Do everthing that everyone is suggesting...the normal things you would check if your car started to overheat. Also check and see if your coolant temp sensor is bad.

1sttimedsmr said:

Have you tried removing the thermostat and then running it? That sometimes fixes the problem.

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That will mask the problem. Figure out what the problem is and fix it right

@gstryyder Yes the fans come off and no i took the heat shield off. How would that affect temperature.
@DwrDsm how would I know if my water pump is bad?

The aluminum rad on the car is really thick, One of my friends said it could be overheating because the fans arent powerful enough to draw air through it, but it just started overheating and Ive had the rad on it since I bought it? I'll check the oil to see what it looks like and get back to you herms

Ill have to look for ya but there was a guy on here that made a custom scoop for under the car do get more air to his radiator

did you do any recent work on the car before it started overheating?

im thinking poor coolant flow or inefficient coolant.


is the coolant fresh and clean?
do you have a 50/50 mix?

the head from turbo and mani will heat up the rad

JayJones said:

the head from turbo and mani will heat up the rad

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but they wont heat up the coolant in the block if the heatsheild is on??
what about aftermarket exhaust manifolds? no heatsheilds there..

Here is the link which will help you determine if you need a new water pump.

How to Know If a Water Pump Is Bad | eHow.com

OK this morning I checked the antifreeze and oil and they both looked fine, no milkshake. Then I started thinking and a while back I had to replace my cam position sensor and I'm thinking maybe the timing is off. If the timing is off can my engine overheat? What should my timing be set at if everything on my engine is stock? Thanks a lot for all the help guys.

if your timing is off it can be a contributing factor but i still believe your cooling system is weak

how small of an antifreeze leak can cause it to overheat this much?

enough to cause air in the system.

how old is your pressure cap?

i had a coolant leak about a year ago. a mechanic shop said it was from the bottom of the radiator. But upon my own inspection it was the lower coolant hose needed to be replaced (not the radiator). if you are overheating rather bad another thing to look into is not necessarily that its leaking (unless you can clearly see a leak, or you always have to refill the coolant). Check your hoses with the car off for play. Squeeze them and see if fluid is moving. Obviously if you haven't yet, change your thermostat. i change mine out every year. But this last winter some of my hoses (more particular, the one from the thermostat housing to the coolant resivior) got clogged. When they clog or freeze it will overheat really bad almost instantaneously. Within 4-6 miles you'll be in the red. if you have ever tried any of those slop looking mud pellets for radiator leaks they might be the culprit. it turns to sludge and will cause a block. To fix this, empty your radiator and clear the upper and lower hoses out (or replace them). wash out the radiator with water and a hose. You can pay 100 bucks to have a shop do this for you "radiator flush" or save 75 bucks and do it at home. Your call. This may not be your problem with overheating, but is something you can look into.

I have no idea how old the pressure cap is, I bought the car about a year ago and its the one that came on it.

its a $8 part just replace it and get it timed.

A scoop to direct more air to your radiator is just a band-aid. Our cooling system is more than sufficient when everything is working properly.

dsmspoolin said:

A scoop to direct more air to your radiator is just a band-aid. Our cooling system is more than sufficient when everything is working properly.

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+1 i agree

^ Bandaid, no it isnt, it isnt a quick fix at all. He is tryin to say you can recieve better cooling if you could get more air to the Rad. Nothing about it fixing the problem, we should all know more air to a radiator isn't going to fix anything, just drops the temp some.

In the sense that it was mentioned in this thread, it came off as a band-aid.

dsmspoolin said:

In the sense that it was mentioned in this thread, it came off as a band-aid.

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couldn't have said it better myself.

I would replace the cap and see if that helps. I think it might be your water pump. If you need more air to the radiator try making the scoop and make some duct work for the sides and the top and bottom. Do you have ac? And if so is it running while this happens. I think these are all good ideas and i would try them all they will only help you figure out the problem.

Muleunit, did you ever check your timing?

1995gsx20g said:

couldn't have said it better myself.

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I'm not gonna debate it, you are just thinking to hard

if it over heats while you idle more than likely your water pump, if it leaks around the cap or look at the cap see if it still has all the rubber to seal if you have a ir thermometer then you can point at thermostat and check to see how hot it gets before it open if it opens with the radiator feel for variance in the radiator if some spots are really hot and others cool to the touch then radiator is clogged and if it was your heater core you'd be leaking in the interior of the car

Iam losing coolant and my car is slightly overheating once i drive it for about 40min or more (The temp gauge actually just goes a quarter or so above the middle) then comes down once i let it sit and idle. Also there is a little white smoke coming out of my exhaust when i take off somewhat quickly or floor it. I checked my compression 180 across the board. Once the car is warmed up coolant starts to drip from what looks to be the water pump area. I dont believe it is the headgasket because of the compression test, but the white smoke? maybe water pump?