Overheating With Only One Idea Why Maybe?

[evood69]

So my car has been overheating for about 2-3 months now. When I am driving it is fine, anywhere from 140-180 depending on the temperature of the day. But when I get into stop and go traffic or idle it after its warmed up the temperature JUMPS to anywhere from 190-225 . I checked for leaks and found none, both fans work, and thermostat is not faulty. The radiator itself might be the problem since I havent really dug into that. I have slim line fans from ebay because I run a vrsf fmic. Could the fans just not be sufficient enough to cool things down?? That is my guess, but really unsure. Any insight into this.

 

[jmartinez1228]

Are your fans kicking on when you come to the light? If your car has been overheating for that long I would be worried now about a leaking or blown headgasket.

 

[evood69]

Are your fans kicking on when you come to the light? If your car has been overheating for that long I would be worried now about a leaking or blown headgasket.

Yes they're kicking on at idle at lights or wherever else. Yes I was worried about that also. I took it to my mechanic he didnt pull the head. But they did do several things checking for any signs of that and he didn't seem to thing that it had happened. But he always could be wrong.

 

[TSiAWD666]

Radiator could be clogged with stuff. FMIC definitely does not help. Saying you have "Ebay" fans doesn't help anyone diagnose as we have no idea what the flow specs are on whatever they may be. If you don't know, then yes they could be the issue. One slim line fan is not necessarily as good as another if you're looking at the same diameter.

I'd first do a good flush of your radiator, and make sure to burp it well. Try to clean it while you're at it, and straighten bent fins.

If none of that solves the issue, I'd look at the fans, perhaps replacing with ones with known good flow rates like Spal fans, and not unknowns from a random vendor like on Ebay. Alternatively you may just need a better radiator since you've choked off so much airflow with the FMIC most likely (can't say since I haven't seen your setup).

 

[jmartinez1228]

Put the stock fan on there and see if there's any difference. Also what way are the fans blowing? Into the radiator or away?
Definitely do the flush and burp. You can try the burp first since the coolant is already in there. Take thermostat cap off after the car has cooled down or just before you first start it up. Let it warm up and you should see bubbles coming out of that filler next. You should also see the coolant sort of flowing letting you know that your water pump is still working but it could also be going bad.

 

[MichaelSuch]

When's the last time your waterpump was replaced? And did you use an OEM waterpump or an autoparts store pump?