kinda overheating...radiator problem?

[alvarado52]

OK, car was overheating BAD! After taking it to some bad BAD mechanics...we took it to a dealer, they tested it...said it was water pump. So we replaced the water pump & T'stat(195 degree), i drove the car from Los Angeles to Eureka CA (about a 800 miles trip) in one day...ran fine. Jus drove it...hit white mark one....then 220 mark....then to red. I let it cool off, drove home. Rested about 20 min., drove....hit white mark, middle...ALMOST red...then went back to white mark. I let it idle...went mid mark, then halfway to red. Seems to cool down as i drive....but VERY inconsistant. Nothing coming out the muffler so i dont think its a gasket...so im assuming possible radiator prob? Should i replace it? Very stumped

[saltystix]

Are you losing coolant? I have a problem with my coolant... It goes down every month, so I'm kinda stumped. Nothing out my exhaust or any in my oil. So there is a leak... and like you, mine might be from the radiator.

Before I bought my car, I looked under the hood and noticed a very nice squirt coming from a hose from the radiator. I immedeatly told the man and he said he'd fix it for free... Well like 3-4 months later, I started gettin my Icon for coolant low. Well i was dumb for like 4 months, all of them in the winter... And I thought i was for window wash.

Anyway... I only paid 3k for my car and it had 88k miles on it. I guess it could matter how old your radiator is too? Maybe there is a whole in it. (I remember puttin a whole in my cuzin's radiator when I was little, Green was dripping everywhere :lol: )

[alvarado52]

Hmm, im losing coolant, but only when it overheats (obviously) from the cap...but other than that, there is nothing...ive checked for puddles under the car over night and found nothing. As far as i know, there is no leaks...the dealer even did a pressure check and everything came up fine...thats why im so stumped on the situation...i mean the checklist is as follows:
- t'stat replaced (195 degree)
- water pump replaced
- coolant replaced
- nothing coming out of exhaust
- nothing in oil
- no visible leaks or leaks shown through pressure test

So yea....stumped lol. By the way, mine is a 95 Grand Am and i have about 86K on it

[Wraith]

Is your fan working? Might be that, or maybe your temp gauge is screwed up.

[matts]

yeah, could be fans not kicking in. or if you have a radiator cap it could be that too. that's what was making my moms car run hot. but she got it too hot one day and the top end kinda melted down. that's when she got the s/c 3.8

[justa99se]

Sounds like you have a colapsing rad hose...

[alvarado52]

I Dont think its the temp gage, cuz it got to red and the fan did kick in...if it was the gage, wouldnt the fan not kick in (cuz it wouldnt really be overheating right?)? The cap is new....so i dont think its that. I dont know about the collapsed rad hose though, is there a way i can find out if it is that?

[rixGAphx]

It might indeed be a collapsed radiator hose (the one on the suction side, from the rad to the waterpump, with the goofy 'y' fitting to the plastic reservoir bottle).
With engine cold, the hose should be so stiff that your hand grip can't press the sides together. If you can, then the rubber has lost strength and should be replaced.

But, I think you (and all your mechanics) have lost sight of the main possibility:
CLOGGED RADIATOR TUBES!!!
The best flowing coolant in the world can't transfer heat thru radiator tubes that are coated with years of mineral deposits.
And, these deposits can become so thick as to restrict coolant flow (causing excess 'suction' and collapsing an otherwise acceptable hose).
SO:
1. Go to a radiator shop and have the system flushed, maybe even rod the radiator; or
2. Buy a new radiator (~$150, with good 'net shopping); or
3. Buy Prestone radiator flush and follow bottle directions.

Good luck.
-Rick

[Ken Maxwell]

Had a problem on my kids 97 GA, just like yours. Turned out to be the radiator had ruptured internally. Tranny fluid was mixing with the coolant. - Damn near identical symptoms to yours.

Good luck!

[alvarado52]

Thanx guys, you all have helped a ton. I'm thinkin about gettin a new cap....maybe this cap somehow, some freakin way its seal broke. If that dont work...im gonna get the radiator flushed, although i dont know if a straight flush would solve the prob or is there something i should especially ask 'em to do? If this all fails, should i get the hoses replaced or get the radiator replaced?

[alvarado52]

ONe more thing guys. I'm not very automotive savvy (although all this has kinda forced me to learn lol), The rad hose is one of those big hoses right? Where the rad is, on the left side? Is the rad hose one of the fat hoses connected to the "Y" tri-connector? Because squeezed pretty much every hose (including every hose connected to the Y) and i can pretty much freely squeeze 'em all with no trouble. My car wasnt on and hadnt been on for about 45 min. So is it the collapsed hose? Or is there more i need to do

[Onca Negra]

yes the rad hoses they are talkin about is the big black ones coming from the radiator(radiator below hood latch) to the engine ... and just a reminder make sure the engine and radiator has had time to cool down ........you dont want to burn your hand on those hoses.. for they can get hotter than most people can handle/touch .....:P

[justa99se]

I mentioned the hose colapsing as I had the same problem you mentioned on my '77 Ventura,not that is a fair comparision but,anyhow,same problem.
Pop the hood,wipe everthing down that is wet,start it and observe what is going on.
If the hose is bad,it will colapse when the thermostat opens.

[alvarado52]

Hey guys, how many radiator hoses are there? I think there is two, the upper and the lower...which one should i replace? Which one am i checking?

[justa99se]

Upper...