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Cooling Systems -- Problems & Solutions (Radiator, Fan, etc)

561 messages,  Last post on Nov 12, 2009 at 1:37 PM

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#517 of 561 Re: 05 taurus [bolivar] by Mr_Shiftright HOST Feb 23, 2009 (8:54 am)
Replying to: bolivar (Feb 23, 2009 2:30 am) You know I've only seen pictures of them, I haven't actually taken one apart to examine it. Looks like some kind of spring-pressure. I bet any parts store would know, when you go buy the tool you can try it out in the store on a fitting!
#518 of 561 '98 Coolant leaking ... but where? by scwop Mar 17, 2009 (7:12 am)
Hello all.   I've done a bit of looking around, but nothing's been discussed that has to do with the problem I'm having, so I'll get right to it.   '98 Sunfire GT 2.4l, engine's been rebuilt once, ~250k km (oooooh Canadians!).   Last weekend, I was helping a friend move. The car got downtown just fine. When we left to go to his new place (probably about an hour in between arriving and leaving, definitely in the negative teens celsius), the car was shuddering. Stopped at a coffee shop, let it run for a bit with no change. Stopped the car, let it sit for 5, fired it up again and she ran smooth for the rest of the night. As I got back home, my coolant light popped on.   Next day, light's still on, so I figure I'll run down to Tim Horton's for a morning coffee and fill up the tank when I get back. About 3/4 of the way there (short drive, about 2-3 minutes depending on lights), the air in the car went cold, and my gauge started climbing high. I gunned it the last few hundred meters, and shut her off in the parking lot. Popped the hood, opened the reservoir cap, and the overflow was smoking and empty. Had my sister bring me a 30% mix, filled it up, everything was fine until I got back to the house. As I pulled into the driveway, the light came on again. I checked the coolant level, and it had dropped about half.   All this happened with no visible coolant on the ground. I've talked to a few people - one suggested that my head gasket may be gone, or that there might be a crack in the block which is burning off the coolant - but nothing seems definitive. She wasn't smoking, no notable smells either, and no apparent leaks.   Just wondering if there's anything that I can pick up on the way home to check it out with, seeing as I'm on quite a tight budget, and anything that the garage quotes me over a certain number will have me heading to a dealer for a new car (there are a few other things that need to be fixed, but this is the most urgent at the moment).   Any thoughts/ideas/help would be greatly appreciated! Replies to this message: Mr_Shiftright (Mar 17, 2009 8:49 am) burdawg (Mar 23, 2009 8:42 am) Mr_Shiftright (Mar 23, 2009 8:44 am)
#519 of 561 Re: '98 Coolant leaking ... but where? [scwop] by Mr_Shiftright HOST Mar 17, 2009 (8:49 am)
Replying to: scwop (Mar 17, 2009 7:12 am) Well according to the last set of Laws of the Universe I checked, the coolant has to be either a) burning or b) leaking.   So this diagnosis, fortunately, can be determined by one test to see if it's one or the other.   What you need to buy, or borrow, is a coolant pressure pump. What you do is pump up the pressure to be higher than stock radiator cap pressure by a few psi (don't go nuts) and then check for   a) a leak---which, under this extra pressure, should start gushing out somewhere. You may need to crawl under the car (yuck).   No leak visible anywhere?   Okay, then, with the coolant still under pressure, we remove each spark plug, one at a time, and look for green (or whatever color you have) coolant on the tips of the plug. See any? Good---I mean---BAD. You have a leaking head gasket or cracked head or cracked cylinder wall.   Also be sure to check inside the hole with a flashlight if you can get in there at all, and look for signs of coolant on top of the piston (hard to do this without a special snake light).   Good luck with it. If you have a bad head gasket, don't feel bad about driving with no coolant--it probably has been going on for some time. Replies to this message: burdawg (Mar 23, 2009 8:42 am) Mr_Shiftright (Mar 23, 2009 8:44 am)
#520 of 561 Re: '98 Coolant leaking ... but where? [Mr_Shiftright] by burdawg Mar 23, 2009 (8:42 am)
Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Mar 17, 2009 8:49 am) One of the ways I have checked for coolant in a cylinder in the past is to poke a pipe cleaner down into it through the spark plug hole and wiggle it around. Pull it out and if it's wet with coolant-viola! Or if it's real bad then spin the engine with the plugs out, and the coolant gushing out of the cylinder may be apparent. Replies to this message: Mr_Shiftright (Mar 23, 2009 8:44 am)
#521 of 561 Re: '98 Coolant leaking ... but where? [burdawg] by Mr_Shiftright HOST Mar 23, 2009 (8:44 am)
Replying to: burdawg (Mar 23, 2009 8:42 am) Clever...I'm going to steal that idea and claim it as my own!
#522 of 561 looking for cooling system fan relay by bruceingeorgia Apr 04, 2009 (3:37 pm)
I have a 2003 montana, I just had the intake gaskets replaced which cost me $975.00, but now I need to see if the elec. fans work. How is it done? is there a cheat way, or could it be the relay for the fan and would you know where I could find it on the van?   thanks for your help in advance BruceinGeorgia
#523 of 561 cooling fan by nelsonv2001 Apr 28, 2009 (4:27 pm)
have a 92 saab 900.. the cooling fan is not operating.. could be a sensor, however the air conditioning fan right next to the cooling fan does work... is this sufficient to cool the radiator until I can resolve the problem with the cooling fan? Replies to this message: kiawah (Apr 28, 2009 5:43 pm) Mr_Shiftright (Apr 28, 2009 5:50 pm)
#524 of 561 Re: cooling fan [nelsonv2001] by kiawah Apr 28, 2009 (5:43 pm)
Replying to: nelsonv2001 (Apr 28, 2009 4:27 pm) probably depends on where you live, the outside temperature, and how much stop and go traffic you do vs....highway driving.
#525 of 561 Re: cooling fan [nelsonv2001] by Mr_Shiftright HOST Apr 28, 2009 (5:50 pm)
Replying to: nelsonv2001 (Apr 28, 2009 4:27 pm) Like kiawah said.....also you might try disconnecting the wire from the AC compressor clutch temporarily so that you don't have the drag of the AC heating up the engine (which is why they allow the AC to bypass the sensors and turn on the fan in the first place). Only thing I don't know is if disconnecting the AC clutch wire would defeat this bypass system or not. Worth a shot---might give the AC cooling fan a better chance of keeping the engine cool.   Whatever you do, don't overheat that Saab engine. Those cylinder heads bend easily. Head gaskets are a big problem on a 900, especially a turbo.
#526 of 561 Re: Coolant "weeping" is normal - more info. [Mr_Shiftright] by laraann May 06, 2009 (8:39 am)
Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 10, 2008 9:17 am) hi i was just wondering if anyone had ruled out your heater core. i had a cadi and the heater core became clogged and stopped heating after manually flushing the system it worked fine for a while then clogged again this did not affect my cooling of the engine but if yours would be clogged and leaking down in the firewall or in the car under carpet. also another thought is are your fans working if they are not working than you will overheat when driving in heavy traffic at slow speeds or while you are stopped this can evaporate your antifreeze with time .also hoses that are bad can cause circulation problems as well. wish you the best of luck . and a little note change the oil in your car due to the high temperature it will cause the oil to break down faster .

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