Still overheating

This was the problem before: http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=40997

I brought it to the mechanic and he changed the thermostat, and he checked for oil in the coolant and coolant in the oil, ect. for any signs of the head gasket. He couldent find any, but the car still overheats. I even disconnected my aftermarket watertemp guage, and put the stock one in, and the temp still goes up and down. The heat also seems to go from cold to hot whenever it wants too. And finally im still getting bubbles comming up from the bottom of the overflow res. Still no signs of head gasket, but idk what else to think... help?!

This sounds like air in the system... Try letting the engine run at idle with the radiator cap off, loosen the "purge plug" (the bolt that plugs the end of the metal tube that sticks up from the thermostat housing), and turn the heater on high. Be ready to add 50/50 coolant mixture to the radiator as the level drops. Tighten down the plug when coolant starts flowing from the purge pipe. After you have filled the system to capacity with the coolant mixture, turn off the heater, replace the radiator cap, and let the engine idle for a while. If the temp guage reads above the M in NORM, the fan should kick on. If it doesn't, that's another cause of overheating...

If i start the car with the radiator cap off and stand there and wait like 2 mins, coolant starts to shoot out from it, then i have to quikly put it back on

rad

You might have a clogged radiator.

Check for trapped air as mentioned first. Once you have eliminated that as a problem then check for clogged rad, if the rad checks out OK your HG's are blown.
I could let my car idle with the rad cap off and it would blow water straight up against the hood, looked alot like Old Faithfull erupting. Yes my HG's were gone.

Ok here are some pics that i just took of the car while it has been sitting for like an hour...

http://www.geocities.com/sk8er_ant/stelar2.jpg

thats what it looks like when it cools down, and alot of coolant is in the overflow (the overflow res. is about 1/2 filled up)

http://www.geocities.com/sk8er_ant/stelar1.jpg

there is what the coolant in the overflow looked like after i dumped it out of there (you cant realy see it but its realy dirty, with like little black things

http://www.geocities.com/sk8er_ant/stelar.jpg

i know its hard to see but thats what the inside of the overflow res looked like after i took it out, its was realy realy dirty inside... and idk kinda oily i guess...

i also checked the oil a few times, and it looks like oil, no discoloration of any sort and it smells fine (no sweet smell)

i also checked the exsaust fumes numerious times, and it still looks normal. No abnormal white smoke (just some because its cold in NY) and when its off no sweet smell. And besides the overheating the car runs mint. (perfect idle, powerfull as hell, ect.)

This is a little off topic. But I was running the same intake you have on the car and found to get more power with the cone not down near the wheel well, but rather just sitting the cone right after the MAF. Not sure if you installed it, but it would only take like 10 minutes to change, 20 minutes if you don't like it and need to put it back.

Is your fan working? If not, it could be either the ECT sensor, IRCM or fan motor.

What you might want to try to release any air left in the system is to loosen one of the heater hose connections above the right side valve cover towards the front. Both of them pass over the valvecover. I have found this to be a big help and eliminating the left over air in the system. Once the clamp is loose but not loose enough for the hose to come off the metal pipe I take a small regular screwdrive and slide it between the rubber hose and pipe being careful not to damage the hose or pipe. If there is air you will hear it rushing out. Let the vehicle run for a few minutes so it warms up slightly. Feel those two hoses, one should be hot and the other should be atleast warm to hot, if one is cold, that is the one you want to loosen. The air should escape and then coolant should come out. Remove screwdriver carefully and retighten. To be safe so pressure isn't created, keep the radiator cap loosened or off during this process. Hope this helps.

Try changing the radiator cap if you haven't already. If it is not holding enough pressure it can allow the water the boil which will make the overflow bubble and cause a lot of fluid to be in there as well. Its kind of a long shot but its only like $5

hmmmm,

I don't know about y'all, but that sounds like a blown head gasket to me. Mine was doing the same things when it blew, water would shoot up out of the radiator like he described and I didn't have coolant in the oil. Is it smoking any? I didn't want to think mine were blown either, but you may want to start considering the possibility. Good Luck!!!!


David

If air is trapped in the system after previous cooling system work, in my experience it takes no longer than about 2 hours for it to work out.

If your overflow tank is bubbling constantly after extended and repeated drives, there is a leak where air is entering. It could be taking on air when the car is shutoff and the system is depressurizing through this leak. Then again, it could be a bad gasket or loose connection letting in a constant stream, but most i can think of would leak coolant under pressure.

I would say check your radiator cap also, see if it helps. If not, and if the air & overheating simply won't go away, you need to check the headgaskets again.

Did the mechanic do a cylinder chamber pressure test? This is how a mechanic should be checking headgaskets.. anyone can check the oil and coolant.

The best way to check for bad HG's is a cooling system pressure test. Anybody can do the test its as simple as replacing the rad cap and you'll have your answer in about 10 minutes.

I seem to be having similar problems with my car, but the IRCM seems to be OK, and Maybe the ECT sensor is bad... Where can I get one and about how much would it run me? Thanks

Dan