Problem with my 3kGT it overheats to 3/4 of gauge!! Help?

[Fernandoz3kGT]

Ok so today was a VERY long day! I took off my front bumper and cleaned and filled the radiator overflow/reservoir tank and replaced rad cap and BOTH coolant temp sensor and coolant temp switch and problem is STILL THERE

Only that now that i actually got a good test drive i came to the following conclusion:

`Car overheats to 3/4 of the gauge or slightly higher it won't get to H.
`Overheating happens during IDLE and temp drops slowly when i go for a drive,
but will come back up at a stop or just idle. Heater on blast makes the drop faster even
in some cases below half point just where it sits at start up.
`There is no overflow or coolant dripping.
`Oil has not change no signs of a leaking head gasket at all.
`When car cools and i open the rad cap i see no bubbles, when i top it off bubbles
appear but they go away so no non-stop bubbling.
`Fan kicks in when car starts to overheat (when its about 2 lines from center)
I always seem to hear/see it at the same speed.

Question i have:

Can a bad radiator cause this? I suspect its the original OEM rad from 1999.

Should i replace the t stat again?

Why are both of my rad hoses still equally hot?

Do our fans have a low and high? Fan kicks in when i pop the hood at idle
but is there any way to check both speeds working?

Does anyone know if my rad looks like an oem one? Saw several pics from other
with different shape radiators.

Is there any add-on i can add to the coolant to lower the temp? Something like purple ice from royal purple? any thoughts?

Thanks again for everybodys help i really need to narrow down the issue and fix it! Dont want to drop much more money on good components.

Here are some pictures of my progress.











This is how it looks like after a 2 miles run.

[westcott]

It is hard to diagnose a clog in the cooling system\engine. It could be either. Obviously, cleaning or replacing the radiator is a much easier and less costly solution but it is no guarantee that scaling within the engine could also be the culprit.

Rock Auto has them for $100. Or you can step up to one like this for $200.

http://www.3sx.com/store/comersus_vi...dProduct=27300

If you are really on a budget, I would place an add in the classifieds here. I am sure that there are plenty of guys with used radiators in your area that would be willing to lend or sell you one to try to determine if it is indeed the culprit.

I would replace the radiator just because the factory unit is old and the only real solution without tearing the engine apart.

Half gauge is normal operating temperature on my vehicle. The fan usually kicks in at that time. Fans have one speed. One is activated by engine temperature, the second fan is activated when the AC is turned on.

What did you find inside the overflow tank? If it was full of rust, this would indicate that the cooling system has seen better days. Tap water is full of calcium and clogs engine cooling passages and radiators and rust in indicative of poor service practices.

Distilled or RO water is the key to long cooling system life.

[Fernandoz3kGT]

Ok so a restriction or blockage in my radiator can cause this? I found a new one in amazon you think I should just buy it once and for all? I just want the issue gone. I will remove my radiator and take pic and post here so you can see the condition yourself

Thanks for all the help!!!!!

[westcott]

Originally Posted by Fernandoz3kGT

Ok so a restriction or blockage in my radiator can cause this? I found a new one in amazon you think I should just buy it once and for all? I just want the issue gone. I will remove my radiator and take pic and post here so you can see the condition yourself

Thanks for all the help!!!!!

The two row Aluminum Replacement on Amazon for $154 looks a LOT like the $200 one on 3SX. That is the one I would buy. I do not know if there is a difference but I would check if you have an automatic transmission to make sure it is the correct one.

Amazon

Amazon

I was not impressed with any of the others. No real added value or made of plastic.

Now, bear in mind, this MAY fix your problem. If there is blockage in the motor, that is a whole other can of worms.

Pictures are not going to show me the internals so no need to send them. I am still wondering what you found inside the overflow bottle?

[Fernandoz3kGT]

Inside the overflow it seemed like some rust, you cant really see the inside if you look at the picture the top cap has a tube and impossible to see from there, the rear tube (smaller one) is too small to look through but putting it against the light you could see some build up in there i tried to clean it as better as i could with pipe cleaner and water in and out about 20 times! after i just poured coolant in and out about 5 times to get the water out and after it looked a lot cleaner. My friend suggested a $100 dlls rad from amazon that he found, im not really in a tight budget but dont want to spend a lot on the car (got some things to pay up) just want to spend on the problem and get it over with. He bought his radiator off amazon too and its been a year and no issues.

Also i found some interesting stuff inside the car today when i was cleaning it....
Apparently the guy the owned it before the guy who sold it to me put A LOT of money into the car!! He did all major components and there is over 40 receipts of maintenance i went through all of them to see what i could find. Timing belt, water pump, pulleys, tensioner, seals all done at 90k followed by a RADIATOR FLUSH done at 105k. Not one single receipt for a new radiator??? Also there is a firestone diagnostic sheet with a complaint that he took in the car due to overheating! (Bummer) so instead of trying to find out the truth by reading i called the guy himself today and he was surprised when i told him about the car heating up. He said that the overheating issue was due to the water pump and i asked about the head gasket and he said that firestone recommended it but wasnt a failure at least not yet. And that he sold the car to the guy i bought it from with no issues. Sounds pretty honest based on all the proof of him taking care of the car.....

