University life is keeping me from checking the forum regularly..I haven't been here for a while. I hope you guys were able to winterize your babies before weather got cold.
So, I have been trying to solve the cooling system issue, I'll try to make it short since it's a long story.
Series of problems was initially started by a cracked expansion tank. It was cracked wide open while driving on highway, overheated engine for few minutes. Needle had stayed at red-zone for minutes until I pulled over to safe area.
Few weeks after that, car started to show the symptoms of stuck-closed thermostat. Symptoms consisted of stuck-closed thermostat because 1) overheating while driving, 2) hot and tight upper hose and cold lower hose, 3) excessive steam coming out of bleeding screw when warmed up.
At first I thought the problem was caused by improperly bled system, but turns out that thermostat was completely stuck closed. I finally took it apart, and put it in the boiling water, did not move a bit. So I requested a replacement thermostat from Oreilly's, they gave me a new one.
But a new thermostat did not solve the problem. Car still overheated and showed the 3 symptoms above. I decided to put an old thermostat housing without thermostat, but my effort did not see the light. Car currently does not have thermostat, but still overheats.
That's why I was beginning to think that cylinder head or head gasket might have been blown. Shop guys thought so, too. So we performed combustion leak test, but the blue testing fluid did not turn into yellow color. I haven't performed a cylinder compression test, nor did I do leak-down test. (I can only think of those three tests for head/head gasket diagnosis..)
But I found an interesting thing today. The driver's side upper radiator was pretty hot (160F), but other parts of radiator were cold (90-100F). Could this mean that radiator is somehow clogged? It's only 2 years old, but it's possible because it's the only part I haven't checked thoroughly.
Let me summarize in few bulletin points.
**Currently, the cooling system has..
**Symptoms shown so far.
According to the symptoms shown so far, do you think the head is blown? Or do you think the radiator is somehow clogged and over pressurized the system?
I know it's a such lengthy-unorganized thread, but please take a minute and lighten up my dark path ahead. I'm totally lost right now..
Thanks in advance! :hi:
So, I have been trying to solve the cooling system issue, I'll try to make it short since it's a long story.
Series of problems was initially started by a cracked expansion tank. It was cracked wide open while driving on highway, overheated engine for few minutes. Needle had stayed at red-zone for minutes until I pulled over to safe area.
Few weeks after that, car started to show the symptoms of stuck-closed thermostat. Symptoms consisted of stuck-closed thermostat because 1) overheating while driving, 2) hot and tight upper hose and cold lower hose, 3) excessive steam coming out of bleeding screw when warmed up.
At first I thought the problem was caused by improperly bled system, but turns out that thermostat was completely stuck closed. I finally took it apart, and put it in the boiling water, did not move a bit. So I requested a replacement thermostat from Oreilly's, they gave me a new one.
But a new thermostat did not solve the problem. Car still overheated and showed the 3 symptoms above. I decided to put an old thermostat housing without thermostat, but my effort did not see the light. Car currently does not have thermostat, but still overheats.
That's why I was beginning to think that cylinder head or head gasket might have been blown. Shop guys thought so, too. So we performed combustion leak test, but the blue testing fluid did not turn into yellow color. I haven't performed a cylinder compression test, nor did I do leak-down test. (I can only think of those three tests for head/head gasket diagnosis..)
But I found an interesting thing today. The driver's side upper radiator was pretty hot (160F), but other parts of radiator were cold (90-100F). Could this mean that radiator is somehow clogged? It's only 2 years old, but it's possible because it's the only part I haven't checked thoroughly.
Let me summarize in few bulletin points.
**Currently, the cooling system has..
- No leak at all. System is holding the pressure nicely.
- Water pump, 1.5 years old, Oreilly part. Impeller is solid and not spinning freely.
- Radiator, 2 years old, Oreilly part.
- Radiator hoses, 2 years old, OE part. Lower is bit covered by leaked motor oil, but they both are in good shape.
- Thermostat, new, not defective, Oreilly part. Even with the new one, car still overheats, thus the engine currently has empty housing.
**Symptoms shown so far.
- Engine is running fine, RPM is very stable when warmed up. No milkshake oil, no white smoke coming out of exhaust, no definite signs of blown head/head gasket.
- Engine shows symptoms of stuck-closed thermostat, though it is currently not installed in the engine.
- Upper hose is hot and excessively pressurized(rock hard), but lower hose is just little warm(w/o thermostat).
- Driver's side upper radiator is quite hot (160F), but driver's side lower, middle upper&lower, passenger's side upper&lower radiator are relatively cold (90-100F)
- Combustion leak test shows there is no exhaust gas present in cooling system. Blue testing fluid does not change. (Have not done leak-down test, compression test)
According to the symptoms shown so far, do you think the head is blown? Or do you think the radiator is somehow clogged and over pressurized the system?
I know it's a such lengthy-unorganized thread, but please take a minute and lighten up my dark path ahead. I'm totally lost right now..
Thanks in advance! :hi: