theedn

iTrader: (2)

I have an 84fb with the fuel injected 13b in it. The water pump went bad on my car last week after doing a coolant switch. turns out there was tonz of rust in the radiator. After putting the new water pump in today and after flushing system 2 times im having a temperature problem. The temperature normaly sits at a quarter, but now when i was running it checking for leaks the temp climbed all the way up to half, i promptly turned off engine. I am worried that if left running it will overheat.

Does anyone have any ideas what may be wrong?

DarrenTRS

iTrader: (1)

1. What anti-freeze are you using and in what concentration?

2. Did you correctly bleed the system of air? If not I'll write up a quick reference.

3. Did you do ANYTHING else to the cooling system i.e. remove the thermostat, hoses etc.

4. Most everyone gets different reading with their gauges usually within 10°F given the same position but 1/2 is generally the "ok it's getting warm" point, once you start passing 1/2 it's time to pay attention and shut down if you need to (to be safe)

Bleeding a cooling system:
Precursor: If you are on an incline, park the car so the radiator is on the higher ground.
1. Fill radiator until you're topped off
2. Leave the radiator cap OFF
3. Turn heater on
4. Start vehicle
5. Continue adding to keep the radiator topped off
6. Monitor vehicle temp
7. Periodically massage and feel the warmth of the upper radiator hose, as the thermostat begins to open it will get noticeably hot as you begin to get full circulation.
8. Once the car reaches normal operating temp keep an eye on air bubbles and air pockets beginning to escape, top off as needed and periodically give the car a few revs, this helps move the air bubbles that may be lodged, yes...some coolant will come back and overflow but if you have a funnel setup for doing this then you'll be fine.
9. If you're confident the air bubbles are gone, the car is holding steady temp and the heater inside is blowing hot, put the cap back on the radiator
10. Top off the over-flow tank
11. Drive!
12. Allow vehicle full cool down
13. Check Overflow Tank again, refill if needed.
14. Pull off the radiator cap and check the level, if it's full then good work.

Possible issues you'll run into:
1. Heater isn't hot but car is at full temp

• air bubbles (if the heater was working before)

2. Upper radiator hose isn't getting hot but the car is at full temp/overheating

• Thermostat
• Double check belt tension to make sure the belt isn't slipping, though it's normally audible.

3. 1&2 are not an issue but it's still not cooling.

• At full temp, grab the upper radiator hose, is it hard or stiff?
  • Yes? Check the lower radiator hose, is it stiff as well? If it is NOT then you have a blockage in the radiator severly restricting circulation.
  • Is the lower radiator hose stiff as well? Check your fan clutch, once the car is at full temperature, shut the vehicle off, turn the fan, if it spins more than 360 degrees without stopping, its time to find a new one, the fan clutch should be fairly engaged at that point to pull air and should be 'tough' to spin.

Pardon me if I missed anything, just got home from a long day at work, my brain is fried.

sobis1dm

That upper hose should be pretty hot to the touch, I'd look there first. Like Darren said if it's easily pressed then your thermostat isn't opening. You might as well replace the thermostat, it's a $15-30, 10 minute fix that generally solves more problems than you'd expect; I spent quite a bit of time burping out the upper hose after that and it's sort of a hassle, but worth it. I think that's the only thing Darren missed; Once you fill the radiator, massage out the upper hose with varying grips and pay attention to the level of the coolant. You'll get plenty of air pockets out that way. Do that for twenty minutes, then let the engine run for ten. Rinse and repeat until you're not seeing much air coming through.

LongDuck

Any coolant leaks under the car? If no, any coolant leaks by your gas pedal INSIDE the car?

Reason I ask is that any leak will allow pressure to drop, and part of the effectiveness of a cooling system is Boyle's Law (the relationship between Pressure, Temperature, and Volume). if you're losing coolant pressure in the system (radiator cap allows for 12-14psi), then it will not cool as effectively - i.e., if you have a leak somewhere that's allowing coolant to escape and release pressure.

The driver's gas pedal area is where the proportioning valve for the heater core is located, and a leak here will allow coolant to soak the carpet, and is hard to find. The heater core also has 2 rubber lines that feed coolant from the Radiator Return to the firewall and Proportioning Valve, and from the Valve, through the firewall and back to the engine block right below the oil filter. This second hose routinely gets soft from oil leaking down onto it, and if yours is spongy, better replace it.

Check these for leaks, and the condition of your hoses, and good luck,