pump, new thermostat, has anyone else got any ideas before i take it to a radiator shop?

The problem happen when sitting on 100, worse when going up hills or revving aka over taking cars.

Any Thoughts would be great

Cheers
Jay

[Vt-Brrrlina]

maybe loose belt mate mite be slipping under load

[VR38]

Firstly, are you loosing fluid or pressure?
Is the fan working correctly?
You flushed the radiator but is it clear, build up over time doesn't come loose with a garden hose type flush, only a radiator shop can properly clean out a radiator core.

[Jaym]

not useing any coolant, fan works fine, its clear as, think i might just take it to the shop, first time ive done that scents i was a teenager lol

[VR38]

Also double check the thermostat if you are 110% sure the radiator isn't blocked as I have seen some bad ones straight from the pack.
Get a few quotes on a clean out then hit ebay for a price on a new radiator.

[Jaym]

So went to radiator shop today, he had no idea why it only heats up on hwy, but the price of a clean is $110 i can get a new one from ebay for that!! so i started searching the net. came up with it could be
A: Radiator blockage (pretty sure its not that but will clean it again)
B: collapsed hose (they look ok)
C: Blocked catalytic converter (didnt even think of that.. how do i test?)

[VR38]

A: Radiator blockage (pretty sure its not that but will clean it again)
B: collapsed hose (they look ok)
C: Blocked catalytic converter (didnt even think of that.. how do i test?)

A; You cannot clean them out at home, the best you can do if flush out the loose stuff, not the build up, especially if someone has previously used a stop leak.
B; if you can squeeze the bottom hose closed with no pressure in the system then you need a new hose as the internal spring has corroded away.
C; Vacuum gauge.

[Jaym]

ok well just went right over cooling system, car runs good around town but on hwy heats up, can get 3/4 way up but then i pulled over, leave it idle for like 2mins and it back to normal!! starting to think its the cat, any feedback would be great!

[Demon76]

that's weird, i didn't think a blocked cat can cause overheating problems..I was going to say head gasket issue but your car seems fine around city...

[VR38]

starting to think its the cat, any feedback would be great!

Buy a vacuum gauge, they are cheap and come with instructions.

[Cheap6]

C: Blocked catalytic converter (didnt even think of that.. how do i test?)

Pull the cat off and look through it against a light source. If you are keen and have understanding or absent local law enforcement you could even drive the car with the cat off and see if it still overheats. If the cat is blocked, engine power will drop off at high loads/speed too.

Are the plastic air dams in place around the radiator and under the car? The rad. shop probably would have checked, but the radiator fins aren't filled with leaves, or bent are they - or those for the A/C condenser?

[shimms1]

if your car does not heat up in town but over heats on hwy it will most likly be air blocks in your system, i had the same prob, isit a 3.8 or 5l?

[Excale]

Hello, i recently had the same problem with my VN wagon. My father did something to the radiator?? i think he said he bled it or something rather. havn't had an over heating problem ever since. hope this helps. Cheers

[ViN3Y]

had the same sort of problem in the vr...
overheating under high speeds and shit thermo was ****ed and replaced it and still had the same problems till it was bled properly
bleed your system if you didnt have the radiator shop do it...
tis easy just leave it running till you fan kicks in and then unscrew the bleeder valve and c if the water or coolant spays or dribbles out
you want it to dribble out
when you loosen the bleeder the temp will drop and fan will stop
repeat the prosess two or three times just to be sure

[leigh 7005]

just wanted to add my misuse had a camira "junk" me and my bro went to the burnouts on the way back car lost all power was cooking like a chip cooker could not work it out for weeks and it ended up being a blocked cat it was that bad it was pushing oil out throttle body and it would strugle to do 60 kph