Radiator

Tiny
BALTY
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 HONDA CIVIC
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 90,000 MILES
I changed my radiator and hoses a couple days ago and today my car over heated twice. It spilled anti-freeze on the radiator and parts of the engine. I changed the termostat a while back to. What can be the problem?
Thursday, June 16th, 2011 AT 6:43 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,864 POSTS
Was it overheating before you replaced these parts? Many engines need to have the trapped air pocket burped. Thermostats do not open in response to hot air. They respond to hot liquid. Look on or near the thermostat housing for a plug or sensor that can be temporarily unscrewed while you add coolant to the radiator.
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Thursday, June 16th, 2011 AT 7:03 AM
Tiny
BALTY
  • MEMBER
  • 6 POSTS
Yes it was. Thats what I don't get because the radiator got too much pressure and trew out anti-freeze twice.
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Thursday, June 16th, 2011 AT 2:28 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,864 POSTS
Sounds like you may have addressed the symptom and not the cause. You can't get more than 15 psi in the system which is normal and desirable. There's a pressure relief valve in the radiator cap. If coolant was spraying from the radiator, that suggests it had a leak but that should not be due to excessive pressure.

The most common cause of excessive coolant flowing into the reservoir is a leaking head gasket. The easiest and fastest way to verify that is with a combustion gas test. Air is drawn from the radiator through a glass cylinder partially filled with a special dark blue liquid. If it turns bright yellow, combustion gases are leaking into the cooling system. One symptom is air bubbles appearing in the reservoir giving the appearance of boiling except that may occur when the engine is still cold. Also, there won't be steam associated with those bubbles.

That air that seeps in will also collect by the thermostat and prevent it from opening. That is what actually starts the overheating.
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Thursday, June 16th, 2011 AT 6:34 PM

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