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If both your TEMP and FUEL gauges are reading unusually low (+ OIL gauge on GT models) and everything else have been singled out then its a sign your cluster constant voltage regulator is out of spec (needs small adjustment). I don't like to touch the mechanical ones unless I have to since they can be damaged easy.
Well, clearly the new thermostat worked wonders... It is sunny and about 75 out so we took her for a drive and we finished with a good old fashion boilover. Steam shooting up from the rad, coolant all over the inside of the compartment, and that oh so lovely smell. All of this following a 45-minute drive down the freeway at 70-75mph.
Unfortunately, I don't know the ratings on the old and new tstats. I also don't have a thermometer of any kind so I don't really know just how hot it was.
Once I was on the freeway it got pretty hot (based on the gauge) within about 10-15 minutes. Since it had run with that gauge rating before I didn't worry too much about it. But then, towards the end, we could smell the coolant as we were driving but didn't know if it was us or not. A few minutes, when we pulled in to the garage and I stopped, then we could see the steam coming out from under the hood.
What's weird is that on Thursday I drove it in to work and in 25-minutes of semi-stop-n-go it barely got past the 'C'. Then, in 15 minutes of 75 on the freeway the thing freaks out.
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you need to find out what t stat they put in, and if possible, what one they took out.
you didn't answer my questions line by line so i'm not sure exactly how hot it got before and how quickly it got that hot . . there is a reason i asked you to answer them one at a time.
try filling the rad up to within 1" of the top.
let it idle for 10 minutes and watvch the gauge.
if it gets near hot, turn it off.
if you have a lever type rad cap you can open it for a few seconds to let pressure out . . if not, just let it cool and check level again.
if the level drops, add water.
test drive again.
if it gets hot again, you need a bigger rad at the very least . . you might also have some blocked water ports in the heads . . a better flush might help.
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Last edited by barnett468; 02-14-2015 at 04:59 PM.
Location: I reside in a near constant state of amazment.
Posts: 2,923
Lol @ the "Good ol' fashioned boil over". Ahh, good times. Good times.
Maybe you addressed this but I missed it...how old / dirty is the radiator you're running? When was the last time your system was flushed and flushed GOOD? If it has never been done, and you flush it and flush it and flush it with no results then you can't go wrong with having it professionally cleaned / rodded or flat out replaced. I stay away from aluminum radiators because, well, frankly, on a mostly stock car, they stick out like a sore thumb and are unnecessary. A quality, oversized brass radiator works wonders.
I'll bet dimes to doughnuts either your radiator or block is clogged and is wheezing water through in dribbles. A lazer thermometer is invaluable for finding hotspots.
I did the overheating dick dance for a while when I went from a 302 running a nice 3 core, small block radiator to a 351w and tried to run the same radiator. Then I said, "screw it" and bought a brass, big block, 4 core radiator. My big take away from that lesson was coolant volume is king. I run a factory 7 blade flex fan out of a 72ish LTD w/ no shroud and it never gets above 195 on the hottest days, idling in traffic forever.
When was the last time your system was flushed and flushed GOOD?
About two weeks ago... The shop I had it at did a "Cooling/Heating system inspection <including pressure test system, block test, and inspect for overheating>" Then they replaced the t-stat and seal, and did a "Cooling system flush includes: add super flush chemical to system and flush out contaminates, replace with new coolant, and add water pump lubricant and protector." That's straight off the invoice.
I'll call them Monday and find out info about the new and old t-stats.
About two weeks ago... The shop I had it at did a "Cooling/Heating system inspection <including pressure test system, block test, and inspect for overheating>" Then they replaced the t-stat and seal, and did a "Cooling system flush includes: add super flush chemical to system and flush out contaminates, replace with new coolant, and add water pump lubricant and protector." That's straight off the invoice.
I'll call them Monday and find out info about the new and old t-stats.
anti freeze was water pump lubricant and protector so they sold you an unnecessary product.
the best way to remove rust in a cooling system is by using acid . . citric acid is one of the things that is used and this is what nercedes uses also but for it to work best, it needs to be warm so it needs to be used on a warm engine . . also, the longer it is in a tusty engine, the more rust it will remove.
one of the ways to flush a pretty rusty system is to drain it, fill it with water, drain it, dissolve some mercedes citric acid rad flush in warm water . . put it in the system and drive the car around for a while then let it sit for several hours or overnight and drive it around again then flush it out.
02-14-2015, 11:22 AM
