Hey guys, i need some help...Last night as I was pulling into my neighborhood I noticed my temp gauge go from cool ( like it always is) to very hot....I immidietly pulled over and got out to check it out to find a hose from the cooling system that had split open and had anti-freeze spray everywhere...I didn't see this as much of a problem and today i refilled it with 50/50 antifreeze and replaced the broken hose...I took it for a spin around the neighborhood and that temp gauge went back to very hot after a matter of 3-4 minutes...I was hoping this was something simple like a warn hose, please someone advise me on what to check for and what might be the cause of this...thanks

~Patrick

 

if it gets hot at lights, its an airflow problem. if its hot everywhere then it might be a plumbing problem. drain some water out of your radiator and shine a flashlight in there and make sure you can see into the ports. what usually happens is that corrosion from inside the block will go into the radiator and clog those ports. thats why its always best to put a radiator filter in the hose, it cost like 45$ but its worth it.

 

If it got that hot that fast, I would change the thermostat..... Even if this was not your initial issue, once a thermostat gets that hot you want to replace it.

I think it might be your entire issue though.

 

You added coolant and water to the system, but you also added air to the system. You have to burp it.

 

+1 alos you can go to auto zone and get the loan a tool coolant pressure tester to see if there are any leaks inm the system alot easier to look and touch when the motor is cool

 

Burp it?? I've never heard of this, could you please explain as to how I can get air into the system. I believe the cooling system is running smoothly, the water pump was replaced recently already, but it got hot veryyyyy fast.

 

A stuck thermostat would cause the engine to get very hot very fast, and so would an airlock. An airlock can happen when air is trapped behind a closed thermostat. when this happens there is no liquid medium to conduct heat from the coolant to the thermostat, so the thermostat does not open.

If I were in your shoes I would address both possibilities at one time, replace your thermostat, before you install the new one, and drill a very small hole in the edge of the thermostat (inside of the thermostat housing, but in a place where none of the "works" are located) to allow air to escape. (1/8th inch).

You can do all of this for about $10.00, and a half hour of work.

 

That's one way to burp it James, but adding a recovery tank that is about 1/3 full and running the engine until it reaches operating temp for three or four times also burps the system. My guess at this point is that someone put the thermostat in backwards. The spring and nose goes in first. Take the theremostat housing off and see that it is in correctly.

 

I changed my thermostat this weekend...bought the thang at O'Riellys. It actually had a small hole already in it!I'd never seen that before, and itwas pretty convenient.

 

Check the wiring to the sensor too. If the wire comes slightly loose and the resistance increases it will show a higher temp than you actually have. That happened to mee the other day, the connector rattled a bit loose and the temp gauge shot up, but it was actually only running at like 190 even though it was showing like 240+