I hate cooling system problems.

[l75eya]

So my 87 carb'd GL has had cooling system issues since I got it. Due to an old clogged radiator.

couple weeks ago I broke some of the fins on that old radiator and it started leaking. This was my GL's first cooling system leak.

 

Got around to replacing the radiator while on a trip in Pennsylvania. I noticed along the drive that when the system was topped up with coolant I would have James Bond types of smoke (steam) clouds coming out of the back of the car on the highway. That's no good, so I replaced the radiator while I was there.

Problem solved right? No. On the drive back to Jersey I still had occasional giant clouds of smoke out the back of the car on the highway. WTF right?

Car stayed cool on the highway, got hot on local roads. Got the car home, haven't touched it in a week till now.

Dug in and found that one of the bypass hoses had ruptured. It was leaking coolant on to the intake manifold and it would pool and eventually spill over right on to the exhaust. There's my steam out the back of the car.

Documenting this for anybody searching issues like that. Steam out the back of your car and you're sure your headgaskets are okay? Chances are it's one of the small bypass hoses.

The one that ruptured was the one coming from the thermostat housing. I've got replacement hoses for that particular hose, as well as another bypass hose that runs from above the water pump and wraps back and down just behind the driver's side of the Craptachi. I'm also replacing that small 90 * hose that comes from the top of the water-pump as well.

I do have a question though; considering I have my air-box off and all these vacuum lines exposed, I've been trying to find GD's guide on what I can get rid of and cap off.

Can anybody help me out there? It's just the stock Hitachi on an EA82.

Thanks in advance.

I HATE cooling system problems. Ugh.

Edited January 5, 2014 by l75eya

[spazomatic]

And that is why, the first time i had a hose failure, i replaced each and every one of 'em. If one fails due to age, the rest are just waiting to fail.

As far as all the vacuum doodads go, im no help.

Do a weber swap and i can be more useful.

[silverback]

Coolant leaking out from the intake manifold gaskets can puddle up and create steam.  I have never thought of using a 'James Bond' ( don't touch that lever) smoke effect.  I don't believe the tailgaters got too close.

 

For hose insertion onto old steel tubes, I have lubed the inside of the hoses and exterior of the steel tubes with plain, white 'Go-Jo' hand cleaner. Slides right on, water soluable and you can clean your hands right away.  Lubing the heater core tubes lessens the chance of damage when you fight the hoses onto them.

[djellum]

if the car runs good Id leave all the vacuum hoses alone.  check them for breaks and such, and replace any of the actual hoses if they leak.  the real reason for deletion is if you have bad parts that cost to much to replace or you just want a weber.  a lot of the hoses are probably stretched or brittle by now, so go one at a time and if they are in poor shape trim them or replace them.  i had moderate success following GD's thread, and ran my car like that for a long time, but it wasn't as simple as just deletion.  it took a lot of time to get it set right, they can't all just be plugged or left open, they need restricted the proper amount.

 

a couple of the systems that don't directly affect the carb is the ASV system and Anti Afterfire Valve, if those systems are giving you trouble Id probably just yank em.

[el_freddo]

I'm sorry if I've got my "negative hat" on - but are you sure you don't have a head gasket issue?  To be able to see steam out the back of a vehicle travelling at cruise it's usually piped out there through the exhaust.

A puddle on top of the engine that leaks further down onto the exhaust would not create enough steam to see out the back of a car unless it's very cold and dry.

Check your compression on each cylinder and see what comes up.  Also, is your oil milky?

I do hope that it's not a head gasket issue, but I would like to know that you have thoroughly tested for a HG leak.

Regards

Bennie

[stratman977]

I'm sorry if I've got my "negative hat" on - but are you sure you don't have a head gasket issue?  To be able to see steam out the back of a vehicle travelling at cruise it's usually piped out there through the exhaust.

 

A puddle on top of the engine that leaks further down onto the exhaust would not create enough steam to see out the back of a car unless it's very cold and dry.

 

Check your compression on each cylinder and see what comes up.  Also, is your oil milky?

 

I do hope that it's not a head gasket issue, but I would like to know that you have thoroughly tested for a HG leak.

 

Regards

 

Bennie

 

 

I can verify this to be the case. I had one of those bypass hoses spring a leak. It was a pinhole that only opened up when the engine was above 2500 rpm. I had the exact same symptoms. Huge clouds of steam behind me. I went and changed the head gasket cause I had immediately figured it failed and after I had it back together it did the same thing on the test drive. Since the engine was clean from being taken apart I was able to trace the leak down. The sad thing is that I replaced one bypass hose and not the other when I had it apart. (Didn't realize there was two when I bought parts.) If I had changed them both I would have never known the real cause.

[l75eya]

djellum, gonna take that advice. Car runs great and always has, so I may as well not mess with anything. If it ain't broke don't fix it, right?

I do have one broken T fitting on the vacuum lines though, right behind the driver's side of the carb, one of the lines going back to a small black circular plastic piece with another line going to it. I'll get around to replacing that when I get a chance. I think it might be part of the EGR system, but I'm not sure

Got all the bypass hoses replaced and the 90. So far so good.

Def not headgaskets. Thankfully haha.

And yeah, people weren't following too closely behind me when that was occurring. I was hoping not to get pulled over, it was pretty bad.