Howard Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Hey y'all this is my first time posting!!! so hear I go, I have a 83 DL wagon that I got from an old man on an island, and as you can guess it has very low miles(68K). It started getting warm on me over the weekend and after replacing the fan cause it wasn't working and putting a new thermostat in it. It still is getting hot. I have no water in my oil, and it feels like the pressure on my upper and lower radiator hoses is real weak, I can practically pinch them together while the car is running!!! From what I hear the water pump sounds good and is in working conditions. All I can think is that it is the radiator. no leaks on or around it!! any ideas??? thanks and Happy almost Friday. Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 If the system isn't building pressure, then you have a leak somewhere. No pressure = boiling coolant = overheat..... every time. Even on Sundays. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indrid cold Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 why not an almost plugged radiator? are you loosing coolant? leaking out as GD stated above? how about your radiator cap not seating/old etc... just tossing ideas here... oh.. and congrats on the 83 wagon... hope it was an extra special price... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 It might not even be leaking coolant - remember that EA81's have no overflow bottle so tend to run with some air in the system to allow for expansion. If the leak is small it could just be leaking *steam* basically. Or such a small amount that it's flashing off to steam on the hot block. In any case if the system won't hold pressure then the airspace in the system won't fill up with expanding coolant..... no flow through the system. It's got to be a closed system but having a pressure leak doesn't neccesarily mean you will have a puddle of coolant somewhere either. Radiator cap is a good start. As are all the little hoses around the manifold. It may have low mileage but the age gets to the rubber parts all the same. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asis Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 You can pinch both hoses? Isn't the bottom one...(not my best hour of the day) supposed to have a spring to keep it from collapsing? Do both hoses get hot? if not, the thermostat may not be opening and if it is not getting hot water to it, it won't, even if functional. Does the heater work? IE: blow HOT air? Wrong radiator cap/pressure relief.... Does it have a temp gauge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Posted April 16, 2010 Author Share Posted April 16, 2010 It does have heat and I checked the cap it didn't look bad but that's a cheap fix and I will buy one on my way home from work. I already replaced the thermostat, I understand it can take them a few minutes to open on their first time so i'll give it another whirl this afternoon. Oh I've never been driving the car around when it happens cause im worried it will over heat and do some worse damage it seems to just heat up slowly when it idles. thanks for all your info I am going to check all the hoses tonight when I get home and get that new cap as well. Keep the ideas coming if you can think of something else. Oh and Happy Friday:). And yes it came with a cheap price tag!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 run with the heat on, and if the heat is cool, its time to add coolant. there may be an air bubble from when you filled it. sometimes its tricky to bleed all the air out, and its equally important to have the thermostat open to get all the air out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themoneypit Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 when it sits idling, as it heats up to half way on the guage does the fan come on?? if not im thinking fan temp sensor.. (the sensor in the radiator) also check the fuse for the fan and make sure its not blown. when you added coolant after the thermostat replacement, did you bleed the system good?? rad cap off, heater on high, run until thermostat opens, then top off and put the cap on. worst case scenario, as i had to do to my gl hatch, wire the fan direct so it comes on as soon as you start the car. i changed sensors, fuses etc... fan still wouldnt come on, so i ran a power wire from the solenoid to positive plug on the fan, then grounded it to the ground on the battery. now, as soon as the key is turned on, the fan comes on and im good to go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruparts Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 It does have heat and I checked the cap it didn't look bad but that's a cheap fix and I will buy one on my way home from work. I already replaced the thermostat, I understand it can take them a few minutes to open on their first time so i'll give it another whirl this afternoon. Oh I've never been driving the car around when it happens cause im worried it will over heat and do some worse damage it seems to just heat up slowly when it idles. thanks for all your info I am going to check all the hoses tonight when I get home and get that new cap as well. Keep the ideas coming if you can think of something else. Oh and Happy Friday:). And yes it came with a cheap price tag!!! Hi, +1 on what themoneypit said about the fan coming on,, my experience has been the connecdtion to the fan switch rather than the actual switch itself, but if you disconnect the wire to it, and jumper it to ground the fan should come on, if it does not run then the fan, or the power circuit to it is not working, (fuse , bad comnnection, bad fan motor, etc) the switch only makes the ground for the circuit. mine runs up to just at or slightly above half on the guage before the fan kicks on, some day i'm going to put in a slightly lower temp switch so it kicks in slightly sooner. congrats on the new score ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 In light of the information you added regarding only overheating while idleing I also concur that your radiator fan is not comming on. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Posted April 18, 2010 Author Share Posted April 18, 2010 Thanks again for all your info guys!! So here is the deal now, the fan was not coming on and I believe the sensor is bad so I jumped the fan to the radiator as recommended and the fan came on, so now it comes on every time I start the car. STILL nothing, so I flushed the radiator out with water and bleed the system, got a new cap and everything, and still it just slowly climbs up the temp gauge, I checked my fuses and everything seemed kosher, So now I am stumped I can not see any leaking water anywhere. The water pump is spinning and not making noise is there a chance it could be bad I wouldn't here it?? thanks for all the help I owe you guys some beers!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Check the temperature of the radiator - feel around for cold spots on the surface. That can indicate a section that's clogged. If you don't have one, it would be a good idea to invest $25 in a laser temp gun that you can check the suface temp of the radiator as well as the inlet and outlet temp's to see what kind of cooling you are getting across it. The stock gauges are not trustworthy so the gun also serves as a double-check of the gauge. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asis Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Are you getting signs of overheating other than from the temp gauge? Does the radiator cap ever release pressure? Is there pressure on the cap when you open it? Exhaust smoke/steam/smell? When it gets hot has the coolant level dropped? How long does it take from cold to hot at idle on the gauge? I guess I just don't see where you have posted that it is "actually" over heating other than the temp gauge, which could be the only problem. If you let it run and when it starts to show hot, hit the heater full bore and you should see the gauge slow if not drop slightly...least from my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 You guys are the sh*t!! thanks so much for the help, I figured it out and it is the temp gauge, its faulty. last month I changed the alternator cause it was overcharging my system and I guess that can mess some electrical stuff up... well apparently it did and it was my temp gauge!!! now my question you all is this, I have really low miles on this car and I would hate to have to replace the whole cluster cause it would not show the correct mileage!! what are my options. Thanks again for all your help Jake in Seattle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyeights Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Like GD recently suggested to me, spend the money and buy an accurate temp gauge (or set of gauges) and install them. The ones in my '83 read about a third higher with the dash lights on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruparts Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 You guys are the sh*t!! thanks so much for the help, I figured it out and it is the temp gauge, its faulty. last month I changed the alternator cause it was overcharging my system and I guess that can mess some electrical stuff up... well apparently it did and it was my temp gauge!!! now my question you all is this, I have really low miles on this car and I would hate to have to replace the whole cluster cause it would not show the correct mileage!! what are my options. Thanks again for all your help Jake in Seattle the guage in the cluster can be changed out, and still reuse all the rest of it , its a pesky job to take the cluster out and take it apart . the addition of a real temp guage is a good idea and much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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