hi guys, its been a while since i posted a message but im really freakin pissed off. I rebuiilt my engine last year since then only used the car maybe 30 times to put on about 500 miles to break in the engine. today i tool the car for inspection and after leaving the inspection garage, my engine overheated. i had to shut off the car and release the pressure by loosening the cap on the radiator. im not sure what to do from this point on....what steps would you guys take. all i know is that my car went from half point to the H and i shut it off. i started again after 2 min and it went up to H right away. so i got a flatbed to take me home. after cooling down the water levels were ok, there was no water missing. not sure what to do from this point onwards...please help i feel like selling the damn car.

 

Sounds to me like a bad thermostat or water pump. you didn't throw the belt to the water pump did ya?

 

if its never been an issue before I 2nd the thermostat.

If you need to drive the car and for some reason cant get a thermostat and the weather is warm you can remove the old thermostat and drive the car with no thermostat installed...not recommend as it will cause the engine to run cold but is doable for a short period of time....can also be used as a test: if it still overheats then its not a thermostat...

-Gun

 

More info. and a pic of the front of the engine would really help.

With the rebuild, new heads, stock heads? Are you sure the head gaskets were positioned correctly? If you swap the head gaskets front/back there is a water hole that gets blocked off.

What radiator? size? flushed/new?
Do you have a fan shroud/electric fan?
What degree Tstat? 160*/180*/195*?
What is your A/F:H2O mix? 50/50, 40/60?
New water pump/old?
What is the timing set at idle/full?
When the gauge read hot did it puke? Did you verify temp with a known correct gauge or an IR sensor? (Harbour Freight sells a cheap IR no touch sensor).

Don't panic, it might be a cheap fix.
Jon

 

First, you need to get an accurate read on the temp. These gauges were never very accurate, and the current replacement senders are complete crap. I mean WAY the frick off.

 

Oh and you should have a coolant overflow if you dont have one already!

 

collapsed lower radiator hose?
Overheat in traffic or moving?
Get real temp checked not just the guage.

 

I second the gauge issue. Mine would go from about 1/3 to the H in a matter of moments and stay there. I bought a cheap Equus gauge kit from O'Reillys and installed it on the steering column. I would definitely check the thermostat. If it's been sitting a while it might be stuck. Pull it and chuck it in a pot of boiling water to make sure it is opening properly. Good luck. Keep us posted!

 

ok well i checked the thermostat, put it in a bowl of boiling water and it opened s little making some crackling noise, i put it in a white bowl to be able to see the opening gap it looked as though it was opened only on one side so i emptied the water and redid it and it opened alot more and all around. not sure if the crackling noise was the sound of it unsticking. nonetheless, i will order a guage to be on the safe side and some sort of reading guage to test whats happening. regarding the main cyl gasket, i took some photos to show you but not quite sure what you guys mean by tabs sticking out. how can they be installed backwards? wouldnt the holes not line up. will post pics soon. cant really do anything more to check until guage comes correct? how long would a car need to overheat in 90 degree weather from the moment it starts? if it dont take long ill put the stat back and test...

 

Here is the engine bay



Here is the front view



more to come..