running hot

ive got a 98 s10 and whenever i stop at stop lights or anything like that the temp starts to go up and it wont go back down until i start driving again, i was wondering if the radiator needs to be flushed or if its somthin else

ive got a 98 s10 and whenever i stop at stop lights or anything like that the temp starts to go up and it wont go back down until i start driving again, i was wondering if the radiator needs to be flushed or if its somthin else

FIRST THING YOU SHOULD CHECK IS YOUR TSTAT. REPLACE IT (ABOUT 5-10 BUCKS), MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY AIR IN THE SYSTEM(IT'S HAPPENED TO ME) THEN CHECK TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT LEAKING ANYWHERE (YOU DIDN'T MENTION THAT) THEN YOU CAN TRY A RAD FLUSH. IF IT STILL DOES IT, YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK AND MAKE SURE YOUR FAN CLUTCH IS GOOD. WHEN YOUR DRIVING, AND YOU FEEL IT COME ON WHILE DRIVING, IT SHOULD BE OK..... I THINK. ANY BODY ELSE CAN BACK ME UP OR CORRECT ME ON THIS, I DON'T MIND. ABOUT THE FAN CLUTCH I MEAN. LIKE MY POPS ALWAYS SAID, "START WITH THE LITTLE THINGS FIRST" THEY ARE USUALLY THE ONES THAT GO OUT THE FASTEST.

well there are no leaks and the fan clutch is good. how do i go about checking for air in the system and where can i find the TSTAT

Ok This Is Kinda Odd But Look For The Hose That Comes Out Of The Top Of The Radiator. Follow The Hose To The Engine, And Where It Meets The Engine Is The Tstat. There Should Be Two Bolts That You Need To Remove, Along With The Hose, And There Should Be Your Tstat. If You Replace The Tstat You Also Need To Replace The Tstat Gasket. It Is Not Usually Sold With The Tstat, But The Parts Guy Should Be Able To Get You One, If They Know Their Nose Fro Their ***.

As Far As The Air In The System, You Need To Get The Car Up To Normal Operating Temp, Then Turn The Heat On Medium. Do Not Turn It On High Because You'll Just Push The Bubbles Around And Not Out.
Let It Run Until It Starts To Overheat, Then Turn The Car Off. You Will Hear Some Bubbling Noises Coming From Your Radiator Overflow Jug. Let The Bubbling Go On Till It Quiets Down, And Let It Cool A Bit. You Can Try To Get The Rad Cap Off, But Be Very Careful. If You Do This, Keep A Firm Pressure On It Because It Will Try To Touch The Moon If You Don't. A Bunch Of Steam Will Be Let Out, (be Sure To Cover The Radcap With A Thick Towel To Protect Your Hands) As Soon As Liquid Starts Coming Out The Rad Cap, Push The Cap Down And Close It. Repeat Staring From The Car On And Heat On Medium And Continue Several Times Until No More Gurgling Noise. Also If You Are Impatient (guilty) Then You Can Try Squeezeing The Top Rad Hose As It Gurgles. Try To Do It In A Breathing Type Squeeze Inhale Squeeze Exhale Release(the Hose Will Be Very Hot, Use The Before Mentioned Towel). Be Sure To Keep Your Radiator Full Of Fluid. If It Gets To The Point Where You Can Take The Radcap Off, Make Sure The Radiator Is Full. Sorry For The Story, But It Should Help You Out.

Start here: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=729213

There is a link inside this thread that will tell you how to get the air out.

How do you know the fan clutch is good?

When the engine is cold in the morning, go and remove the rad cap and see if the rad is full of coolant. If not, fill it with the same coolant you have in there and then replace the rad cap.

Either way, if the rad cap is original, replace it anyways.

Check T-Stat, replace rad cap, then if worse comes to worse have it reverse power flushed from a good place. That took care of all my issues. And remember never mix the colored coolants!!! Can't stress that enough.

thanks for all the help guys, i replaced the T-Stat the radiator cap and flushed the system and now she is runnin great, thanks again for the help