overheating (again)
 

after replacing my water pump, installing a 2200 cfm shrouded electric fan, changing (and topping off) my coolant, getting a block test (no blown or leaking hg) and tightening my serpentine belt, my car still overheats after VERY LONG idling. It does run cool under 'normal' operation. Even during heavy traffic it stays cool, but when crossing the U.S./Mexico border and waiting up to 2 hours to get through Customs, my temp gauge gradually starts to go up. Never quite reaches the red zone but does get close. Turning my heater on helps but it's San Diego! There is no such thing as winter here!

Once I get passed Customs and hit the freeway my temp gauge drops quickly. Makes me think its my water pump (or the pulley), but then again when I did have a bad water pump my car got hot quickly right after stopping. This is a gradual thing. Any ideas??? I was thinking this is normal (after all, cars aren't designed to idle forever). And its like a gamble, cuz it doesn't always do that. But it has more of a tendency to do that after driving for a while (and pushing it hard). It's an 87 N/A.

I know, I shouldn't be driving my baby in Mexico (or should I? :naughty:). I'll stop once I get it painted hehe...

Is it an automatic trans? If so, (mine), I put a trans cooler on using some brackets (Lowe's) about 6" out in front of radiator. I run the fluid into it first to help take some heat off the radiator.

If you have to idle for more than a couple of minutes, you should put the trans in neutral to allow the temp to go down.

Use a 180* thermostat. Use a manual over-ride for the fan, so you can turn it on when you want.

Cycle the A/C manually (turn on/off by hand) when idling too long.

Remove the rubber strip/seal at firewall, that will let some heat out of engine compartment. (it worked great for mine)

Also..........
I discovered (by lowering my coolant to just above the core in radiator and watching the flow pattern) that the water pump does not flow much water at 6-700rpm. Just raising the rpm to 800 moves a lot more water.
You could raise the idle a bit with your foot during prolonged time periods.

PS. my car never gets hot anymore.

mine has a manual tranny. and i do have an on/off switch for my fan. i do however need a new a/c fan. is there any way turning it on without having to turn on the a/c? and how much more heat does the engine produce while using the a/c?

also which strip/seal did you remove?

ill get a 180? thermostat. thanks.

check your radiator cap too, might not be getting good pressure.

i also have the same problem.

and what hose were you talking about that goes into the firewall? where is it located?

Like Mrnick said...if your sitting, get your rpm up to about 1500 and watch your temp. go down. This is actually suggsted in the original owners manual and it works for me. Not a bad idea too instead of parking and just shutting off while hot. Idle for a few minutes at about 1500 rpm. May help your hg last longer?

try checking ur R cap it might not be holding pressure.

my 89turbo did the same thing i changed the thermostat rad cap and rewired my fans to kick on with accessorys, now seems fine :P

true dat, if you turn off your car when it gets hot it'll heat soak and get even hotter because there's no water flowing