Re: Yet another Coolant Problem

[DMCVegas@xxxx]

No matter what type of car you own, you should always perform a 
system pressure test on the cooling system and radiator cap anytime 
the engine over heats.

You'll need to peice things together a bit more before you can 
diagnose your problem, but it sounds like you have a leak. Depending 
on when you last bled the system, and how much air you bled out is a 
big question here. Another thing is when did you last check your 
coolant level in the over flow tank? Perform the above mentioned 
pressure test to ensure the system is ok. Without knowing anything 
further, a possible senario is that you have a coolant leak. You 
drove yesterday, and the leak was finally able to bleed enough 
coolant off to break suction in the system. No more flowing water, 
and the engine blew off the rest of the coolant when it boiled. in 
this case, even if you didn't stop, the overheating would have been 
unavoidable.

To have a leak, you don't have to have puddles of antifreeze under 
the car. The leak an be small enough that the coolant will steam out 
of the line, and vaporize itself. I had somthing simular on my car, 
and you may have a leak in one of two of these spots: 1. Bad radiator 
cap. 2. Leaking Hose behind water pump. Even if the leak is big 
enough to puddle, if the leak is behind the water pump, you may not 
see it when it collects on top of the engine.

If you had a bad head gasket, your motor oil would be foamy when you 
changed it.

For the time being, don't take the car to a mechanic, don't tear 
anything apart, and don't buy any new parts for the car untill you 
perform the system pressure tests. These will go along way to help 
you diagnose your problem, and will save you money by way of not 
having to buy parts you don't require to solve the problem.

Also, NEVER, EVER bleed the cooling system and leave the radiator cap 
off. You can get severe burns from hot coolant. Also, it's not good 
for the enviornment tho have antifreeze in the storm drains. Plus any 
animals that drink antifreeze can die from it. I'll admit that 160° 
is a bit early for the thermostat to open, but right now it is a bit 
too early to diagnose the thermostat as defective.

-Robert
vin 6585



--- In dmcnews@xxxx, deloreanss@xxxx wrote:
> So here it is, the enigma that plagues my car; it overheats...
<SNIP>