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Coolant bubbling\boiling , temp gauge overheating help please!

67K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  Draki 
#1 ·
Hey guys i need some serious help and I have no clue to what is going on with my car.I have a 96 spyder gst. Yesterday out of nowhere I noticed my car was overheating. It has coolant in the reserve tank , but the temperature gauge went past the max.Also i keep my radiator fans are on all the time. I pulled over and I noticed that the coolant that was in my tank was bubbling\boiling. I let the car cool down then drove 5 minutes home.( the temp gauge went back up again). So i let the car cool down for about 2 hours , went back outside and again the temperature gauge began going up again.(while the car just sat and idle). So i turned the car off , poured about 1/2 of a tank of anti-freeze into the radiator cap and then turned the car back on. I let the car idle far approximately 20 minutes and the temperature returned and stayed at normal.Today I drove to work and everything was fine. Tonite I drove home from work and when I got home I noticed the temperature gauge going up again. I turned off the car and I could hear to coolant boiling again. Can someone please help me figure out whats wrong with my car. Is it my radiator or what?
 
#5 ·
It could be that your thermostat is stuck closed or something else not allowing the coolant to make its way through the system, allowing it to boil out.

I would pull the thermostat and test it in hot water to see if it is working correctly, and or replace it because they are cheap.

Or it could be something like a head gasket, allowing the cylinder pressure into the coolant over pressuring the coolant system.

To rule out a head gasket you may want to do a compression test, and also check your oil to make sure that coolant and oil are not mixing.

These are just a couple of guesses. Start with the thermostat and work from there.
 
#7 ·
I'd do it this way (least expensive to most expensive):

1. Check for coolant in oil/oil in coolant
2. Pressure test the cooling system (free tester from the parts store you just have to front money. You get it back when you return the tester.) Fix leaks and hoses as necessary. You can test your cap this way as well.
3. Check your A/C condenser for a whole bunch of bent fins, bugs, and other things which may not allow airflow to your radiator. Clean, remove, replace as necessary.
4. Ensure both of your fans turn on to their full potential.
5. Check the water pump weep hole
6. Replace radiator cap
7. Replace thermostat (180* thermostat)
8. Clogged radiator (pull, flush with water from a hose, clean off bugs, etc.) Now buy some cooling system flush and flush your entire cooling system by following the directions on the bottle. You'll do this with everything put back together. Use distilled water.
9. Get your cooling system tested for exhaust gases, this will indicate a bad headgasket and give you a good reason for doing it. If you're doing a head gasket, might as well do your timing belt and water pump while you're at it. Use only OEM here (except for the headgasket, you can use what you like, although OEM is GREAT).
 
#9 ·
I've had this problem twice in less than a year.

I purchased a block tester, which looks for exhaust gases in the cooling system. Things might be different with pump gas but I cannot detect anything with E-85 lol.

Basically, head is coming off the car today to make sure its straight and a MLS headgasket is being put on the car.
 
#10 ·
I haven't had the chance to do all your guys very helpful and useful advice because I had no time today.(& I do appreciate the advice) Today when I drove the car around the temp remained normal but when i turned off the car the coolant in the reservoir was bubbling. Is it normal for the coolant to be bubbling in the reserve tank or no?
 
#12 ·
...but the temperature gauge went past the max...and I noticed that the coolant that was in my tank was bubbling\boiling

On no please do not drive car when coolant temp gauge gets past the 3 o'clock position or risk blowing a head gasket and mechanics charge mucho deniro to replace that for you. Also shut down engine ASAP if your low oil light ever comes on unless you like paying 1000's of dollars to repalce the motor.

2 basics of most internal combustion engines: they need water + oil to cool/lubricate them or they will self-destruct.
 
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