its to the point where if i drive it at all for more then 5 minutes the resiviour will fill up and start spurting. i replaced the thermostat and tested it and just going around the block twice it got hot enough to pop the cap on the resiviour. yay that was fun. luckly the hood was still closed.

The radiator is drained, the headgasget should be good (havnt verified tho, i guess i could pull some plugs to look for coolant) but im wondering if this could the the water pump?

With the resiviour at normal level and the cap on the radiator the top hose never looks like it gets pressure, feels very squishy and i opened the cap after running for a bit and the water/coolant wasnt moving at all.

Not sure where to start, but ive drained the radiator and im going to take a garden hose and stick it in the top and check the hoses to see if they are clogged or anything.

 

This is a good read: https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...highlight=flow



Start by checking compression, water flow (watch for the thermostat to open by the flow of coolant in the rad neck), spark plugs, water / coolant in oil, rad cap, etc.

 

Try replacing the radiator cap if you haven't already. That regulates the pressure in the cooling system. (And of course, follow Pick's advice)

 

new radiator cap, took out thermostat, ran water into the top of radiator with car running, got some flow from block back into radiator, so i think my pumps good. havnt checked plugs yet. let enging run for about 10 min with water flowing into radiator and drain valve in bottom of radiator open, water stayed clear. but engine started getting hot. im wondering if the direction of flow is some how compromised.

 

Is your timing way off?

 

If you are blowing out coolant and the engine still gets hot you may have exhaust gasses getting into your coolant passages, introducing air bubbles and pressurizing your rad off. Ya you could also have some corrosion in a passage blocking the flow.

 

is your water pump good?

 

radiator was so clogged that it wasnt flowing any water. pulled it and had it boiled out, also removed thermostat, (CA does not get cold enough to need one), never gets over half now .

 

good to hear

 

oi i need to do this but i am trying to take care of horrid gasket rot.

88k mi is ok but its 30 year old gaskets that are the real problems

 

back to overheating....doh. not sure what happened.

I didnt flush the block when i had the radiatior out. so maybe enough crap was in there to clog the newly cleaned radiator. duno. i got a flush kit from autozone, some prestone thing, hopefully it will make flushing a bit not as messy lol. anyhow, im pulling the plugs to check for coolant. see if its a headgasket. that would suck.

any one else have any ideas or suggestions?

 

x2...

Did you check your timing? If it's WAY advanced, it's going to heat up more.

If the rad is flowing well, rad cap checks out, timing is correct, thermostat is opening correctly... well... you've got a blown headgasket.

 

jsut pulled the plug, they all look good. normal ware, not inneed of replacement.

i havnt checked the timing in a while, not since i initially started wrenching on this thing. the rads empty right now, but im not sure which plug the engine drain plug is. anyone have a pic of this? i'll also consult google. (no luck so far)

The heater core is opend, i turned the car over to see if i could get any more liquid out but nothing came out. gonna hook up my flush kit and just run water through it, hopefully everythings clear. (scratch that, hopefully is gunked to hell and cleans it up and ends my problems lol)

 

Engine drain plug for coolant right? (making sure you don't mean oil... which is obviously on the oil pan).

That plug is on the left side of the block under the exhaust manifold, aprox between cyl 5 & 6.

See the chrome plug on my motor? That's the location (stock is a rusty bolt).

 

yeah,i found the rusty bolt alright.....holy $%^# that things in there. its not reverse thread or some silly thing is it? I cant get it to budge. sheesh.

 

hehe... yeah, you'll probably need to soak it in PB Blaster for a few, then use a breaker bar. Be careful... that's one bolt you REALLY don't want to break.

 

^ I didn't break the bolt. I broke the wrench I was using it on. lol Those bolts are practically welded on.

 

got it, with nothing broken, cept i did slightly round the edges. oh wel still works fine.

Ok block and rad flushed, cleaner and water added, idled to heat up, didnt get hot enough so i drove it a bit to wamr it to normal temp, letting sit at idle with heater coil open. next step, wait for paint to dry, or in this case a block to cool, then i'll flush again till clear water flows from both ends. yay. alright, hopefully this got it.ugh. maybe not, could still be water pump i guess.but it looks like its flowing. so not sure. i think i got some sodium carbonate in my eye yay!

 

still overheating.

Odd thing here, the heater started to run cold. then it got really hot, im thinking the block is clogged ? water stopped flowing through the block to the rad and heater coil?

 

That means there's not enough coolant to flow up to the heater core. I think you're running out of excuses... I think it's the head gasket.

Did you ever read that thread I posted at the top of this?

 

yeah. but none of the cylinders showed any signs of coolant burning in them. oh right......that's what you said in your first post. :\.


well shieeeeiiitttt.

Alright, can I just replace the head gasket my self? or do i have to take the head to a shop and have it checked?

How about cylinders or pistons? ack....this cars going to cost wayyy more then i can ever get out of it. looks like im selling it now or keeping it for the rest of my life.

Also the back end knocks sometimes when low rpms in first. it kinda jumps or something. low rpms it likes to lurch then if i put the clutch in it does the knock thing. Me things trannys loose or something.....i duno im a noob.


Edit: back to the garage, time for more wrenching. gonna do a compression test.

 

just checked compression. from front of engine to back compression was 125 125 140 140 140 150.

not sure if the front two being lower mean anything or not. :/

 

AHHHHAHA!

The bottom rad line to the block collapses under load. LOL that would do it wouldnt it?

 

I would take the head to the shop. Shouldn't cost you anything, to have it checked. I have to do it, when I get the head off my slicktop. I am not taking any chances. I will probably have it shaved to .20, and then use a MLS 2mm head gasket. And call it good. But it will be a while for me.

 

That's strange, that the compression is lower in the front than the back. Usually it is the other way around. 3-6, seem pretty good still. But 1 and 2, seem quite low. I would try another compression test, to make sure. And if they are that low. You could have worn parts in those cylinders. I am really no expert, just giving some ideas. Hope you get it worked out. Good luck.