VT engine/radiator heat help

[Gokz777]

ok where to start.


Over the past very long while, I have noticed that the water and coolant in my radiator boils. I hear a large gurgling/boiling sound coming from the radiator, and if I put my finger on the radiator cap i get 3rd degree burns. I have had regular services done.

The car has overheated a lot of times. I wait for 20-30 + mins for it to cool down, I open the radiator cap and pour in concentrated coolant and some water. I had a thermostat put in a few months ago, didnt know it was missing, and it still overheats. I thought the thermostat was meant to release the cool water/coolant mix when the car got to a certain heat?

When I go to fill the radiator, my coolant bottle is always full, never changes. I open the cap (when its cooled down completely), turn the car on and turn the heater on full blast. I poor the water or coolant in and then all of a sudden it will bubble up and almost all of the stuff in the radiator will come pouring out of the radiator, it just bubbles up and splurts out all over the place. When it finally stops and i pour heaps and heaps of water back into and put the cap back in, a short drive has the stupid thing boiling again.

Sorry for the lack of description, if anymore details are needed ill be sure to throw them in.


Anyone got an idea as to what the hell is wrong with it?

[accentstencil]

It may need bleeding to get rid of the air in the system. Fill it with coolant, put the cap on and run it till normal operating temperature. Then undo the bleeding screw on the thermostat housing a couple of turns, air should escape. When coolant and no air comes out tighten the screw again. Repeat a few times until no more air comes out.

[Gokz777]

It may need bleeding to get rid of the air in the system. Fill it with coolant, put the cap on and run it till normal operating temperature. Then undo the bleeding screw on the thermostat housing a couple of turns, air should escape. When coolant and no air comes out tighten the screw again. Repeat a few times until no more air comes out.

thank you very very much. will try asap and report back to u



sorry but when you say undo the bleeding screw, do you mean when the engine is on or off? sorry might seem like a stupid question

[edals]

Also make sure your heater is on max to make sure air is also out of the heater cores

[accentstencil]

thank you very very much. will try asap and report back to u

Good luck, it should solve your problem. After you bleed it you will need to top it up again, but wait until the car has cooled down again.

[accentstencil]

Also make sure your heater is on max to make sure air is also out of the heater cores

Yes, I forgot to mention that.

[Gokz777]

UPDATE: Never got a chance to release the air through the bleeder. The car overheats after a very short drive, then water and coolant pours out everywhere. I don't know whether it means I have a hole in the radiator or something else.

When i turn on the heater ONLY COLD AIR blows out, CONSTANTLY.

[banga]

is there coolant coming out from around the water pump?

[BECS]

take the thermostat out and make sure it is opening just put it in boiling water are both hoses hot and under pressure. head gasket check

[Cheap6]

UPDATE: Never got a chance to release the air through the bleeder. The car overheats after a very short drive, then water and coolant pours out everywhere. I don't know whether it means I have a hole in the radiator or something else.

When i turn on the heater ONLY COLD AIR blows out, CONSTANTLY.

You should try the bleed - air doesn't transfer heat as well as coolant/water does. You do need to have the engine running when bleeding as the coolant won't flow from the height of the radiator cap up to the height of the bleed screw unless pumped there by the water pump.

Alternatively, use a "funnel" eg. bottle with the base cut off or similar, in the radiator filler neck, sealed to it (with electrical tape around the bottle neck) so as to raise the height of the water or coolant above the height of the bleeder screw.

The heater does have to be on but not all the way, just enough to open the heater tap. Run the engine for a few seconds if the car has been sitting a while first as the vacuum that operates it can bleed away on some cars.

If the bleed fixes it temporarily, you have a leak somewhere.

[VT Owner]

Things for you to do:

- check for leaks
- bleed the air (use an old radiator hose shoved in the top the radiator to aid you)
- check to see if your fans are operating correctly
- flush the radiator and engine block
- make sure your coolant overflow bottle is filled correctly
- replace the thermostat
- replace the water pump (~ $70)

[])R@G()N]

is there coolant coming out from around the water pump?

