Need help with cooling problem

[MFBAB]

Heres is what is going on. I start my car up and it warms up and gets to about 230 degrees. I have no heat coming out of the vents. The fans dont turn on and the radiator is cool. The weird thing is the upper radiator hose is hot until it gets to the T in the hose and the other side of the hose going to the radiator is cold and the hose going down from the T is cold also. Any suggestions?? thanks

[vjettamk3w]

There could be a clog in the radiator at the inlet. It happens sometimes after long periods of time running it with just plain tap water. Or possibly just a broken radiator.

Try removing the top radiator hose and checking for white buildup at the hose inlet on the radiator, also take the entire hose off and put a garden water hose though one end and turn it on just to make sure there is no blockage.

If your radiator is blocked at the inlet you may be able to remove the calcium build up carefully but you have to be sure to not get anything in the radiator because the small pieces can clog the inside really easy.

I hope this helps in some way.

[ShaggyGTI]

you might have a bad thermostat, or your waterpump isn't doing anything. There also might be an air pocket in one of the hoses. Try massaging the hoses when you first start the car up. Take the cap of the coolant orb while your doing this and see if you get any big bubbles of air out of it.

[MFBAB]

tried new thermostat, took top hose off and ran water thru it fine. took heater hose off and ran water thru those fine. I think its the water pump. took heater hose off the from the engine and started car a hardly any water came out. I would think it would really flow out of there. Thats why I think its the water pump. How hard is that to change? thanks for your help.

[MYGTI_MA]

http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed...belt/index.htm

DIY

[MFBAB]

water pump is fine when I took it off. Im waiting on my new one to put on anyway. Ran water thru all hoses and seem fine. new thermostat. I think it might be radiator. The fans dont kick on because it doesnt seem to get hot in the radiator. Any ideas??? thanks

[vjettamk3w]

It has to be the radiator, water can still go through any free passages in the rad but even if only several passages in the rad were blocked it can cause overheating. And with today's radiators there is no flashing of the inner tubes, just replace.

If the radiator is cold and the engine is overheating the most likely problem is the rad.

[ExpoAccel]

Here is another page from Dan that covers the cooling system. Air trapped in the system seems to be a common problem and it is discussed at length here.

http://faculty.ccp.edu/faculty/dreed...aint/index.htm

I used this as a guide when I changed the radiator on a Cabrio of mine. I honestly do not remember how I determined the radiator was bad but replacement fixed my problem. You can test the thermostat in a pan of water on the stove as shown in the Bentley manuals. They are not too expensive so you might want to just change it (as I see you did) if you have gone to the trouble of removing the old one.

[MFBAB]

got everything back together and still overheats. All the hoses are hot now and radiator is hot but fans still dont kick on. I replaced fan switch in radiator and still nothing. The switch is hot but fans dont come on. I took plug off switch and jump it and fans come on. Could it be the black box under the coolant ball?? Any ideas??

[ExpoAccel]

If you jump the fan switch and the fan comes on there should be no other reason for it not coming on except the switch being bad or not getting hot enough. If the water level of the radiator is not reaching the switch that would keep the switch from getting hot. A clogged radiator could also keep the area where the switch is mounted from getting hot. You could test the switch with an ohm meter in a pan of water on the stove (see manual) to verify it is OK. If you are completly stumped you might want to get a new radiator.