Heater Core Issue?
01-19-2015, 10:35 PM
#41
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: NV
Posts: 219
Thank you very much! So it's really as simple as:
- take off radiator cap while the car is cold and get into the car.
- turn the heat **** all the way to the red hot and put the heat vent onto either legs or face but not defrost
- start the car and begin pouring coolant into the radiator until it won't take any left
Once the radiator is full then what? Do I just put the cap back on while it's still on or will that suck air back in? Do I touch the backfill reservoir at all during this? Will I see bubbles or any signs of air escaping to tell me I'm doing something beneficial?
Do I remove any coolant once it's done or is that not over filling?
- take off radiator cap while the car is cold and get into the car.
- turn the heat **** all the way to the red hot and put the heat vent onto either legs or face but not defrost
- start the car and begin pouring coolant into the radiator until it won't take any left
Once the radiator is full then what? Do I just put the cap back on while it's still on or will that suck air back in? Do I touch the backfill reservoir at all during this? Will I see bubbles or any signs of air escaping to tell me I'm doing something beneficial?
Do I remove any coolant once it's done or is that not over filling?
The water pump circulates the water, and there is a thermostat, which is just a heat-operated automatic valve to regulate how much water is flowing.
If you let the level of coolant get low, you can get air slugs in the system, which are just big bubbles. If you don't get the bubbles out, steam will form, and this steam can push water out through the radiator cap or the coolant recovery bottle, making the problem worse. One symptom (as was noted) is the heater core cools.
You have apparently gotten rid of the air slug, and if so, you probably solved the problem. If you ever run across this again, now you know what to check.
01-20-2015, 12:58 AM
#42
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Virginia
Posts: 86
Glad it's fixed. So that you will understand what we've all been talking about, your engine has water passages all through it. You also have a heater core, several hoses, a radiator, a coolant recovery tank, and coolant itself.
The water pump circulates the water, and there is a thermostat, which is just a heat-operated automatic valve to regulate how much water is flowing.
If you let the level of coolant get low, you can get air slugs in the system, which are just big bubbles. If you don't get the bubbles out, steam will form, and this steam can push water out through the radiator cap or the coolant recovery bottle, making the problem worse. One symptom (as was noted) is the heater core cools.
You have apparently gotten rid of the air slug, and if so, you probably solved the problem. If you ever run across this again, now you know what to check.
The water pump circulates the water, and there is a thermostat, which is just a heat-operated automatic valve to regulate how much water is flowing.
If you let the level of coolant get low, you can get air slugs in the system, which are just big bubbles. If you don't get the bubbles out, steam will form, and this steam can push water out through the radiator cap or the coolant recovery bottle, making the problem worse. One symptom (as was noted) is the heater core cools.
You have apparently gotten rid of the air slug, and if so, you probably solved the problem. If you ever run across this again, now you know what to check.
Fortunately, if I run into a brick wall, you all have gotten me over it every time so far.
01-20-2015, 11:01 PM
#43
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: NV
Posts: 219
Why would you NOT be able to replace a head gasket?
Most work that a car needs can be done by one guy with hand tools -- if he A), understands how things work, and B), gets the specific information that applies.
I like working on machinery (it's easier to understand machines than a lot of things that people do!), and like to pass that along to people. Don't be afraid to work on things. Just the fact that you're learning tells you that you CAN learn how to do this stuff.
Most work that a car needs can be done by one guy with hand tools -- if he A), understands how things work, and B), gets the specific information that applies.
I like working on machinery (it's easier to understand machines than a lot of things that people do!), and like to pass that along to people. Don't be afraid to work on things. Just the fact that you're learning tells you that you CAN learn how to do this stuff.
01-23-2015, 11:01 AM
#44
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Virginia
Posts: 86
Sigh.
