Overheating

I checked both cooling fan and air conditioning compressor cooling fan. They are operating normally and the car is now blowing cold air. After letting the car idle until the temperature gauge reached the halfway mark, the water in the radiator is remaining still, no movement at all. Did not think the car needed to run 'hot' before water started to circulate.

As I was adding water I noticed some 'pinholes' on the seam of the radiator near the top radiator hose. Are these normal 'overflow' type holes or did the weld let loose as the radiator overheated as I suspect.
Photo #1 shows the complete top of radiator.
Photo#2 is a close up of the 'pinholes'.
Thanks for all your help, just a mom with limited knowledge trying to get the kid back on the road. She has my car!

It is plastic and yes DIY, sigh.

You have been absolutely great! Looks like we have our weekend project planned! Fortunately, my dad was a real car enthusiast and I am not afraid to tackle some of the minor repairs. Both my girls are also proficient and choose to save the labor if we can figure it out ourselves. Again, many thanks.

Your radiator is bad. The exact thing happened to my 2002 Elantra. I first noticed a mild smell of anti freeze followed by my AC blowing warm, I thought my AC went out until I noticed my car spewing anti freeze. I could not find the leak until I back traced the fluid and where it was leaking from. I replaced the radiator and everything went back to normal including the AC. This vehicle also has a problem with the Fan located to the passenger side of the front of the motor; the right one works but the one on the passenger side do not. I am almost positive your radiator id bad. They make this one with plastic seams and when it overheats the radiator bursts at the seam.

Overheated on my way home from the grocery store, it had not been running hot before that. I got home and sure enough I was out of anti-freeze. I filled up and then the next day same thing. I took it to a local shop and they pressure tested it and said there are no leaks in the cooling system and recommended an engine specialist. Any idea? Could this be the water pump and they just did not detect it? I just put a new clutch in so I am committed to keeping the car a bit longer.

The radiator blew on my way to work Wednesday so I replaced my radiator. The car continues to overheat, I squeezed the hoses to release any air left over in the system and still nothing. So I replaced the thermostat the night before last and the car is still overheating. The heat and AC work fine and I can see the antifreeze flowing across the top of the radiator but its back flushing everything into the reservoir until it overflows and then overheats. The last thing I can think of is the head gasket but I would rather not replace that if it could be something else. Please help it is my only car and I work five days a week. All my work is done by myself.

Yes, both fans kick on and work properly.

No, not that I know of. It only gets hot when I am on the highway doing 70 mph. Then I have to stop and let it cool off.

I am about fed up with the problems I am having with my car so I have decided to turn to you guys for possible help. My car began to overheat and it was like a domino effect with parts that kept going out on the car. The main problems initially with the car was overheating and the transmission was slipping when trying to go into certain gears occasionally. I replaced the alternator because it had locked up, water pump, timing belt, serpentine belt, thermostat, radiator, changed the oil, tailpipe and flex pipe replaced, among other things that the mechanics found wrong once they had the car on the rack. The car now runs perfect engine wise, except that it is still overheating. There is no milky residue in the oil and there is no white smoke coming out of the tailpipe so I am pretty sure that the head is fine. When the car is at idle, the car does not overheat. I turn the heater on and the heat goes down. I am pretty sure that the fans work without the heater coming on, but I just do this to help speed things along. I was told to check my modulator valve, but I do not think my car has one. I have determined that the car starts to overheat when the transmission warms up because when the car starts to slip gears, it starts overheating even more. I have bought a bottle of this stuff that you put in transmissions to help clean the transmission and preserve gear band life span because I was told by another person that my transmission gear bands may be heating up and expanding too much which is why it keeps slipping, causing too much heat and therefore causing the car to overheat. The moral of the story is that I am tired of putting the car in the shop, being told that my problem would be fixed only to get the car out, still the problem and then right back in the shop to spend more money. I would like to find out the problem definitely before I put it in the shop again. Thanks so much in advance and I apologize for the long book I wrote above.

Thanks so much for your quick response! I will have that tested first and then I will let you know.

I mean they get hot but not unbearably hot. And I can see the antifreeze flowing. I am pretty sure I have gotten all the air out. Is there another way I could get it out besides squeezing the lines? If there is any in there.