| Author |
Message |
    
Paul Winn
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 04:51 pm: | 
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My 89 RR is losing antifreeze and water and thus overheating. I tries to put sealant in to stop the leak, it ran well for about forty-five minutes, before overheating again. I put more water in it and it ran fine for another forty five minutes before overheating again. This time I was able to spot a leak at the top of the radiator. I would like to fix this without having to buy a new radiator. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. |
doug james (Dgj95lwb)
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 07:18 pm: |
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You have yet to diagnose the problem, IMHO. You don't mention how many miles on your truck, the miles on water pump/thermostat/rad/head gaskets.
If more than 50k on 'stat, replace that first. Cheap too. Install it correctly, w/ bubble vent @ 12 o'clock.
Pressure test the cooling system. That will show any leakage. Did you check your oil for a milky chocolate colored lube?(the result of mixin'oil and water-very bad indicator if that's your condition)
On a more optimistic note, did your heater malfunction? Usual indication of low coolant and/or failed thermostat.
Pressure test is better than guessing via 'net.
cheers- doug |
Randall Smith
| | Posted on Thursday, April 04, 2002 - 08:44 am: |
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Overheating is almost always caused by one of three things:
Leaks which reduce the amount of coolant in the system.
Thermostat stuck closed.
Radiator is corroded on the inside reducing coolant flow and heat transfer.
If your vehicle is 13 years old it probably is needing a new or rebuilt radiator. That is why there a lots of radiator shops in the yellow pages.
Also note that the head gasket also corrodes, and is vulnerable every time you overheat the coolant.
**There is a possibility that you have not topped up the coolant correctly and created an air pocket, which will cause the engine to overheat rapidly. Top the coolant up using the fill tube which is on the passenger side of the intake plenum to get rid of the air pocket.**
Randall |
p m
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 09, 2002 - 02:12 pm: |
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Randall,
my 89 also started running warmer than usual, by about 1/4 of the white zone. I replaced the thermostat last night, and the old one was definitely crooked - stuck half-way open. The replacement thermostat didn't have the "bubble" like the OEM, so i just drilled a 5mm hole in the
same location.
guess what, it still runs warm.
one thing i noticed yesterday is not much temperature difference between the left and right tanks of the radiator, which must be obstructed airflow. I have two electric puller fans (16" and 11"), for total of ~2200 cfm through the radiator, and to keep it in the middle of the white zone at highway speeds I need to use them together with the stock twin pusher fans in front of the radiator.
peter |
Randall Smith
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 09, 2002 - 05:50 pm: |
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Peter
I only have the twin electric puller fans which are switched on by the sensor on the thermostat housing...and my engine needle never moves above the center.
As mentioned above: top up the coolant thru the fill tower next to the intake plenum. Air pockets do not cool the heads!!
One way to check the radiator is with a non contact infrared sensor. They can be bought for less than $100 at any good tool store. They are fun to play with too.
You can always take the thermostat out temporarily until you get by a radiator shop or troubleshoot the problem.
Randall |
p m
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 09, 2002 - 06:57 pm: |
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Randall,
I was thinking of splurging for that IR gun they sell at the parts stores, may do it later.
Coolant's okay, no air pockets in the thermostat housing. Not much crap in the old coolant (although it was definitely past its prime). No air bubbles in coolant when engine is running, no "cream" on the dipstick... Just checked today, both electric fans crank air pretty good.
what got me started is that nothing's changed between "now" and "then," no drivetrain modification, same load, same routine driving, same 65-70F weather. And it runs consistently warmer than it used to a month ago. Not overheating yet, but heading that way.
peter |
Philip Le Plastrier
| | Posted on Thursday, June 27, 2002 - 05:02 am: |
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I have had a problem with my Disco overheating and I have an air conditioner core in front of the coolant core and grass and all sorts of shit (handfulls) had got between the two cores. I blew out the radiator with air pressure but that didn't help, I had to pull the radiator out and then clean it. It helped fix the problem.
Philip |
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