Cooling issue

[Hortanica]

First off, even though this is my first post on this forum - i just got the car done and on the road about a week ago. It is a 98 Spyder GS with a 96 GSX Swap (awd + 4g63t/20g turbo/supporting mods)

Click here for the thread

Also - this is the first car ive EVER 'really worked on', and i did the entire swap myself with the abundance of info off all the dsm forums!



im copying this to a few forums just to try and get the best answer, so any help is appreciated!

well, i was going to get videos today but im running into a (somewhat) major problem.

HELP (im putting this on a couple different forums just to compare answers)

First off, from the time i put the engine in the car, its only seen distilled water. i recently put in a bottle of radiator flush/cleaner to try and help it but im still flushing/draining every few days.

Yesterday, when i got up i took the car around teh block and a few miles down the road i noticed the needle starting to go over the 'normal' position. By the time i got it back it was at about 3/4-7/8's maxed out.

I park it, open the hood and guess whats missing - my coolant over flow tank . i have no idea where it went to, or how it fell off but im just gonna assume i didnt have it on the mount all the way.

so after it cools down i put another one on and fill it with water, fill the radiator with water, let it idle back to operating temperature, and when i look at the overflow tank, its almost overflowing, and theres a lot of foam in it. so i let the car cool down again, and it does suck a lot of it back in, but it sucked in so much that the overflow was almost dry (almost, never got to the point of sucking in air).

Then i started driving it. about another 50-60 miles, and the temp gauge was doing something that it hasnt done yet...fluctuating a decent amount.

If im crusing at 50-60mph, and the rpm's are over 2-3k, the temp level is at 1/4 (half between cold + normal). when i get into a town or idle, the temp goes back to the normal after about 5 minutes. so i stopped a few times to get out and check the overflow and it was doing the same thing. lots more water in it and foam coming out the top. also, it feels as if theres no pressure in the radiator hoses.

Ive checked for leaks in the hoses but they are all tight with no issues. they are also new hoses.

Now, from what ive read it could be a ton of things, but i think ive got it narrowed down to:

Head Gasket
Radiator Cap
Thermostat
Clogged Radiator


Head Gasket
The only thing making me think its this is because of the foaming. However, there is no oil in the coolant and no coolant in the oil, no weird smoke from the exhaust so idk. I also think the foaming may be from the cleaning solution i put in there since i havent flushed it out yet.

Radiator Cap

The cap itself is new (april) but it has only had pressure on it a few times before i put the car on the road. however, it is an autozone cap - but its rated for 13psi (the one with the safety clip) What makes me think its the cap is, that almost immediately it starts overflowing water into the overflow tank, like its not keeping pressure. ON the cap - i cant think of any reason to think of why its not it other than the fact that its 'new'.

Thermostat
What points this out is the fluctuating temperatures AND the fact that as soon as i turn the car on, regardless of temp i can see water flowing/moving. like its not closing to let the water heat up to temp first. again, i have no reason to think the ts isnt at fault or at least needing replacement.

Clogged Radiator
What points this out as a possible issue, is when i turn the car on, again regardless of temp the coolant almost immediately starts forcing its way up and out of the cap. like the water isnt flowing through the radiator.


I already have plans on replacing the t-stat and radiator cap regardless of what the problem is, and i have a spare radiator that i can swap over without issues, but what im looking for is what you guys think could be going on. id be kind of upset if it is the headgasket, but honestly it wouldnt be that bad for me to change it...

any help would be fantastic

 

[jrohner]

Are your fans working?

 

[nek]

I blame rad cap. I dont think its holding enough pressure so its releasing early. Running only water causes the boiling point of your cooling system to lower so its possible your evaporating some of your liquid causing you to eventually run dry. Try using 50-50 and filling your overflow half way. Id also go with a new radiator cap. The fact that your coolant is being sucked back in is a good sign and its probably not your radiator cap. The fact that your coolant temp was fluctuating means your tstat is doing its job and you were probably around the 180 range.

 

[Hortanica]

jrohner: The fan is working properly. goes on/off accordingly with the gauge. I only have the passenger one in though.

nek: I didnt know that about the running straight water - i assumed the cap was supposed to hold pressure and raise the boiling point. but i too think its the radiator cap causing the issue. well that and the thermostat - even though the temp is fluctuating, why would the coolant flow if the car was cold started in the morning? i thought it was supposed to be closed on cold starts?


Edit:
well, me being the impatient bastard i am, i went out and found the (a) problem, and well - here it is

http://i824.photobucket.com/albums/zz170/hortanica/GSX Spyder/100_1522.jpg

I took off the radiator, it flowed fine. when i drained it, i left the radiator cap on and it held the fluid in the system right up until i took it off, so i then took off the t-stat and found that. thats after the car sat for 6 hours...

 

[nek]

I can see the guy in the background better then the problem. But Im happy you found something!

 

[Hortanica]

I can see the guy in the background better then the problem. But Im happy you found something!

, were are still trying to figure out he was looking at.

As for the problem, its open about an 1/8th an inch all the way around, and when its put in water, it doesnt open properly, and it takes a while to close. im still not going to rule out the radiator cap, just because if people can run without a t stat and not have this problem, the cap must not be holding the pressure its supposed to. but only time will tell.

Thanks again guys!

 

[Hortanica]

I just wanted to update this for other people with this issue, and that replacing the thermostat fixed the problems i was having. The cap now holds pressure without an issue and the cooling system + overflow are working/at the levels they are supposed to!

As for the foaming i flushed the system a few times, took the radiator off and ran water through it to clean it out completely. It foamed for a little bit but it was just the cleaner that was foaming and not anything else. Since ive flushed it the foaming is completely gone.

Thanks guys for your help!

 

[itsjonnyhodge]

ive had ongoing cooling issues this whole summer.

best advice check your heater core! it could be the clog.

other than that i would put in a new t-stat, and get a rad cap from autozone or napa.
it also can be a bad head gasket. just minor enough to cause overheating, and no smoke as well as clean oil
if your fans dont come on automatically i would wire in a switch or replace the thermo switch i think thats what it is


when you finally figure out what is wrong get some water wetter so it keeps it a little cooler.