Lumina '92 3.1L Overheats???????

[gosha]

hello everyone, I'm having a problem with my lumina 92. what happens is it is starts to overheat if you drive it on the highway for about 20-30 minutes. and i don't have my A\C working, i think it has to do something with overheating, cause sometimes AC comes back on and their is air starts coming out and then car drives fine and doesn't overheat. when the car is hot i pull it over open the hood and you can see that the tank where the coolant is siting is bubling, like there is air coming in their or something. Someone told me that it could be the head gasket, maybe but why then sometimes AC works fine and the car too and nothing bubles?
I know that it sounds confusing, but any ideas on what could it be would be really appreciated.

thanx

[richtazz]

It sounds like you have air in the cooling system. Have you recently had any cooling system components replaced (thermostat, heater core, or any of the hoses)?

[gosha]

I took out the termostat , thought that might help but it still overheats..
hose from termostat to the block has a hole in it too, but i taped it up, not sure if it works well, it's doesn'y leak as bad though. I heard that termostat could be the problem itself, but i tried like 3 different ones and it still overheated, so i just took it out.

[smallbrady89]

then the thermostat is not the problem. let the car rin for about 8 minuits without moving and see if your fans come on. or crank on your AC. that should make the fans start. this will rule out weather or not the fans are broken.

also make sure to bleed your cooling system. an air bubble caught in there somewhere can cause it to overheat.

check your radiator for any damage. if there is too many damaged fins the radiator wont be able to cool the engine enough. there could also be a block somewhere inside the rad.

[gosha]

i waited for the fans to come on for about 20 min and they didn't, took the car for a ride around the block and turned the AC up and they never came on,
so it would be the fans then wright? would the fans be the problem why my AC doesn't work?

[NocturnalCreations]

Your AC probably doesn't work because you need refridgerant or the clutch on your AC compressor is bad. You can buy a pressure gauge from Auto Zone or somewhere and check the low pressure side refridgerant line. If its got enough pressure, turn on your AC full blast and watch the compressor to see if the clutch kicks on. If not, check the plug going to the compressor for voltage. If it has voltage, you need to buy another compressor. If no voltage, then change the relay.

As for the fans, you might just need a new fan relay. I think they r like $6. I rarely see Chevy fans burn out.

Sounds like relay heaven

[smallbrady89]

Originally Posted by NocturnalCreations

Your AC probably doesn't work because you need refridgerant or the clutch on your AC compressor is bad. You can buy a pressure gauge from Auto Zone or somewhere and check the low pressure side refridgerant line. If its got enough pressure, turn on your AC full blast and watch the compressor to see if the clutch kicks on. If not, check the plug going to the compressor for voltage. If it has voltage, you need to buy another compressor. If no voltage, then change the relay.

As for the fans, you might just need a new fan relay. I think they r like $6. I rarely see Chevy fans burn out.

Sounds like relay heaven

hes got the same problem as me. fans never kick in. i even took mine out and jumped them and they work fine they just dont come on. im thinking it might be a tempature sensor.

[NocturnalCreations]

Originally Posted by smallbrady89

hes got the same problem as me. fans never kick in. i even took mine out and jumped them and they work fine they just dont come on. im thinking it might be a tempature sensor.

Did u run power directly to the fans or did u jump the relays?

[smallbrady89]

Originally Posted by NocturnalCreations

Did u run power directly to the fans or did u jump the relays?

wired them directly to the battery. they worked fine. where is the fan relay located? in the fuse box of the engine compartment?