Well...yep she over heated again. Well i guess i should state this correctly. It didn't over heat but the temp gauge went above half and was running hotter then normal. basically same symptoms as before.


went back to the shop and told them its still doing the same **** as before running hot in traffic and cooling down under half driving.

They checked it out and the guy told me my radiator cap is bad. which sounds like horse **** to me. The cap is maybe 6 months old from the dealer. I doubt it was bad and i dont think it broke since they put the water pump in (march 26th 2012)

but i was back in their shop area and when the guy loosened the rad cap while the engine was around 214 degrees and the motor was just turned off a huge gush of air pushed out and you could hear what sounded like bubbles/flow moving through.

upper radiator hose was bone dry and thats when the mechanic said the caps bad and the radiator is probably bone dry. he bled the system and topped off the coolant(almost a gallon)

Now they're saying i'm losing coolant but i don't see any external leaks nor do they and the ran a hydro-carbon and pressure test so no leaks due to head gasket or a crack in the radiator.

But i think i'm gonna check the t stat. I dont think it was installed backwards but then again i really cant say 100% it wasn't. people make dumb mistakes all the time when they dont know "exactly" what they are doing. BUT would the t stat even fit in backwards? and how would it being backwards cause a loss of coolant? Sorry guys for this never ending topic but believe me i want it fixed for good. =/

but this still doesnt explain why they needed to add almost a gallon of coolant. Dumb f***** shop i pretty much wasted 350 bucks on something that wasnt bad.

 

dont waste your time on the t-stat if it worked for this long it was installed correctly, i guess its possible that it went bad, but that is unlikely since it cools down properly when moving.

the guy at the shop is a ****ing dumbass for taking the cap off while the engine was still hot, that cooling system should have been pressurized and if it hadnt been empty he would have scaleded his hand when he took the cap off.

you need to check the following,
1) make sure the clutch fan is good (idr if you did this yet or not but its always worth a try)
2) make sure that the hose going from the radiator cap to the overflow is not blocked, the pressure in the system will allow fluid out through a partial blockage, but not back in.
3) is the overflow full or dry? your coolant is going somewhere and it is possible that its going straight out the overflow as the coolant expands under pressure.

 

I have not checked the clutch fan. What would i be checking for?

yep the overflow is full maybe about 4-5 inches from the top last i checked before they bled and topped off the cooling system yesterday.

What type of blockage would i be looking for in the upper radiator hose? as far as i know it should be clear and able to get flow through. But i'l replace it anyways since its an easy change and not very expensive.

And when he took the cap off he loosened it he didnt actually twist it fully off. Also he used a shop towel. But yeah i wouldnt have been so balsy with it. especially when theres a bleeder valve 6 inches from the cap which could have been loosened to release some pressure.

Thanks for the quick reply sharp!

 

not the upper radiator hose, the hose which runs from the cap to the overflow, if the overflow had fluid in it and the top hose is dry my money is on that hose being clogged, its a smaller hose and you SHOULD be able to pull it off with the engine cold and see if anything flows out of it.

how high is that on the little plastic dipstick thing? is it above the full mark? if so that is most likely where all your coolant went, right out the overflow

 

I popped the rad cap off and i heard that same flowing noise what sounded like the coolant rushing only for a moment.

I check that small hose above the cap i pulled it off from the top and saw coolant inside it with a light.
I blew into this hose and could hear the air traveling into the the lower end of the reservoir (or where ever it goes to exactly)

As far as the amount inside the reservoir goes yeah its filled past the the full mark which is about a quarter of the way up the dip stick. it is filled almost to the top of the dipstick (dip stick is about a foot long) its filled to 4 inches from the top maybe so 4-5 inches past the full mark.

 

Every time you open the radiator cap your letting air in the system you need to burp the system also check the fan clutch i just replaced mine i got mine from the dealer

 

Ok, this has gone on WAY too long. What part of the country do you live in? One of us needs to come help you out...

 

i always heard that if the engine was cold than you dont need to bleed the system?

but it makes sense to bleed the system each time.

And i'm in Minneapolis Mn. trust me if you guys are getting tired imagine how i feel? i finally took it to a shop with a "certified mechanic"

I'll check the fan clutch.

 

I feel your pain. However, I think some of us could figure it out if we were there. If you were closer, I'd give you a hand myself.

 

I appreciate it samnbensdad. I really do. But i think i'm just gonna start replacing things.

Oreily auto sells a "hayden fan clutch" for 60 bucks. it looks like all i would have to do is loosen the tensioner pully take off the serpentine belt, get a cresent wrench and take the clutch off and replace it with the new one.

so i'm gonna do this, this weekend or next week. wasted 350 dollars at that damn shop i think i can manage another 60 +tax.

plus i got my tax return back so i have a little extra.