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srt running hot

1K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  blackbird_R/T 
#1 ·
i have a 180 degree thermostat but my temperature still rises to about 205 to 210 degrees and the hotter it gets the more coolant goes into my over flow tank. also the coolant isnt sucking back into the radiator when its in my over flow tank. ive changed the cap, coolant, ive replaced the water pump and timing belt, fans work. idk if my radiator is getting clogged and needs to be replaced, thats the next thing i was gonna do but was just asking before i spend the money. also when my AC is on it gets even hotter. i need answers.
 
#2 ·
Installing a 180° thermostat will do nothing to keep the car running cooler at lower speeds and when stopped unless you also modify the computer calibration to lower the threshold the radiator fans come on. If you're only seeing not over 205-210 degrees that's not abnormal, especially on a hot day or if you're using the air conditioning and in stop and go traffic.

If it was going significantly higher than that you might have a problem. Is it spiking and the gauge jumping up and down a lot? Expansion into the overflow is perfectly normal if it stays between the min and max lines but is it bubbling or gurgling or you can see large amounts pushed out into the tank at once? If so, those are normally signs of air trapped in the system or the possibility the head gasket is leaking compression gaskets into the coolant passages although with mutli-layer steel (MLS) OEM head gaskets you may see external leaks or signs of coolant-oil mixing as well. They usually tend to fail catastrophically.

If the temp doesn't go much higher than mid-point on the gauge, it isn't suddenly surging and bubbling or overflowing the tank, then it might be normal. The not pulling coolant back out of the overflow tank when it cools and contracts is a problem though. You mentioned replacing the cap but make sure the area it sits in is clean and free of corrosion. Make sure the rubber hose going to the tank isn't collapsing, is seated and doesn't have any pinholes. You might also want to pull the overflow tank off and check to make sure there aren't any small cracks or it isn't melted/damaged from the point the hose connects down tot he bottom of the tank passage or it could be pulling air.

Again, if the headgasket were bad the system might not be able to maintain a sealed system but if the car hasn't been modified and overheated in the past I'd lean towards ruling out everything else first.
 
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#5 ·
when i turn my car off i do sometimes hear bubbling or gurgling noise in my overflow tank. but whenever ive added coolant into my radiator (not the tank) it doesnt bubble or anything so i dont think there is air in it. and ive gotten the head gasket checked and thats fine. ive never seen oil in my coolant either. also i just installed a new overflow tank (the stock one) for it already and it came with the hose, so there is isnt any holes in the hose or leaks in the overflow tank. but i placed the tank right where the stock one was originally at too.
 
#3 ·
if your loosing coolant, be very careful about over heating.. because you'll pop a head gasket.. pull plugs if ones wet its head gasket time

i'd suggest getting the loan a tool from autozone, filling cooling system and pressurizing the cooling system (its a little bike pump with radiator adapter)

common problem areas, radiator cap, check top of trans (the hard lines for the heater are prone to leak/rust)
 
#4 ·
i have a 180 degree thermostat but my temperature still rises to about 205 to 210 degrees and the hotter it gets the more coolant goes into my over flow tank. also the coolant isnt sucking back into the radiator when its in my over flow tank. ive changed the cap, coolant, ive replaced the water pump and timing belt, fans work. idk if my radiator is getting clogged and needs to be replaced, thats the next thing i was gonna do but was just asking before i spend the money. also when my AC is on it gets even hotter. i need answers.
Make and model # of water pump? 210* is nothing, a factory thermostat doesn't open fully until 220*.
 
#6 ·
The only way to truly check a head gasket is to take the engine apart. Not saying this is your issue and it is the worst case scenario but how exactly was the head gasket checked? Compression and leak down tests will will not tell you that there is a leak in the head gasket coolant ports.
 
#7 ·
If you're lucky sometime you can pressurize the system, do a leak-down test or coolant testing that looks for exhaust byproducts and might catch something, but with the MLS gaskets and even newer conventional gaskets sometimes they won't leak or lift until under high cylinder pressures.

The gurgling and bubbling would be pretty concerning it it's happened often and you continue to lose coolant. The spark plugs were mentioned, but if it was a head gasket I wouldn't just look for a wet plug but one or two that have a significantly different color (often more white) and take all the plugs out and shine a flashlight into the combustion chamber and see if the tops of the pistons look the same or if any look cleaner due to water/coolant cleaning off the carbon deposits.

The other thing you could do is take an oil sample and send it in to a lab like Blackstone and have an analysis done. Make a note that you suspect a head gasket and they'll be able to tell if any coolant is getting into the combustion chamber or leaking into the oil and burning off.

Along with what you've already checked that's about all you can do. Just from the description I'd lean towards either air in the system of possibly a head gasket but that is a lot of work so try to rule everything else out first.
 
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