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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Tue, 07 December 2004 14:58
 
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Your car was too hot. Chances are the cooling system is broken. Check belts, water pump etc. Open the radiator (when the car is cold) and start it up. Make sure that there is coolant moving in the radiator - this will let you know that your water pump is OK, at least. (note: wait for the engine to warm up, with the radiator cap off, before panicking. The thermostat stops coolant flow when the engine is under temperature.)
Check your oil. If it's creamy, coffee-looking stuff instead of clear oil-looking stuff, it's got water in it and you've got a blown head gasket or similar. Even if it's not, get a compression test done - this will tell you if your coolant is disappearing somewhere inside your engine and coming out your exhaust.
Finally, was it a very very hot day? Did you have aircon on? It's remotely possible that your radiator is just old and gummed up, and not running at maximum efficiency. It'd have to be really bad to cause the symptoms you're describing, though.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Wed, 08 December 2004 15:15
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Thanks very much for the help. It wasn't a hot day at all, in fact I drove it at night and there was mild rain for about 15 minutes.
Thanks very much, the help is greatly appreciated.
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Location:
NSW Engadine
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Wed, 08 December 2004 19:56
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If it happens again... put your heater on... it vents all of the hot air straight out of the engine bay... unfortunately it blows into your car but you will see the temperature dropping by the second.
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Location:
brisbane
Registered:
October 2004
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Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Thu, 09 December 2004 02:14
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i thought the radiator cap said "warning do not touch when hot"
volcano erruption indeed  its how the cooling system
works - under pressure...
well its happened to me too cos i was in a mad rush and i
had to get going but i knew what would happen so i crouched down and protected myself and whoosh... then some pepper, 3L of
sprite slowly, 5 min and away we go
well your cooling system isnt working obviously,
order to check it in for most cars
low coolant level
belt loose / snapped (only if it belt driven)
hoses perished leaking
radiator leaking
thermostat stuffed
waterpump stuffed
gaskets broken
head cracked
from what you have said i would say you have a perished
hose somewhere - they usually crack near the clamps
fill the coolant, get car warm and wriggle hoses a little to check
in an emergency yeah your heater inside the car is a mini
radiator which is part of the system too and can be used
to bring temps down temporarily
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Location:
Potts Point, Sydney
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Thu, 09 December 2004 02:27
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| styler wrote on Thu, 09 December 2004 13:14 |
from what you have said i would say you have a perished
hose somewhere - they usually crack near the clamps
fill the coolant, get car warm and wriggle hoses a little to check
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yeh, that's a big problem with the older rolla's, check all your hoses, especially those linked with the cooling system
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Thu, 09 December 2004 04:40
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| 79rollaboy wrote on Thu, 09 December 2004 06:56 |
If it happens again... put your heater on... it vents all of the hot air straight out of the engine bay... unfortunately it blows into your car but you will see the temperature dropping by the second.
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This is incorrect. Turning the heater on allows hot coolant to pass through the heat exchanger under your dash and air drawn in through the vents near the firewall flows through the exchanger and into the car.
This has a marginal effect on the coolant temperature (if the engine is overheating, as it is essentially a small radiator) but has nothing to do with the hot air trapped in the engine bay.
Definitely do a compression test, and if possible a coolant system pressure test, if all is ok, flush the radiator, if not you most likely have a BHG.....
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Thu, 09 December 2004 05:42
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| styler wrote on Thu, 09 December 2004 10:14 |
from what you have said i would say you have a perished
hose somewhere - they usually crack near the clamps
fill the coolant, get car warm and wriggle hoses a little to check
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I'd have to disagree - perished hose can cause overheating (it's happened to me too) but is unlikely to give the symptoms thu187's describing. Remember the volcano? Any leak in the cooling system would be either venting steam (and letting off pressure, making a 'pshhhhh' noise, and meaning the radiator wouldn't go fooosh when opened) or squirting liquid out. We had a hose crack on our old Corona back when I was a kid and we got a 3m geyser of koolaid when we opened the bonnet, somewhat hard to miss something like that. Either way you wouldn't get a geyser from the radiator cap unless it's a very small leak. Check for drips under the car when running normally.
Otherwise I'm with SilverGhost, get compression and coolant pressure tests done, then if they come back good, get your radiator cleaned/recored.
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Location:
brisbane
Registered:
October 2004
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Thu, 09 December 2004 12:01
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Yeah, could be a bit of everything... I guess a small leak would allow it to keep pressure while still slowly running out of coolant. I just assumed that the leakage was from the overflow bottle - that's what my car used to do when it had a bhg.
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Location:
Noosa
Registered:
November 2004
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 Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Fri, 10 December 2004 08:56
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ATTENTION:
What ever happens do not let your motor over heat. It cost me $800 for a rebuild ($1000 with recored radiator) and of course I relised AFTER that a 4age would have been a cheaper option. Of course, it could be your intention to kill it and put a gze or even better a gte or maybe even a gttzze........*dreams* 
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Sat, 11 December 2004 04:13
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OK well I put some coolant in there and topped up the radiator water. I couldn't get under the car to find the drain plug for either of these though.
I noticed before that the oil indicator (the little tap dripping icon) was coming up every now and then when I braked or turn the steering wheel a lot. I checked to see how full the oil was and guess what? It wasn't even on the scale. In fact none of it even touched the stick.
I topped it up sooo much. The car has been really badly taken care of by my dad. However now with more braking fluid added and a proper amount of engine oil everything seems to be in working order.
Do you think it'll stay OK or should I do compression tests etc.?
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
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Re: HELP - engine overheating + coolant/radiator problem
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Sat, 11 December 2004 04:15
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| styler wrote on Thu, 09 December 2004 13:14 |
i thought the radiator cap said "warning do not touch when hot"
volcano erruption indeed its how the cooling system
works - under pressure...
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I was in a mad rush to get home as well. LOL yeah it does say that, which is why I stood back and volunteered my mate to be the one who opened it!
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