New update. Car overheated on the way to work today and we immediately got it to the shop, waited 15 minutes and burped it again. Apparently 10x the amount of air bubbles came out this time and we had to add an entire thing of coolant (I think it's 1 gallon) compared to less than half of a thing last time. Keep in mind this was done 4 days ago. My friend thinks he just didn't burp it well enough the last time and that it should be fine now, but I also replaced the radiator cap since it's cheap and gives me a .001% better peace of mind.
If it overheats again I'm likely just going to have to sell the car. I don't know what to do anymore guys. I want to tell myself it's not the head gasket since when it overheats, it doesn't stay overheated. It overheats and I can park it, turn the car off and literally 30 seconds later it starts to cool itself back off and it goes back to medium. I would think if it was the head gasket, it would overheat really badly and stay overheated for a long period of time.
Before I'd sell it, I'd try the compression test thing but I don't know what parts I need to buy, how to do it, or what to do. But I guess that would tell me where the coolant was leaking from.
The thing is, if it did somehow leak 1 gallon of coolant in a week, I would have seen a puddle somewhere I'd think...I haven't seen anything though. Maybe it's being burned which would point to the head gasket too.
I just don't ****ing know anymore.
New update. Car overheated on the way to work today and we immediately got it to the shop, waited 15 minutes and burped it again. Apparently 10x the amount of air bubbles came out this time and we had to add an entire thing of coolant (I think it's 1 gallon) compared to less than half of a thing last time. Keep in mind this was done 4 days ago. My friend thinks he just didn't burp it well enough the last time and that it should be fine now, but I also replaced the radiator cap since it's cheap and gives me a .001% better peace of mind.
If it overheats again I'm likely just going to have to sell the car. I don't know what to do anymore guys. I want to tell myself it's not the head gasket since when it overheats, it doesn't stay overheated. It overheats and I can park it, turn the car off and literally 30 seconds later it starts to cool itself back off and it goes back to medium. I would think if it was the head gasket, it would overheat really badly and stay overheated for a long period of time.
Before I'd sell it, I'd try the compression test thing but I don't know what parts I need to buy, how to do it, or what to do. But I guess that would tell me where the coolant was leaking from.
The thing is, if it did somehow leak 1 gallon of coolant in a week, I would have seen a puddle somewhere I'd think...I haven't seen anything though. Maybe it's being burned which would point to the head gasket too.
I just don't ****ing know anymore.
01-24-2015, 10:29 AM
#45
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: NV
Posts: 219
You do a PRESSURE test on the cooling system, and a COMPRESSION test on the cylinders.
You're having cooling system issues, so what you want is to test the pressure there. This is done with a small pump and gauge which collect to the radiator filler (where the radiator cap is). Some parts places will have pressure testers for loan. NEVER NEVER NEVER remove the radiator cap on a hot engine! With the engine cool, connect the pressure tester and pump it up to a couple of lbs more than the pressure rating of your radiator cap. Watch the dial, and if it loses pressure, you have a leak.
Now start the engine and let it idle. Watch the dial. It is normal to gain a little pressure as the coolant heats up. If the needle jumps back and forth at a steady rhythm, then you probably have a leak from a cylinder (meaning either head gasket or a cracked head).
This is the basic test for cooling system integrity, and again, any radiator shop can do this for you if you can't borrow the tester from a parts place.
You're having cooling system issues, so what you want is to test the pressure there. This is done with a small pump and gauge which collect to the radiator filler (where the radiator cap is). Some parts places will have pressure testers for loan. NEVER NEVER NEVER remove the radiator cap on a hot engine! With the engine cool, connect the pressure tester and pump it up to a couple of lbs more than the pressure rating of your radiator cap. Watch the dial, and if it loses pressure, you have a leak.
Now start the engine and let it idle. Watch the dial. It is normal to gain a little pressure as the coolant heats up. If the needle jumps back and forth at a steady rhythm, then you probably have a leak from a cylinder (meaning either head gasket or a cracked head).
This is the basic test for cooling system integrity, and again, any radiator shop can do this for you if you can't borrow the tester from a parts place.
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