air pockets in radiator.

BubbaKush420

air pockets in radiator.

Postby BubbaKush420 » Sun Feb 17, 2013 7:25 pm

I think I might have air pockets in my radiator. I just changed my water pump and thermostat. When I changed the water oump, it came with the gasket but I didnt chamge the block gasket with the sealant. Im wondering if that would be causing my car to slightly overheat a couple of times? Or would it be air pockets? It starts to overheat when it sits at a red light sometimes or going uphill. When I pick up speed it kinda cools down.

Whats the best way to burp my radiator? My air fan isnt working and the climate control is on hot. Can I burp it w/out using the fan from the climate control? Any help would greatly be appreciated.

TiredToy
Club4AG Regular
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2013 5:40 pm

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby TiredToy » Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:47 pm

jack up the front so the radiator cap is higher than the rest of the coolant/heater hoses.
remove the rad cap. run the engine and top off the radiator little at a time as it warms up.
re-install the rad cap and make sure the coolant bottle is filled to proper level. shut engine off.
that should get any air out...
also, since you mention it's hot at a stop and not when moving...
shine a light through the radiator to see if the air passages are plugged up with debris.
and, check the fan clutch for proper function. if it spins too freely it will not deliver the
air flow needed at a stop. make sure you have a fan shroud too.
all this is providing all else is good and working correctly.
good luck.

KonaTrueno723
Club4AG Expert
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 5:02 pm
Location: 50th Northrop-Skylab-Lockheed MD/B 6891
Contact:

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby KonaTrueno723 » Sun Feb 17, 2013 11:15 pm

^^^That... Also what worked for me is before filling my radiator, I pulled off the upper radiator hose (radiator side), then poured the coolant directly into the hose filling the engine first. After that fills, reconnect then continue to fill radiator.
This helped eliminate the problem as well..
________________________________________________________________________________
Speed doesn't kill, its the sudden stop.
Toy House Automotive & Engineering
87 GTS Coupe
85 Toyota Truck V-8 Matching Trailer
72 Blown 6-71 Pro Street Vega

KonaTrueno723
Club4AG Expert
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 5:02 pm
Location: 50th Northrop-Skylab-Lockheed MD/B 6891
Contact:

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby KonaTrueno723 » Sun Feb 17, 2013 11:33 pm

BubbaKush420 wrote:When I changed the water oump, it came with the gasket but I didnt chamge the block gasket with the sealant. Im wondering if that would be causing my car to slightly overheat a couple of times?.


Its a pump housing to block seal (lrg o-ring). Did it show any signs of a leak? If it did I should've been replaced. If not, then i doubt it's the cause of your overheating. Could be a number of things, old clogged radiator, fan clutch engagement & not pulling enough air thru to cool the radiator, collapsing lower radiator hose soft from age.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speed doesn't kill, its the sudden stop.
Toy House Automotive & Engineering
87 GTS Coupe
85 Toyota Truck V-8 Matching Trailer
72 Blown 6-71 Pro Street Vega

teqtech
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:12 am

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby teqtech » Thu Feb 21, 2013 3:21 am

Go to napa or any other parts store and ask for a "spill free funnel", figure out how to use it by reading the box and think about how you didn't need to jack up your car. Or you could use the curb method if your good at reversing. reverse at an angle on your drive way next to the edge where it slants up and steer so your front ends up on the high part of the curb on the sidewalk.

allencr
Club4AG Expert
Posts: 394
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 9:59 pm

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby allencr » Thu Feb 21, 2013 8:34 am

Wadda the radiator's core tubes look like? What did you see looking down into the rad when it was drained?
It doesn't need to be 'burped', there's no air in the system if the rpm has been over 3000 & the thermostat has started to open. That HUGE flow will move every bubble to the highest spot, the radiator, and no tricks are needed except to fill it to the top again after it has been run.
Your overheating problem is a lack of air flow through the radiator when sitting still and a lack of coolant flow through the radiator when moving.

BubbaKush420

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby BubbaKush420 » Sun Feb 24, 2013 10:42 am

Ok. So its not air pockets. I tried, and nothing happened. But when I drive for a good 15 mins w/out the heater fan on it would start to overheat. If I turn the fan heat on 2 clicks, it goes back to normal. Is it my fan thats not kicking on? Im getting tired of drving with the heater on in the day time and its 75 degrees outside..

Ae86zenki
Club4AG Regular
Posts: 25
Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 6:41 pm

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby Ae86zenki » Sun Feb 24, 2013 10:53 am

Mine would do the same thing. But i have a gze. I had to remove my thermostat cause it would over heat with idk it.
why.

