Still getting hot?

[Dorkula]

Alright, my 91 geo metro is still getting hot.

First changed my thermostat. still heats up.

Then changed (today) the water pump. And yet it still heats up.

The heating is wierd, the car will stay to temp for the first while you drive it, then slowly heats up. Ran water thru the radiator and it ran clean through the bottom. The radiator does turn on when close to hot, so that is not the problem.

Somone told me it may be that the thermostat was bad, bought a new one, but then decided to just have no thermostat, and see if it heats up still.

Took it on a night drive about 30 miles away. At ~60mph it did not heat up, but once we hit one light (red light) and slowed to a stop, the car quickly heated up. On the way back, same thing, cool on the highway, then getting hot in town.

My last guess would be something wrong (crack or something) in the head gasket. There is no water or coolant in the oil, but the water in the radiator is kind of dirty.

What do you folks think?

Also, is 82 USD sound about the right price for a head gasket and screws?

Thank for your help.

- Anthony

[Infinitrium]

Is your radiator fan coming on? Also, how much coolant do you seem to be losing, if you're losing any?

[Dorkula]

Originally Posted by Dorkula

The radiator does turn on when close to hot, so that is not the problem.

Not loosing any coolant to my knowledge, if I am, it is of small amounts.

[mcalvo]

Check that radiator in the inside. Seems to be plugged. I had same problem once before, same symptoms. Had ro replace radiator at that time. Even when the liquid ran clear to the bottom, tiny inner tubes could be plugged, so liquid do not cold properly.

hope this helps,

MC.

[mx6rrr]

You could try to flush your coolant system, but my guess would be the head gasket.... Good luck!

[Dorkula]

how would I go about getting out the clogs myself?

Or would it be cheaper to just buy a new radiator from Radiator.com (sp?) for 117 USD (includes shipping)?

- Anthony

[mcalvo]

Well. You know. Here in Costa Rica metros are not that common, so when this happens you have to adapt another car radiator or take yours to a special shop that opens it up and remove all the clogging. I am not sure if you guys do the same in the big US.

BTW Dork, did you isolate the problem already? I mean, is a plugged radiator issue?

If you are loosing some coolant in short rides with no apparent explanation it could be headgasket as mx6 said. Also check if your oil has not a "milky" look (pretty much chocolate alike) and/or if your coolant has not oily spots. If so, then headgasket is gone.

Hope this helps.

MC

[Dorkula]

Well what I did is when the car started, I let it run for a while so it would warm up. Once it finally got to the point where it was getting hot (I had the cap off the radiator) the water started to rise. So I took a steady stream of cool water from the hose and squirted the radiator. Once I did that the car began to cool (note that no cool water was hitting the motor). So I am guessing you where right when saying there is a clog and the radiator is not cooling the water, once I cooled the radiator with the hose, the car cooled and it got back to the right temp. Once I let the water off, it began to heat up again.

The oil seems fine, and there appears to be no oil spots in the coolant. Also, the water in the radiator seems to have a grey color too it (normal)?

[mik13usa]

Anthony,
Sounds like you need the radiator from radiators.com! If it is any help I just got hit with a 375$ bill for my 'Vette radiator so 117.00 w/ free shipping isn't bad!

[BarneyGeo]

Did this fix your problem? I have been running with a check engine light that is telling me the temp sensor is bad. Your symptoms sound just like mine though. I have even had the radiator professionally flushed. But it sounds like in the posts above that I could still have a clog issue. Please drop me a line if it was a bad radiator. (and did you have the check engine light issue??) Thanks!!!!