can't figure this out, HELP!!!! car just runs hot 220 @ idle

[NB4G63T]

Guy I've been fighting this for a while now. The car just runs hot 220 @ idle and I've got luke warm heat.

Here's what I've done recently-Thermostat, koyo rad, ducting around front mount, stock pass fan and a 1300cfm on driver, 80\20 mix, rad cap, cut outs in front bumper for air flow.

The 6 bolt motor is fairly new with a supposed new water pump, it doesn't over heat or push coolant or use it. What gets me is the lower rad hose is stone cold @ operating temp.
top half of the rad will burn you to the touch and the bottom is cold!!!!!. It doesn't get cooler with the fans on 100% 24\7.

Dump question but which way does the coolant flow, I know the discharge of the pump goes over to the thermostat housing and when the thermostat get to operating temp the stat open and coolant flows out the lower rad hose through the rad and out the top hose, correct?

This is a 6 bolt with a 2g head

When the caps off and the car is running i can't see any coolant flowing by, theres coolant there it's just not gushing by. But it shouldn't if the thermostat wasn't open.

I'm leaning toward the water pump but it shiny new and I don't want to pull it off for something to do , if it isn't going to fix my problem.

Any help will be much appreciated and I've read every over heating thread out there .

Thanks

 

[Defiant]

First guess is a backward thermostat. Water runs from the bottom of the engine to the top, out through the thermostat housing to the radiator.

 

[N1balla16]

Sounds like a thermostat problem. Maybe the new one you got is bad.

 

[andy4g63]

I will check thermostat again, and probably replace it with another one/ I know it is a brand new one/. I had a similar problem long time ago, and thermostat wouldn't open, car gets hot very fast, but no heat. Like Defiant said, check first if it is backwards, then you can see if your existing thermostat works by dropping it in a pot of boiling water. You should be able to see when opens.

 

[NB4G63T]

I have the spring side of the thermostat going towards the head, correct i hope. And i tested the stat before I put it in so I no It should open.

Just to clarify the coolant when @ operating temps should flow out the discharge pipe of the pump, to the supposed open stat, out the lower rad and up and out the top hose to the motor.

 

[TurkF26]

I have the spring side of the thermostat going towards the head, correct i hope. And i tested the stat before I put it in so I no It should open.

Just to clarify the coolant when @ operating temps should flow out the discharge pipe of the pump, to the supposed open stat, out the lower rad and up and out the top hose to the motor.

Like others have said, the coolant flows through the t-stat into the top hose, through the radiator from top to bottom, then through the lower hose into the waterpipe and into the waterpump.


When you get the car to operating temperature, grab the 2 coolant hoses towards the back of the motor that run to your heatercore. The 2 hoses are right below the Throttle body/elbow. Let us know if they are cold or hot.

If they are cold or barely warm, i would suspect your heatercore is clogged/bad. I also had the same problem and it turned out to be the heatercore.

 

[NB4G63T]

Like others have said, the coolant flows through the t-stat into the top hose, through the radiator from top to bottom, then through the lower hose into the waterpipe and into the waterpump.

I though the water pipe was the discharge off the pump. Correct or incorrect?

 

[TurkF26]

No. The waterpipe supplies the coolant to the water pump. The water pump them pumps the water through the motor into the T stat housing. Once the car warms up, the T stat opens allowing coolant to pass through the radiator, top to bottom, to be cooled and pushed back through the motor.

I would seriously check the 2 heater core hoses once the car is warm to see if they are both hot. You may also have some air bubbles in your cooling system which are trapped in the heatercore thus giving you "luke warm" heat.

 

[Defiant]

Nah. The DSM cooling system won't trap air. They'll be purged within a half-dozen heat/cool cycles.