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Maintenance & Repair Cooling Systems -- Problems & Solutions (Radiator, Fan, etc)
561 messages, Last post on Nov 12, 2009 at 1:37 PM
You are in the Maintenance & Repair Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
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Hi, after driving my 97 grand am for approx. 20 minutes I parked the car and immediately notice smoke (steam) coming from the top of the dashboard. At this time the fan was still running, and i heard a loud gushing sound, when I went got out of the car I noticed steam coming from under the hood and a large amount of coolant on under the car beneath the coolant reserve. I had someone look at it and they said they were unable to locate where the leak came from, but they thought it was from a hose connected to the engine. When I poured water in the reserve tank to see if I could drive it to a shop the water came right out. I had just replaced the radiator with a used one couple of days prior to this. Please give me an idea of what you think the problem might be, and how much you think it will cost to fix. Any help/suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated
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Replying to: plshelp1 (Jul 06, 2005 8:03 am) Best thing you can do is have the system pressure tested for leakage, and have the used radiator flow-testing for clogging. Also you can have the thermostat checked. I'm not sure if your car requires a special technique for adding coolant (bleeding air from the system as you fill). You might check into this and if you didn't do that, you can get overheating by having air trapped in the circulatory system. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 06, 2005 9:03 am) I should correct myself, the total time it took to get to my destination was 20 minutes. The temperature gauge did not go past mid-point, and while driving there was no indication that there was a problem. The car just started to let off steam/smoke when I parked it and I noticed the pool of coolant underneath the car beside the right front tire. Is there a hose that is connected from the coolant system to the engine (towards the back of the car)? Because it was suggested that a hose might have burst or that there is a hole in a hose that is connected to the engine.
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Replying to: plshelp1 (Jul 06, 2005 9:30 am)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jul 06, 2005 10:27 am) |
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Replying to: plshelp1 (Jul 06, 2005 9:30 am) |
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I have a 1999 Saturn SW2. I have the air conditioning on max. When I am driving the car above 55 mph and no stop lights the air conditiioning temp. gage I have in the duct reads 45 degrees. The Coolant gauge on the instrument panel will be in the zone just above the first line above the C. Now, when I am driving anywhere under 55 mph and have stop at lights the temperature gage in the duct will read 60 degrees and warmer and the Coolant gauge will be going towards the red zone. Now, at night when the sun goes down the gage in the duct will read 40 degrees. I have had the coolant flushed, new theromastat and gased it up as well. How can I correct the probelm. I know if I go to a saturn dealer with it, they will want to replace everything in the car and maybe tell me to get a new car. Also today the instrument coolant gage dances all over the gage. Help I live in Las Vegas and a heat waive is coming. Dar2
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When my '92 Lebaron (V6) warms up to the point where the electric fan turns on, coolant starts pouring out. Prior to this, when the engine is cold, there are no visible leaks. I've replaced the thermostat, which did not solve the problem. The in & out hoses stay dry, and it almost looks like the coolant is leaking out of the middle/center of the radiator. I saw another post describing a pressure valve that opens when pressure builds due to a faulty radiator cap. Should I invest in a pressure tester and a new radiator cap, or is there a more serious issue lurking?
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Replying to: dar2 (Jul 10, 2005 11:13 am) Did you have the air conditioning on for each time that you described? I'm at a loss, since I know for a fact that the vehicle coolant get's a lot hotter then 60 degrees. So I am assuming you are talking about the air conditioning temperature setting. 
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Replying to: avrabel (Jul 12, 2005 8:57 am) You should check (on that car in particular) for a bad head gasket and also have the radiator flow-tested to see if it's all clogged up after all these years and all those miles. |
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Maintenance & Repair Cooling Systems -- Problems & Solutions (Radiator, Fan, etc)
