Mazda B2200 overheating.... again! - READ ONLY

6 messages, Last post on Nov 24, 2003 at 4:07 AM

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#1 of 6 Mazda B2200 overheating.... again! by heath_o1 Nov 10, 2003 (7:40 am)
I'm looking to get some help on this... I've got an '88 Mazda B2200. Last spring I replaced the thermostat, as the truck was begining to overheat. thermostat was in bad shape. Then in September it began to overheat again... I took it to a shop and they replaced the radiator. It was aparently cloged beyond flushing (according to shop). Its been running fine, then this morning I noticed it was getting hot again... When I turned the engine off I heard "cooling down" noises, so I turned the key to on to read the temp gage and it was right in the middle... which is warmer than it normally runs. Any ideas? Thanks.
#2 of 6 water pump? gaskets? evil sludge killed the new thermostat? by swschrad Nov 10, 2003 (9:41 pm)
and what kind of coolant have you got, 1998 vintage premix, and when was this flushed out last? to avoid this sort of issue, you have to flush and refill your coolant every two years. now that you've got issues, you need to have the system flushed, refilled, and then diagnosed. this old a truck, you can't rule much of anything out. but considering you replaced a 'stat, then the radiator which was gunked solid, another thermostat is a real good bet. it is much less likely that you have a blown head gasket causing issues, as that should be an iron/iron engine. but it can't be ruled out, and a leakdown test should be performed at minimum after the coolant system is flushed, fresh new coolant is put in, and the stat THEN and only then is replaced and hoses checked. I would suggest a chemical pre-flush, in addition to a pressure flush, to make the best effort at getting slime, goo, rust, and chunks of crud out of the cooling system. that will make the next problem more likely to occur far in the future.
#3 of 6 update... by heath_o1 Nov 11, 2003 (11:17 am)
Thanks swschrad, Here is an update... Yesterday on my way home, the truck seemed ok... It didn't get hot. Then I thought I'd drive it around some more, because I don't work that far away from home. During this drive it seemed normal for awhile then the temp rose, and then fell again. after it fell back down it stayed down for the rest of the drive. Then this morning as I drove to work it got warmer than usual when I got close to work, like it did yesterday. So, the problem seems to come and go. My guess is that there is either a clog that messing with the system or the thermostat is going in and out. Any other suggestions?
#4 of 6 by heath_o1 Nov 11, 2003 (11:19 am)
By-the-way... The shop that replaced the radiator replaced the coolant.... so it shouldn't be vintage '88...
#5 of 6 up and down? interesting by swschrad Nov 11, 2003 (12:39 pm)
you could have an air bubble in there from the system not being burped completely... due to a hose leak... or it could be a little bitty head gasket leak.
#6 of 6 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Nov 24, 2003 (4:07 am)
You might temporarily remove the thermostat and see what happens. Usually abrupt variations in engine temperature are thermostat related, but a head gasket is not out of the question.