Roses are red, violets are blue, my cars a hunk of turd and I wish it nothing but pain

[DCEPTCN]

Okay, the oil leak: I did just fine on the rear main seal. It was the oil pan gasket that was leaking. Okay, solved that problem.

The transmission headache: The grommet around the up-tube on the previous tranny filter had come off up in it and had clogged the new one. Fixed that.

So, Sunday I fixed all that and took her for a very nervous cruise 7 miles up the road to the grocery store. (If I wasn't married, that car would assure me a piece of tail from a chick who works there....she loves GNs) It did fine the whole way there and back up until I was about 2 blocks from home.....I figured I was close enough to my house to go ahead and goose it a little. She got up and barked real nice like! It was awesome (aside from being a little lean).....then, as I'm pulling off onto my road, I notice the temps getting up around 195-ish. After the 200 feet or so to my driveway, the temps had shot up to 234 f'ing degrees! Shut her down, pop the hood- the overspill reservoir is bubbling like crazy, very full and brown as hell. It would appear that the sealer tabs that I put in after doing my headgaskets are still floating around in there. I drained and refilled the radiator 3(?) times and every time I drove it a block away and back the temps would get slightly above 200 degrees and the reservoir would be full, brown, etc. Now, I had just put in a new 160 therm on Sunday, so it would seem unlikely that was the issue, but I think that sealer tab crap had fouled the therm. I started the car with the radiator cap off and the water pump is throwing water out, so I know that it's fine. I put in a spare 180 that I had laying around, drained and refilled the radiator and had the same problems. This is disgusting and now it looks like I'll need to pull the radiator, drive it all the way into Albuquerque and have it professionally flushed. Ugh.

[Be4u]

Befor you pull the rad do this. Buy 10 gallons of distilled water. Drain the rad, fill 'er up. Start the car, turn your heater on high and open your petcock, let the water drain and babysit the rad, keep filling it up. I do that everytime I change my fluid till the water in the tank stays clear. Make sure to use 8-10 gallons of water.

[DCEPTCN]

I'll try that tonight. Just out of curiosity, what *exactly* does cranking the heat do?

[Be4u]

cycles the fluid through the heater core. If you watch in your rad you'll see the water be clear then it'll cycle and turn green.

[87natty]

Hey, check your oil too. Being brown makes me think of oil in your water maybe, but it's probably just years of crap gettting flushed out. I'd just let it idle with a hose in the water pump, but that's just me and it's probably illegal.

Anyways, as Robert said, heater opens up the heater valves and reduces the chance for air pockets in your system.

Now, 200 degrees or so ain't bad at low speeds in the heat, I've been around there recently as it's hitting 95*+  at work recently. I think your low fan are fucked personally. Let it idle until it gets hot and see if the fan comes on. And take your thermo and boil it, see if that bitch opens where it should.

Keep us posted.

 

[ledzeppac]

Pee in it

[Recklessrob]

Like Brian said, check your fan. Mine would run hot because the low
speed resistor had rusted in half. I bypassed it, so I have 2 high speeds.
The resistors are like $160. Not worth replacing in my opinion.

[ledzeppac]

then pee in it

[Recklessrob]

then pee in it

Get really shitfaced first, then pee in it. Homemade antifreeze.

[SuperSix]

Brown crap? If it isn't oil - shame on you for not taking care of the cooling system sooner, especially where you live.  :smt018

If it isn't oil - go to the parts store. and get a Zerez flush kit and some radiator flush. (Zerex/Prestone) The flush kit comes with a capped "T" you put in your heater hose, hook up a house, turn on the water, start the car, and flush away.

After the water is CLEAR, put in the chemical flush (following instructions) and run it for a while longer. (Keep an eye on the temp guage)

Then reflush it with clear tap water until it's crystal clear.

Once it has cooled down, drain about 1/2 of the radiator using the petcock (I love that word. ) Then add 25% antifreeze, (to lubricate the water pump bearings) and 1 bottle of Red Line Water Wetter (yes, it really does work), and the rest tap water.

Where you live, you should bypass the fan ballast resistor anyway. A bit more fan noise at start, but worth it.

You "may* have a blown headgasket too.  :smt011

Let me know if this works.

[DCEPTCN]

How could it be oil? It's perfectly mixed in and stays that way even after it cools off....I've taken a close look and it ain't oil. And I haven't neglected the cooling system, the radiator is brand new, but I think I put too many sealer tabs in when I did the headgaskets. I threw a hose in the radiator, opened the petcock and let her run for a few minutes last night, but it shot right up to over 200 so I had to kill it. Obviously, the therm is not opening. So, I need to go get a new therm and flush it then.

[Recklessrob]

Water wetter is good stuff, I've used it in my circle track cars, where the rules
 won't allow antifreeze. I've heard good things about the RMI stuff too.

[Ttype83]

How could it be oil? It's perfectly mixed in and stays that way even after it cools off....I've taken a close look and it ain't oil. And I haven't neglected the cooling system, the radiator is brand new, but I think I put too many sealer tabs in when I did the headgaskets. I threw a hose in the radiator, opened the petcock and let her run for a few minutes last night, but it shot right up to over 200 so I had to kill it. Obviously, the therm is not opening. So, I need to go get a new therm and flush it then.

Flush the system without the temp in..you don't need it in summer any how..If it over heats without the temp in you have another problem..check your oil!!!!

[ledzeppac]

did you pee in it?

[SuperSix]

DO NOT run the car w/o a thermostat.

Temps will fluctuate wildy, causing possible gasket issues (yes, head gaskets), and driveablility will soffer.

Get a good 160 and be done with it