cooling issues

[jazzibelle22]

my 97 GTP has started running hot. It would usually stay below 210 when I lived in Oregon, but after moving to Georgia it sometimes almost gets in the red. The hotter it is outside, the hotter it runs, naturally, but its getting more frequent. Is it bad to just use regular anti freeze instead of dex cool? And now the a/c isnt blowing cold at all, its coolish but not cold. Would changing the thermostat maybe make a difference? Also, after driving around, everthing under the hood feels really hot, it seems hotter than it should. Any ideas would be appriciated. Thank you!!

[GTP Dad]

You didn't say when you changed the thermostat in your car and if you changed to green antifreeze I hope you flushed the entire system a couple of times before you changed it. As for the cooling issue make sure you got all the air out of the cooling system. These newer models are a pain to get the air out of and this will cause a car to overheat. Next, make sure that the fans are coming on when it heats up. They do go bad and this could account for why the AC is not as cold as it once was. No air movement equals less cooling efficiency.

[jazzibelle22]

I havnt changed the thermostat yet. The fans are working. The system was not flushed before someone who thinks he knows everyhthing put green anti freeze in. Also, how full should the radiator reserve tank be?

[GTP Dad]

First of all take the car to a place that can flush the system and have it flushed as soon as possible. The Dexcool and green antifreeze do not mix well and that may be the reason that you are having the cooling issues. After you have it flushed have them put Prestone extended life antifreeze in it and you should be good to go. If you intend to flush it yourself that is OK but you may want to have the thermostat replaced regardless. Also have them flush the radiator it could be clogged.

The level in the tank should be around half way or slightly less.

[jazzibelle22]

Thank you so much. Ummm, how exactly do you flush the radiator? I was told how, but I just want to make sure it was the right info. I dont know these things, Im just a girl!

[GTP Dad]

You are not just a girl, you are a girl who likes cars! There is a big difference. To flush simply run the radiator flushing solution through the radiator. Flushing in the opposite direction is usually best since it will get the scale out of the tubes. Most of the flushing kits require you to tap into a coolant line usually for the heater. Then flush everything out. You want to make sure to collect all the coolant since it is toxic. Not that I don't think you can do the job, but you may be better off to have a garage do it. I usually do my own work but this is one job I like for someone with the flushing equipment to do. I hate trying to get rid of used antifreeze.

[jazzibelle22]

Thank you so much! By the way, you were right a few months back about my supercharger coupler needing to be replaced. Thank you for that too!