BubbaKush420

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby BubbaKush420 » Sun Feb 24, 2013 11:18 am

But I just changed my thermostat and water pump. I hate driving with the heater on..

allencr
Club4AG Expert
Posts: 394
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 9:59 pm

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby allencr » Sun Feb 24, 2013 11:43 am

You don't need a radiator fan at all if you don't sit much, even stopped at a light there isn't much heat being generated when the engine isn't under a load. After 10-15mph the fan will be doing nothing compared to the air flow unless you've got a tail wind.
Using the heater to cool the engine just means that the radiator isn't doing its job. Why? Either blocked coolant flow inside or blocked air flow outside of it.

BubbaKush420

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby BubbaKush420 » Sun Feb 24, 2013 11:47 am

I'll grab a new radiator and troubleshoot.

allencr
Club4AG Expert
Posts: 394
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 9:59 pm

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby allencr » Sun Feb 24, 2013 6:07 pm

BubbaKush420 wrote:I'll grab a new radiator and troubleshoot.


NO. Troubleshoot FIRST!
Look at it. Figure out what's wrong. Then, if it's clogged internally AND is unfixable, grab one.

MisterJerk
Club4AG Pro
Posts: 582
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 6:10 pm

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby MisterJerk » Mon Feb 25, 2013 6:57 am

Might want to check your thermostat as well. I was having some coolant issues, ended up going through the whole cooling system. I found a bunch of weird shiz in there in various spots. among the stuff found was a foot long strip of RTV inside the throttle body water pipes. and more stuff in the pipes and what not. I dunno what kind of condition your cooling system is, but at this point, you should probably go through the whole cooling system, From radiator cap, to the thermostat, to the heater core. Being half-assed with this can make a constant headache that never goes away. Overheating can kill!! lol

Edited to add, Check the Fan as well. Should be able to turn it easily when its cold and harder to turn when its warm.
Last edited by MisterJerk on Mon Feb 25, 2013 10:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

TiredToy
Club4AG Regular
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2013 5:40 pm

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby TiredToy » Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:02 am

allencr and MisterJerk nailed it. continue troubleshooting. THEN spend money.
good luck

KonaTrueno723
Club4AG Expert
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 5:02 pm
Location: 50th Northrop-Skylab-Lockheed MD/B 6891
Contact:

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby KonaTrueno723 » Tue Feb 26, 2013 2:54 pm

BubbaKush420. You figured out your overheating problem yet?
________________________________________________________________________________
Speed doesn't kill, its the sudden stop.
Toy House Automotive & Engineering
87 GTS Coupe
85 Toyota Truck V-8 Matching Trailer
72 Blown 6-71 Pro Street Vega

User avatar
gzus13
Club4AG Regular
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:05 pm

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby gzus13 » Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:07 pm

How old is your radiator cap? My MR-2 did the same thing when the cap went bad. I tried to bleed the cooling system 3 times to no avail. Wait for the car to start overheating, then pull over and listen to the engine. If you can hear coolant boiling, your radiator cap isn't holding enough pressure.
88 AE92 Corolla DX, 86 AE86 Corolla GT-S, 73 TE21 Corolla Deluxe

Psalm 91, 2 Timothy 1: 9-10, Ephesians 2: 8-10

http://www.superhachi.com

BubbaKush420

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby BubbaKush420 » Wed Feb 27, 2013 7:44 pm

Nope not yet. Im gonna try what gzus13 said. Still been runnin the heater an its starting to be a bitch...

KonaTrueno723
Club4AG Expert
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 5:02 pm
Location: 50th Northrop-Skylab-Lockheed MD/B 6891
Contact:

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby KonaTrueno723 » Thu Feb 28, 2013 2:03 am

BubbaKush420 wrote:Nope not yet. Im gonna try what gzus13 said. Still been runnin the heater an its starting to be a bitch...


A new cap is good! Have you done the troubleshoot everyone suggested? You mentioned overheating.. Did your radiator ever ran low on coolant while you were driving? Did it seriously overheat (like a boil over) before you replaced the w/p & thermostat?
________________________________________________________________________________
Speed doesn't kill, its the sudden stop.
Toy House Automotive & Engineering
87 GTS Coupe
85 Toyota Truck V-8 Matching Trailer
72 Blown 6-71 Pro Street Vega

BubbaKush420

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby BubbaKush420 » Sat Mar 02, 2013 11:00 am

KonaTrueno723 wrote:
BubbaKush420 wrote:Nope not yet. Im gonna try what gzus13 said. Still been runnin the heater an its starting to be a bitch...


A new cap is good! Have you done the troubleshoot everyone suggested? You mentioned overheating.. Did your radiator ever ran low on coolant while you were driving? Did it seriously overheat (like a boil over) before you replaced the w/p & thermostat?


I'm gonna pick up a new cap later today. I have done the trouble shooting that everyone has suggested but nothing. I picked up the car not running so i decided to resurface the head, new belts, plugs, wires, wp, thermo. He didn't mention anything about it overheating. When it starts overheating it doesn't boil or go past the quarter mark to H. I check my coolant and its always full. I'm hoping that it is just a radiator cap or change the radiator. It's becoming a headache for me and if I can't get it fixed i'm gonna trade the coupe.

