I did a rad change in my S4,and Yes they can be Finicky ,gettin the Air out of the Cooling system..I noticed my Temp gauge go up too..After I had the coolant in and Thought I had the air out,but it took two more "sessions" of Burping and Squeezing the hoses..and Finally Success..now the car's gauge sits at 1/4 ,since the change-over..I check the fluids "religiously" anyhow..and it hasn't taken any since the Final Burping....Archangels,I would be gettin another OEM cap..and make sure the Over-flow has Coolant in it..don't let it go empty..If not the Engine's cooling system won't get the Coolant to fill the Rad..it will suck air into it..

 

i've tried 4different rad caps, if i hold my hand and press down on the cap and squeeze the coolant hose i wont hear hissing but if i dont press down on the cap and squeeze the hose i DO hear hissing....

mabe i just need a heavier rad cap....

 

I'm not disagreeing with you on any of those points. The only way it's going to get worse is repeated overheating, which would lead to unusable housings. The best thing to do would still be get a compression check, and be on your way. I'm sorry if that wasn't clear enough. I drove mine for 2 months with a blown coolant seal (albeit it was in the winter months and i watched coolant levels like a hawk) until I could afford a rebuild. I wasn't saying pull it out for a rebuild because I'm completely sure you f-ed up your engine. If I recall I even made the point to get the compression checked before instantly assuming the engine was blown, as I realized my previous point made it sound like he was totally fucked. Slpin I'm not really sure where in my posts I was spreading misinformation, that comment seems to be a bit rude. My intentions were only to help, as I've been down this very road before, as many FC owners have.

Archangels, if I freaked you out I'm sorry, I just don't want you to make the same mistakes I did before I had to get my engine rebuilt, causing the need for a lot of new parts. It may be a stronger engine in the long run, but it cost a hell of a lot more as well.

 

after everything i've been through with this car, the last thing i need is for the motor to be pooched....

 

relax, if it was popped you would have known it by now believe me.

don't let '89Vert freak you out regardless of whether some of his statements may be true, they are just a bit overreactive in this case since it has already been done and through, just be sure to fix the leak at the filler cap.

 

it seems that a lot of FC owners are having overheating problems recently. trust me im one of them. although im still denying that my problem is blown coolant seal, but summer is few months away.. that scares me. well, 2nyt my car didnt start. it was fine the whole day, drove it after work nuthin happend. 2 hours after, i went to the store to do some chores, tried to start it ... wont start. pop the hood i notice its forcing lots of coolant out of the overflow tank. probly tried to start the car 7 times, same thing its forcing the coolant out. i got no choice since its already 11 pm .. i called for a towing service, 85 bucks down the drain.

the thing is, the radiator, hoses, rad cap, tstat, are brand new (all from mazda dealer), had it changed 1wk ago... 3 days after, i noticed its filling up the overflow tank and sometimes forcing the coolant out. but the thing is my gauge stays 1/4 t0 1/2 and thats it. oh it only went 3/4 once this weekend, but i shut the car off right away. the car starts pretty good then and not untill what happend 2nite. right now, im still denying that its a blown coolant seal. however, im considering a rebuilt, maybe in a few months. any advice please? almost frustrated coz just got this car 2 weeks ago for a good price and i like it. but then im having problems already.

 

to archangles- make sure you have half of the overflow tank filled with coolant aswell..so it can suck more coolant back in if needed.