SoCal-Greenz

iTrader: (1)

hey guys, so iv been having pretty shitty luck ever since picked up my Z... I'm not a total idiot when it comes to cars but I'm no tech wiz either.. After having my Z I had an issue with the radiator which was a hairline crack on the top plastic so I went through the hassle of ordering an aluminum online and installing it. After doing so I read how to properly bleed the system and open the "heater bleed screw" or else there will remain air in the system. I followed all the steps that applied to me from http://crackaddict.com/~flynn/howtos...amco.howto.htm

now once I finished that I hardly made it 100 yards before my temp gauge hit around 80% and my frustration level hit 110%

I quickly flipped back around and coasted down the hill with the car off and waited till the following day to drain it and replace the thermostat. once I finished that once again filled up the coolant properly and took it for a test drive.. all went well for 7 miles till I noticed the temp gauge rose to 80% again..

I currently am waiting to tow the car back to my place and smoke a pack and down a couple beers before attempting to wrap my head around WTF is still wrong..

I will up load pictures in the morning that I may be concerned about and video too if I figure out how. Until then I was hoping someone was familiar with this kind of situation and had any possible insight.



Thanks for bearing with this thread
-Socal-Greenz

stascom

How much coolant did you fit in there? How's the water pump?

KingBaby

iTrader: (3)

can be very frustrating...don't see the water pump going bad often...

worth a try if you burped it good!

tcode

iTrader: (7)

Hopefully not, but it might be a blown head gasket. That saying, having too much pressure in coolant system might cause that crack on the radiator in the first place.

laurentj23

iTrader: (1)

Bleed it again.

Robert_K

iTrader: (25)

Hopefully you are raising the front of the car so the radiator fill is higher than the engine. VQ are touchy with burping the coolant system.

sradenton

iTrader: (19)

+1^^^ and make sure both fans are working properly and did you buy the car with crack raditator?

BornSlippyZ

iTrader: (1)

this!

popie

Check for a head gasket, if it is and you keep driving it, your in for trouble down the road. I had a jetta that had a blown head gasket. It blew out the heater core and the radiator. Had to take the entire dash out all the way to the fire wall to replace the heater core.

Tracktimeplz

Bingo! Thats what I was about to say, the cracked radiator wasnt the problem, it was a SYMPTOM of the problem.


Waterpump, thermostat are your likely culprits. Fill the radiator, get the car up to temperature, with the radiator CAP OFF. When the car gets up to ~180 or w/e these are set at, you should see the water flowing, while looking down into the radiator. Add DISTILLED water until its completely full, if you see no movement in the flow, then your TS or water pump are definitely to blame.


Easiest way to check for a cracked HG is a checking the oil for coolant, it will appear frothy or milky, and white smoke coming out of the exhaust. Another good check would be a compression check, if you have a tester.


GL!

SoCal-Greenz

iTrader: (1)

Hey guys so I though I'd update my findings and see if my assumptions are correct.. I added some more coolant and squeezed the upper and lower radiator hoses till the bubbles quit consuming the coolant. I then managed to drive it home since it was only 4 miles away and running cold with nothing to lose I was half way home before my gauge hit 40%. I made it all the way there and the car was leveled at 45-55%. I then had the car idle in my drive way which is like a ramp at 15%. Kept that and I never it saw past 60% for 20-30mins. I took it around the block a few times thinking my system is running perfectly until I come back around my neighbor hood and go up the big hill from my drive way when I see the gauge rising to 70-80%. I then quickly bust a u turn and turn the motor off coasting right back into my drive way.

Does the incline of the hill have any role with the pressure of the motor involving coolant


@tracktimeplz:
I tried to look for a flow of coolant after I filled it up and squeezed the hoses for the air bubbles but I didn't see a flow pattern of any sort. I'm assuming since I have the new radiator and new thermostat and also had preformed a full oil Changne and see no coolant in either the oil or new oil that my thermostat is starting to fail...

I have a slight clue how to go about doing this by looking over the link from

http://www.nissanforums.com/z33-350z...pump-03-a.html

But has anyone else tried this before or have any idea what my issue maybe besides the themostat?




FOLLOW UPS:

@stascom- I mixed a gallon of universal autozone concentrate coolant with a gallon of distilled water from my local drug store. Hoping it will come out to be a 50/50 solution like they sale ande have about a 1/4 -1/6 of a gallon left that's for ICE I'm over heating...
Water pump is my next guess*

@kingbaby: I bumped they way I described should I be doing something different?*

@robert_k: I originally did the burp and cool in my driveway that has a 15% incline and I put the car on roll up jacks (mini ramps)..*

@sradenton: I see that both my fans are running when. I turn the **** inside but they are not rotating when I turn the **** off... Is that normal?*

sradenton

iTrader: (19)

Does one alease turn when its over heating. If not it could be a relay located beside the battery. But it still seems like you have air in your system.

Tracktimeplz

Yup, looks like your HG is probably still intact, next step is waterpump.

Good luck sir


*Oh, btw, if you dont see freezing temps in your area (Wouldnt think you should, in Southern CA) Run 75% water 25% coolant, and water wetter, or a similar additive.

sradenton

iTrader: (19)

Im pretty sure if the water pump is bad it will leak coolant. Are you leaking any small amount of coolant?

Tracktimeplz

A bad water pump, will lead to a pressure build up, and then a leak.



He did have a leak, which was a crack in the radiator, but hes replaced the radiator now, so he wont currently have a leak.


If it continues to overheat, something else will give, radiator, hoses, or worst case, head-gasket.

k6750gsxr

iTrader: (17)

Mine used to over heat like this every time i flushed the radiator. I no bleed it by jacking the car way up in the front and filling it slowly while the car is on and then put the cap back on. Rev the car to 3k for 10 sec. left off for 10 sec then repeat 3 times total. with you heat all the way on and fan up. If you start feeling heat coming through the vent you are burped.

try that.

Tracktimeplz

That is a good point, turning the heater on would make sure you get all of the air out of the heater core too.

SoCal-Greenz

iTrader: (1)

@sradenton*
* * * Both turn on once my gauge hits around 60%*

@tracktimeplz
* * *I tried the method u suggested to see if my thermostat or water pump is bad but I had a bizzare situation. With the cap off and the temp gauge around 40% I witnessed my coolant overflowing from the radiator cap. I tried squeezing the upper an lower radiator hose but no luck.. I did realize the more I accelerated the coolant would drop from the radiator cap as if it's sucking it into the system. Any ideas what going on??*

I know the radiator is new along with the thermostat and the head gasket should be intact and there isn't coolant leaking when I pullover when I'm heating up. And both fans turn on when i do heat up... So water pump is kinda my last guess. Or I'm not burping the system properly??*

Tracktimeplz

Ive heard it can be a huge pain sometimes, with these engines, to fully burp after a radiator swap. If the cap is on, does that coolant start to fill the overflow reservoir? I wonder if the path that connects the overflow, is somehow blocked. The system is designed to expand, and if it cant expand into the overflow, pressure builds up in the radiator.


Its still possibly the water pump, if the impeller were missing a blade or two, you would get crappy performance from the pump, but with increased RPM, it would start to move more fluid either way.


Just bench-theory, but something had to be wrong, for the radiator to spring that leak.

Keep us updated

sradenton

iTrader: (19)

when you turned your heater on when warm. Did it blow hot or cold air? if its not hot air you still have air in the system. Its a pain in the A**.