cooling issues!! Really need help

[USAFs13]

A few months ago i replaced my radiator and thermostat....been fine until yesterday. Car overheated and i saw a hose from right near the thermostat going back to a pipe near the intake had a leak. I replaced the hose and tried to drive it later. Car overheated again. Ive replaced everything now but the radiator.... waterpump, thermostat, and hoses. I see no leaks nothing but the car still overheats. I noticed at one point the top hose was very hot but the bottom hose from the radiator was not. When i drive the car it takes way longer than ormal for the temp hand to move and when it does it gets to about normal and stays there for a moment then starts heading towards hot. Im stuck only thing i can do now is replace the radiator.... any other ideas?

[codyace]

Thermostat may be stuck...id change that again and go from there. Additionally i would also pressure test the system to ensure you do not have any other leaks.

[HPKMotorsports3]

Did you burp the system?

[USAFs13]

Yes I left the cap off the radiator watched it drain down and filled it back up.

[oscarsx]

thermostat might not be working properly, If not then ^

[blueshark123]

rebleed it again

[VinceDude]

rebleed it again

Radiator bleeds itself which is what the overflow is for. All the air bubbles go there.

Yeah maybe you have a bad water pump. If your radiator isn't leaking and it's apparently it's cooling cause you said the hoses were hot and the lower one was cold. How long does it take for it to overheat during driving?

[USAFs13]

Well the water pump was just replaced yesterday as well as thermostat. The car will overheat after about 5-10 min. Basically I can let the car sit while on and it wont heat up then I pull out onto the main street and maybe get about 2 lights down the road and the hand will move to halfway. It wont stay there long before it starts going right towards hot.

[landins13]

what motor? on a sr the proper bleeding point is the screw in the top of the water neck on for the upper radiator hose. its the highest point in the cooling system. you could also have gotten air in the heater core which is a royal pain in the ass to get out.

[blackie]

I had the same issue yesterday. Burp the system with the front of the car elevated and used the burp bolt as well as the radiator cap off. Also, turn your heater on full blast. I thought it was my t-stat also, but there was just waaaaaaaay too much air in my system. As Vince stated, the radiator MAY bleed itself, but that doesnt mean that your entire cooling system will without your help. Let me know if that works for you.

[sterlinge]

I would bet air in the system. If its not that your thermostats sticking. Both hoses should get hot when your car is warmed up.

[USAFs13]

ka24e and is there a bleeder screw on these motors?

[blackie]

its not on the motor itself. Follow the upper radiator hose until it gets to the water outled. THe metal piece has a 10mm bolt on top. That is it

[blackie]

Just be careful not to lose that bolt. I have seen some people say that there should be a copper washer on it, however, mine didnt have one.

[USAFs13]

Oh and I got the idea to test the old thermostat i took out buy put it in boiling water and it worked just fine thermostat came open like it should.

[rcdad123]

remove the thermostat and drill about 3-4 holes around it. use a 5-6 mm drill bit and drill holes between the outer ring and the valve/pill part. this will make bleeding the cooling system much faster and easier. re bleed the system just like how you bled it before. make sure the heater is at the highest temp, with the blower in the off position. i do this mod to all of the thermostats i replace, mine and customers`.

[wangan_cruiser]

ka24e and is there a bleeder screw on these motors?

there is a bleeding screw on upper hose next to the coolant temp sensor

10mm

[blessedhellrider]

what fan/fans are you running?

[USAFs13]

stock clutch fan but i know that fine though and i took the screw off and bled the system seemed to work at first then it just overheated like it was before

[Corey121]

The system isnt properly bleed, so your going to need to try again.

[blessedhellrider]

sounds like ya have a little leak somewhere. do you smell coolant?
hope your not making oil!

[USAFs13]

i do smell coolant

[blessedhellrider]

leak-amus maxi-mus

[USAFs13]

are there any coolant hoses under the intake or anything

[blessedhellrider]

yeah i believe so ,the intake idle control.

might help

S13 Black Top Sr20det Idle Air Control Valve Diagram : SR20DET Forum (rear-drive) (http://forums.nicoclub.com/s13-black-top-sr20det-idle-air-control-valve-diagram-t420668.html)

[KiLLeR2001]

are there any coolant hoses under the intake or anything

Yes, a few, and they are a bitch to get to and usually are the ones that leak.

[codyace]

Thermostat may be stuck...id change that again and go from there. Additionally i would also pressure test the system to ensure you do not have any other leaks.



First response, and only one that you haven't tried yet. Pressure test the system, find the leak...change the thermostat too.

[USAFs13]

i checked both thermostats and they work.... from what ive seen i need a special tool to pressure test the system (like a pump setup i saw in a video). I will try this but didnt have a way to do it today.

[USAFs13]

Mityvac/Cooling system pressure test kit (MITMV4560) | Cooling System Test Kit | AutoZone.com (http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Mityvac-Cooling-system-pressure-test-kit/_/N-26l0?itemIdentifier=265091_0_0_)

Thats the tool to test the pressure correct? If there is any other way let me know. But both thermostats work the old and the new one.

[daftphunk]

Did you orient the thermostat correctly? I know on SRs the little valve thing should be at 12 o'clock.

Are you loosing coolant? I'm going to have to go with what others have said and say that you haven't properly bled the system. Even if you have a leak, you should still be able to properly bleed the system and get the temps under control. Once you lose enough coolant though, you're going to get air in the system again and have to do it all over again until you fix the leak.

Most places like FireStone will do a coolant pressure test for like $30 bucks also.

[XxHybridx]

air in the system. i was having the same problem. jack up the front of the car as high as u can and keep putting in coolant. literally took me an hour of doing this. these engines are horrible when it comes to getting air inside..its ridiculous.

[USAFs13]

ok I will take it to a local shop next week was trying to get it fixed before I left town for my wedding (uh oh man shackle time aka ring lol ) but it will have to wait.

[wangan_cruiser]

air in the system. i was having the same problem. jack up the front of the car as high as u can and keep putting in coolant. literally took me an hour of doing this. these engines are horrible when it comes to getting air inside..its ridiculous.


im assuming this engine ka motor. ka's are notorious when it comes to bleeding the radiator.

like this guy said i would vouch for it. ive owned 4 ka's and thats what i did whenever i bleed the motor. jack it as high as you can so the bubbles will try to escape from the highest point of the motor, then keep filling it with coolant. do this for at least 30 mins to make sure theres no more air in the system.

i guarantee you this fill fix your problem. if not do cody ace advice.

and check your fan clutch if it still in good working condition. most people overlooked this very important part.

it will save you time bring it to a shop