So all cooling components are discard including water pump and all im left with is a bad radiator... I need this car fixed asap its suppose to be my DD!!

Sorry for the long message i just get frustrated over not finding the issue and want to get it over with. I will order a new one and replace it as soon as it arrives and hopefully i will have good news to post here..


Thanks for all the help!!

[Fernandoz3kGT]

Update: before purchasing a new rad I ordered a combustion leak detector so I know once and for all if my heads are blown are not. Wil post results asap.

Again thanks for all the help here on the forum!!!!

[westcott]

Originally Posted by Fernandoz3kGT

Update: before purchasing a new rad I ordered a combustion leak detector so I know once and for all if my heads are blown are not. Wil post results asap.

Again thanks for all the help here on the forum!!!!

Great tool to have in your kit.

Keep us up to date and good luck.

[speedy25]

Originally Posted by Fernandoz3kGT

`Overheating happens during IDLE and temp drops slowly when i go for a drive,

Normally, this problem would be one where the fan doesnt come on at all, but you say that yours does work so I'll rule that out for now.

Originally Posted by Fernandoz3kGT

Can a bad radiator cause this? I suspect its the original OEM rad from 1999.

Of course the answer is yes, BUT the pics you posted dont show a badly rotted rad like I usually see, but still you cant rule it out.

Originally Posted by Fernandoz3kGT

Should i replace the t stat again?

Whats that saying for the definition of insanity? "Doing the same thing over and expecting different results!" I know there are crappy parts out there so you cant rule it out right away. Boil it. You will see it COMPLETELY open and when you take it out of the water you can watch it completely close. Thats proof it works. Partial open and close is a fail.

Originally Posted by Fernandoz3kGT

Why are both of my rad hoses still equally hot?

Whats wrong with that? You are circulationg hot water.

Originally Posted by Fernandoz3kGT

Do our fans have a low and high? Fan kicks in when i pop the hood at idle
but is there any way to check both speeds working?

Yes. You can bypass the relay to check low and high. No I cant tell you specifics but you can find it in the wiring diagram

Originally Posted by Fernandoz3kGT

Is there any add-on i can add to the coolant to lower the temp? Something like purple ice from royal purple? any thoughts?

I have used water wetter and purple ice in the past. They do improve cooling but they are best used in a WORKING system that needs a little extra help.

Originally Posted by Fernandoz3kGT

Thanks again for everybodys help i really need to narrow down the issue and fix it! Dont want to drop much more money on good components.

You are cool. So many just want to fix a problem sitting at their keyboards and expecting it to fix itself.

Now, one more bombshell- Is it really overheating? Lots of reports on here about flakey oem dash gauges. Mine work properly in both cars, but maybe yours doesnt. Logging would tell you the exact temp of the system. Cheaper solution is getting a non contact thermometer and seeing what the temps are really. (Harbor fright has these for $40 or less on sale.)

Good luck on finding the real culprit. Sorry its taken this much work but everything you have done so far would be typical maintenance for an older car. You really havent wasted any time or money.

-SP

[Fernandoz3kGT]

Well about the overheating question.... I think it is really, because once the car reaches operating temp the rad hoses are hot and when the car temp gauge reaches the 3/4 it in fact feels a lot hotter cant have a hand on it for more than one second, but theres no overflow of coolant nor bubbling.. I found this adaptor flange that would go between the rad top inlet and hose that makes it possible to add an aftermarket temp reader. and compare.. Although i would have to order that aswell. I have another question i have a OBD2 scanner that reads live data, ABS codes etc.. I completely forgot to try this out, connecting the scanner to the port and starting up the car and let it "overheat" and read the temp reading of the scanner.. Now are these readings based on the coolant temp sensor? Also when the stock gauge is at half point (op. temp) at how many degrees should the coolant temp be? I have a 170 tstat like previously said. I wil try this out later today and post results i should get my combustion leak tester until monday -___- but oh well hopefully i can get this fixed asap, worse case scenario which are the heads can be fixed at my buddys shop for $200 labor, so lets hope the truth comes out quick.


Thanks for all your help Speedy, appreciate what your doing and your time trying to help me out!

[Fernandoz3kGT]

Ok so today i did the combustion leak detector and havn't had a chance to do the OBDII readings but will do as soon as i can, i have a question about the "experiment".
See if you guys can help me out...

I hooked up the tester after 5-10 min of idle with no rad cap and saw no bubbling( good sign) and put the liquid in the tube and used a siphon pump to pump air in. After 5 min liquid did not change color and stayed at the same level it was poured in.

After the 5-10 min the fluid changed to GREEN and level rose up which would mean coolant level went up and mixed with the blue liquid. I did remove some coolant prior to testing but honestly wasn't much.

After i removed more coolant with the siphon pump and re-tested my car. After 5-10 min nothing happened and fluid did not change color nor level went up. But again after a while the level in the tube went up and changed a bit to GREEN.

Correct me if im wrong but the test came out negative... And the color change after 10 min is because of leaving the tester too long and having green coolant mix with the testing fluid right?

Let me know what you guys think, im ready to buy a new radiator just need the input from here asap.

Thanks

This is how it was most if not all the time when testing, same color, same level...