Put on new water pump and took out thermostat

Tiny
ANGL1708
  • MEMBER
  • 1993 FORD PROBE
  • 150 MILES
93 probe gt overheating, full of water but drive it for 5 or 10 min & its smoking hot. Any suggestions would be appreciated?

When fill it with water & have the radiator cap off it blows water out, when sitting idling it takes a good while to heat up but drive it for about 5 min & it runs hot & has no water in it, No signs of leaking hose or radiator
Sunday, April 1st, 2012 AT 7:45 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,916 POSTS
First of all, without a thermostat it is very likely to overheat because the coolant doesn't stay in the radiator long enough to give up its heat. You will never solve a problem by removing a part, most of all the thermostat.

Next, it is perfectly normal for cooling systems to reach 220 degrees. That's eight degrees above the boiling point for water. That shouldn't occur real quickly but it might with driving at highway speed. Even driving at lower speeds can produce those really high temperatures when you don't have much natural air flow through the radiator. The radiator cap puts the system under pressure when the coolant gets hot. For every pound of pressure, the boiling point of the water increases three degrees. That means the boiling point increases 45 degrees to 257 degrees with a 15 pound radiator cap. You can expect the water to boil out of the coolant if you leave the radiator cap off.

Given the age of the car, and especially if you live up north where we throw a ton of salt on an ounce of snow, look at the cooling fins of the radiator to see if they're rotted away or crumble easily. That will prevent the radiator from dissipating the heat from the coolant. You can get a clue by the temperature coming down noticeably when you run the heater on full hot and the fan on the highest speed.

If you have bubbles going into the reservoir while the engine is running, (and the radiator cap is in place), suspect a leaking head gasket. Most mechanics have a chemical tester for that. You can also borrow or rent them from an auto parts store that borrows tools but you have to by the special liquid. Having a mechanic do the test might cost less than buying a whole bottle of the fluid.
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Sunday, April 1st, 2012 AT 8:00 AM
Tiny
ANGL1708
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I am sorry, I know I am a female but I have never seen a vehical throw water to the hood the way this one does, Thank you for your help, & oh yea as I stated before the radiator, fans, & hoses are in great condition
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Sunday, April 1st, 2012 AT 8:30 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
The head gasket is blown and the pressure is throwing the coolant out when you crank the engine as compression ascapes through the gaskets.
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Sunday, April 1st, 2012 AT 10:42 AM

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