Before you go and tell me about how bad this is, don't bother.. I obviously know it's not a good thing... but is there anything that may cause the car to overheat, besides the fact that my coolant seals are most likely blown?

 

bad thermostat or failed radiator

 

bad clutch fan
when does it over heat?
are you consuming coolant

 

also radiator cap, thermostat, coolant leak some where, well check first before assuming. Also when does it overheat?

 

A good check to perform is whether or not the system is pressurizing properly. Grab the upper radiator hose while the engine is running and give it a squeeze. If its squishy - it might be something as simple as a bad radiator cap.

 

Why does it matter when it overheats. I've got the same problem but mine only overheats after about 20mn. of driving. If it's a bad seal does it start overheating immediatly. I hope so.

 

socal, in my experiences when it overheats and the fluid starts bubbleing, if not spewing, right away give or take 2 minutes, the seal was bad.

However, when it started to overheat like after 20min of driving there was a leak from a hose and just needed more coolant. Also the radiator needed to be replaced as well as the thermostat.

 

hmm.. well there is hope yet-
It over heats gradually... 20min of driving the temp. gauge is 3/4 the way up...
It is leaking a tiny ammount of coolant.. not exactly sure where.. I know a tiny bit is seeping out the seam of the rotor housing itself (sign of a faulty seal) but i didn't think it was a large enough ammount to be significant.. It's not like spewing a stream of coolant everywhere or anything like that..

How do i check for a faulty rad cap, and rad itself?

 

it doens't appear to be oozing out the cap or anything obvious like that..

 

To check the cap or pressure like some one stated earlier, squeeze the top hose to see if you can easily clamp it together. If so, you either have a weak hose or cap or pressure issue.

One way of checking the radiator is to look down into it when the car is on and see if there is a flow of fluid.

 

Thanks La Raza

 

I tested that - and yes.. when i squeezed the top hose with the car idling.. it was very squishy. (How firm should it be normally?) What does this mean? Should I first buy a new radiator cap and see if that fixes anything?

 

Might try a new cap as well as a new hose. I prefere buying the universal hoses that come with harder rubber and kind of metal bending rings. The guys at the auto store tried to steer me away from those by saying that they are very hard to deal with, so I got one and the other one I got a regular fit.

Just to say, the universal one that is semi-flexible seems alot more sturdy and secure.

 

when the system is pressurized properly, should the hose be really hard?

 

I would use the word "firm" more than anything. You can still squeeze, but it wont be as easy or squishy.

 

Alright well i guess i'll try a new cap, and maybe a new hose and see if that helps.
Is it possible that the waterpump might be malfunctioning? I know that when the waterpump goes coolant usually spews from it, but is it a possibility?

 

what everyone failed to mention was that the coolant itself shoulnd boil as easily as regular water. if mixed properly than the coolant and water should have a much higher boiling point. my sugestion is to drain and flush the colling system and replace all of the coolant with new. i also suggest mixing the antifreeze and water before puting it in the system. i would also replace all of the coolant hoses and cap because they will probably need it anyway. its more economical to do it that way so you dont have to replace all of the coolant again when replacing a hose.

good luck with the issue and the car.

 

can i buy all the hoses and such at a regular autoparts store?

 

yep. Got all of mine at oreillys