Overheating

SON240sx Automotive
1

So, just picked up an s13, and it was having overheating issues, and was constantly losing coolant. Only lukewarm air blowing from the heater, blah blah blah. Bubbles in the coolant didn’t really cross my mind at first, but my first thought was thermostat. Replaced that, and then began the hunt for the leak. Found it, water pump. Done.

So, after that, the coolant level is staying the same to my knowledge, I’m just having one hell of a time getting the bubbles out of her. Is using the bleeder screw on the i/m the best way to do this? If so, what is the proper procedure to do it? If not, how can I get rid of these damn bubbles?

2

http://www.son240sx.org/forums/showthread.php?t=51483

thank me later

3

Sorry to threadjack but my thread got closed rofl

OK. update.

We’ve tried to bleed it 2 more times.

We’ve replaced The bottom hose, replaced the hose clamps

also, re-done the water pump seal…

after doing this, it felt like success for these reasons. When bleeding, we threaded the bleeder screw in just a couple notches, so that air could come out but coolant couldnt, it would kind of bubble or fizz around the edges.

by the time the motor got to operating temperature (which happened fairly quickly, mucher faster than usual) we turned the heat on full blast, and ACTUALLY FELT HEAT! this is the first time ive felt heat from the blowers in months.

Bleed it some more, revving off and on, en take it for a test boot. still blasting heat from the blower, im pretty much free revving along as it was last night, the snow was falling nicely, i may or may not have gotten sideways hither and thither…

but now the temp gauge starts creeping ever so slowly… 2.5 notches from H.

so i figure ok air bubbles perhaps…

head to try bleeding more, heat no longer blowing inside :frowning:

bleed it more, now i have the boiling coolant problem again :frowning:

oh and it seemed to have taken a TONNE more coolant the second bleeding attempt.

but… this morning the rad wasnt really low.

i cleaned up the motor a bit, now im checking periodically to see if coolant is developing…

So basically… things were looking REALLY good… perfect almost…

then it quickly went to shit again.

but… i am getting closer. Ive been observing the temperature… and now i dont go full H very often… and, the temperature is very inconsistant, ill be getting hot, then cool down again, then get hot. I thought it may have to do with RPM, but i booted 5th gear to 3K and the temp went down.

This lead me to beleive that it was just because i was going fast = more air flow for rad… but then it got hot again. Then i drove at 3K in 3rd, cooled down. driving regularly in a gas saving type way, the temperature is inconsistant then as well.

But still not FULL H all the time, which is what was happening last week. no matter how i drove the Temperature only rose without getting the RPMs low, or just turning it off.

theories… Water pump seal might have been solid for the test boot, but due to cold and the gasket not setting correctly… ruptured and let air back into the system. perhaps now the seal is better than before, but still not right.

and, then theres the idea that maybe im still not bleeding it correctly.

sigh.

i want my baby back

4

LOL

i i just realized punisher referred OP to my thread, which i clicked on this thread to update…

thats funny to me

ill go do that

5

Haha, woops…guess I shoulda searched that shit. Consider this your thanks punisher

6

Kay, here’s the deal. Was trying to bleed the coolant like it said in LockeD’s thread, did it a few times for what I thought was enough. Long story short, I tightened the bleeder screw just 'til it was snug and not ovetightened, but it snapped when I went to loosen it off to give it another go. It’s all good, the majority of the bolt is in there, and not letting coolant through.

Anyways, spend a decent amount of time today at my parents place with a funnel on the rad, filling it when necessary, squeezing hoses and letting all the bubbles out. There was a shit ton of air that came out, and I thought I was good. Let it sit for probably 3 or 4 minutes and no more air was escaping. Took it off, rad cap on. Engine was at normal running temp, and I now finally had hot air blowing inside.

Made it to the gas station, and almost all the way back to my place around town when…fml, overheating. It’s not overheating as bad as before, but it’s still making its way up to the H.

There’s no white smoke coming from the exhaust, so I really doubt I have headgasket problems. More bubbles still in the coolant? Any other ideas?

7

what engine is this?

8

You need to get all the bubbles out. Just park it on an upwards slant with it running rad cap off. fill the rad as much as possible. Start the car squeeze the rad tube bubbles come out coolant makes a mess repeat process. put rad cap on fill up overflow tank drive it refil overflow as needed.