95 GEO Metro 3 cylinder overheating

[Syberfinder]

No Guys I am not paranoid the bubbling sound comes when I turn the engine off at the top of the hill. I opened the the hood and could see some steam coming from the coolant reservoir.

[DOCTORBILL]

"the bubbling sound comes when I turn the engine off at the top of the hill.
I opened the the hood and could see some steam coming from the coolant reservoir."

That, my friend, is absolutely, completely, 100% normal !

You have stopped a hot engine - and also stopped the coolant flow.

Coolant is now sitting, without circulation, inside a hot engine....

It boils !...and, upon boiling, carries away the heat from the engine.

That is why there are Coolant Reservoirs on all cars now.

The boil-over dumps into the reservoir until the engine temp falls below the boiling
point of the coolant.
50% or higher coolant probably wouldn't do that - but - no worries !

As the engine cools, the water vapor in the system condenses forming a vacuum and sucks the
expelled coolant from the reservoir back into the system thru that tube.

All vehicles do this...you just don't hear it on larger, more sound insulated vehicles.

Worry not.

Mine does exactly the same thing !

Forget about this "Problem" - you don't have one !

DoctorBill over the Hill

[RossT]

Change your radiator cap. If the system doesn't hold pressure, you will get boiling out of the system into the resivoir..

Could also be a bad headgasket, but start with the radiator cap.

[RossT]

I just re-read what the good dr. said, and I agree that it could be normal for you to hear and see coolant going to the overflow bottle after shut down. The question is... is the coolant overlowing the bottle? or is it adding an inch or two to the overflow container?

If it's not overflowing the bottle, and your not having to add coolant after several cold/hot cycles, more than likely it NORMAL

If its not overlfowing the botte, but you are loosing coolant after several hot/cold cycles, then you could have a bad headgasket allowing air into the system and loss of coolant.

If it is overlfowing the overflow container, change your radiator cap...

[Syberfinder]

Thanks Guys, I will keep an eye on it and try to keep my COOL!

[RossT]

If you have some time to kill you may want to do a compression test. It's easy to do and you can buy the tester at walmart for about $25. If you need instructions, search the forum undery my user name. I have posted it several times. Report you numbers to us, It will help in our diagnosis.

[wwelder]

I am having a similar more severe problem with my '95 swift with 3 cylinder.I have done everything I've read on the site and I can't get it out of the driveway. As far as the gurgling goes, mine has a small relief hole in the original thermostat to prevent it when the engine is shut off hot. I've been putting the small hole in thermostats for years after having the puking problem with older tractors and machines before the puke bottle existed except as an add on. I have 3 other suzukis and they run in the midrange on the gauge up or down hill even with the ac on. I'm beginning to believe that the engine may have had a family of mice or hornets or something living in it when I got it. The antifreeze is always clean when I drain it though.

[Syberfinder]

My GEO is still having this spit out problem and it is getting closer to red-line I have a auto graveyard near and they say that they have three used radiators, so I am going to pick one up and see if it will do any better. Last summer I ran water only in my system and had no over heating problems but it all came to a boil when I replaced that water pump.

[Syberfinder]

Okay, the problem is solved. I got a used radiator from an auto graveyard and put it in. The radiator was from a 1998 GEO Metro and I had to change the rubber mounts on it but it fit and works perfect.


Thanks for all of your help!