Image

Jacare
Club4AG Enthusiast
Posts: 113
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:14 pm

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby Jacare » Sat Mar 02, 2013 4:13 pm

Bro. Wheels specs. Please. That car is clean also. I love black coupes. Wish I had one

gaijin_rokurunner
Club4AG Pro
Posts: 516
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:51 pm
Location: PA

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby gaijin_rokurunner » Sat Mar 02, 2013 4:56 pm

Im using one of these http://www.greddy.com/products/ic-oil-rad/rad-breather/ i think Megan makes one about half the price....
20v power.....powered by Orion's Demise!
Image

BubbaKush420

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby BubbaKush420 » Sat Mar 02, 2013 10:36 pm

Jacare wrote:Bro. Wheels specs. Please. That car is clean also. I love black coupes. Wish I had one


Basset racing rims 13x7 -25. Thanks for the love. I get a lot of comments on the car from strangers and everybody that has seen It in person.

KonaTrueno723
Club4AG Expert
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 5:02 pm
Location: 50th Northrop-Skylab-Lockheed MD/B 6891
Contact:

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby KonaTrueno723 » Mon Mar 04, 2013 12:31 pm

BubbaKush420 wrote:
KonaTrueno723 wrote:
BubbaKush420 wrote:Nope not yet. Im gonna try what gzus13 said. Still been runnin the heater an its starting to be a bitch...


A new cap is good! Have you done the troubleshoot everyone suggested? You mentioned overheating.. Did your radiator ever ran low on coolant while you were driving? Did it seriously overheat (like a boil over) before you replaced the w/p & thermostat?


I'm gonna pick up a new cap later today. I have done the trouble shooting that everyone has suggested but nothing. I picked up the car not running so i decided to resurface the head, new belts, plugs, wires, wp, thermo. He didn't mention anything about it overheating. When it starts overheating it doesn't boil or go past the quarter mark to H. I check my coolant and its always full. I'm hoping that it is just a radiator cap or change the radiator. It's becoming a headache for me and if I can't get it fixed i'm gonna trade the coupe.

Image


Nice coupe btw..

Bubba, you kno of anyone with a temp gun? Raytek makes a good one. Take the car out & drive it. When your temp gauge starts climbing up indicating an overheat, pull over & point the temp gun at the return neck (upper hose) area to get an actual temp reading. If it reads normal (around 180 degrees or so), replace the temp sender.
Last edited by KonaTrueno723 on Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speed doesn't kill, its the sudden stop.
Toy House Automotive & Engineering
87 GTS Coupe
85 Toyota Truck V-8 Matching Trailer
72 Blown 6-71 Pro Street Vega

BubbaKush420

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby BubbaKush420 » Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:58 pm

I took a long drive from sd to oc on saturday and it was pretty hot. Half way towards oc it started overheating again. I turned the heat on and it help just a lil bit but it stayed right between the M, a little bit above it sometimes. I made the trip safely and I went to autozone to pick up a radiator cap with a pressure safety switch. I later on left on sunday night about midnight to head back home and i noticed the car never over heated. drove to work today and still nothing. I really hope i fixed this issue with just a radiator cap. I also purchased a coolant temp sensor to be replaced next week. I really hope that this issue and been resolved. I'll keep you guys posted on it. Thanks for the help guys.

KonaTrueno723
Club4AG Expert
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 5:02 pm
Location: 50th Northrop-Skylab-Lockheed MD/B 6891
Contact:

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby KonaTrueno723 » Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:54 pm

Hey that's good to hear bud! No prob..
Yeah, let us know how it goes in mid day stop & go traffic as well.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speed doesn't kill, its the sudden stop.
Toy House Automotive & Engineering
87 GTS Coupe
85 Toyota Truck V-8 Matching Trailer
72 Blown 6-71 Pro Street Vega

BubbaKush420

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby BubbaKush420 » Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:18 am

KonaTrueno723 wrote:Hey that's good to hear bud! No prob..
Yeah, let us know how it goes in mid day stop & go traffic as well.



I noticed the car only overheats going uphill. But it doesnt go past the M when it does.

allencr
Club4AG Expert
Posts: 394
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 9:59 pm

Re: air pockets in radiator.

Postby allencr » Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:31 pm

If you're not racing it, running it hard going up hills or sitting in traffic jams, it wouldn't get hot enough to even need a radiator cap to up the boiling point. It'd only need a cap so it can suck coolant back into the radiator from the overflow.
IMO. A pressurized/sealed system does prevent coolant loss from evaporation and minimizes the bubbles generated from the hot spots inside the head, but it isn't a necessity and any overheating problem that was solved by a radiator cap has another problem/s being masked by the increased pressure.