Yep thats what I'm thinking,, if it is your waterpump is stuffed and dropping the pressure or it could be the radiator caps not holding pressure
but first check to see if there is any water running down the front of the motor

[wildwabbit]

Is a long shot but drove me nuts for a couple of months.........could drive around for a week in the city, no water loss or temp problems..but.....as soon as i got on the highway for more than 20 mins, engine would boil, and coolant level would be significantly down.......
The problem was a small crack in the bake-a-light junction box for the heater hoses, is worth checking around that area for coolant stains,

[Gokz777]

head gasket is on its way out. water within the radiator boils over after a long enough drive. oil is milky, and the water in the radiator builds up pressure. checked the radiator cap and the bleeder valve, no problem there. radiator is fine.

[bundy_boy]

if your oil is milky, id say your head gasket is past on its way out, and is most certainly the reason you car is overheating as the coolant is just leaking into the block

[Gokz777]

its milky in a sense, its more watered down. its not as dark as it should be. the radiator water builds up pressure and just keeps coming out when the cap is off.

[JenCee]

Late to this discussion, but I may be some assistance to the next person investigating these symptoms.

The basic problem is that you were using concentrated coolant, not a properly diluted liquid.

The concentrate is a lubricant (water pump,) a corrosion inhibitor (*if you used the specified coolant; if a not_specified_in_the_specs concoction it can, indeed probably will *cause corrosion in seals, etc.,) and finally is an antifreeze by lowering the freezing point of the liquid, rarely ever needed in Oz. (A blanket over the hood is enough to stop the water jacket freezing, down to about -7° overnight.)

BUT. It is the water that carries the heat, not the coolant additive, which is a lousy or zero retainer/transporter of calorific energy.

More is not more in this case. You *needed to add the water to get any heat transfer. Thus the strange symptoms, which should make sense now, eh?

In Oz we really only need about 10% coolant additive, but which manufacturer is going to recommend that?

Right. I'm off in my Sub L-series before you lot wake up to the intruder in your midst.

[Gokz777]

Late to this discussion, but I may be some assistance to the next person investigating these symptoms.

The basic problem is that you were using concentrated coolant, not a properly diluted liquid.

The concentrate is a lubricant (water pump,) a corrosion inhibitor (*if you used the specified coolant; if a not_specified_in_the_specs concoction it can, indeed probably will *cause corrosion in seals, etc.,) and finally is an antifreeze by lowering the freezing point of the liquid, rarely ever needed in Oz. (A blanket over the hood is enough to stop the water jacket freezing, down to about -7° overnight.)

BUT. It is the water that carries the heat, not the coolant additive, which is a lousy or zero retainer/transporter of calorific energy.

More is not more in this case. You *needed to add the water to get any heat transfer. Thus the strange symptoms, which should make sense now, eh?

In Oz we really only need about 10% coolant additive, but which manufacturer is going to recommend that?

Right. I'm off in my Sub L-series before you lot wake up to the intruder in your midst.

I understand perfectly. A car engine relies on two components within the cooling system to keep the engine from overheating - the radiator half and the air intake. Without the air intake the engine would reach ridiculously high temperatures and it would probably blow out. But air alone is not enough, water helps to further reduce the heat via the radiator and thermostat area. Cooler water is released into the engine through the thermostat which opens when it reaches a certain heat.


My problem is neither the radiator, nor the air intake, rather I have a cracked head gasket - which caused it to overheat all the time.


Instead of paying a couple hundred, even over a thousand dollars to fix the head gasket i bought $10 seal it mix and poured it into the radiator. since then the car wont reach even half on the temp gauge.

[blacknight]

Its only a temporary fix which is designed to patch up miniscule leaks. To go for a more permanent repair, find a reputable mechanic and fix the problem.

[Gokz777]

Its only a temporary fix which is designed to patch up miniscule leaks. To go for a more permanent repair, find a reputable mechanic and fix the problem.

yeah im about as likely to find a reliable mechanic around here as i am to find a cure for cancer.