overheating...need radiator?
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overheating...and I need a radiator!
well, lately, my 240Z has been overheating. I live in Sacramento, CA, and we are just getting hit with the warm season. I will fill the radiator up, and within a 1/2 hr, the water inside is causing the car to overheat, which isn't good for the car. I just got done doing some other work to the car, but it had nothing to do with the radiator or coolant system, it was all rack and pinion work. The radiator leaks somewhat bad, and my dad was telling me about this tube of something (like iron filaments) that will block the hole temporarily, but I don't want a quick fix. We do not know if the thermostat is working, or even if it is in the car at all. If anyone has a radiator they want to sell for CHEAP that WORKS, please drop me an e-mail in my box, or give me suggestions on how to fix it. Thanks!
Last edited by Airpilot16; May 21, 2003 at 07:17 PM.
I have a present for you...
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,699
From: dayton, nevada usa
I think your thermostate is stuck closed, or you have a blown head gasket. Fill the coolant ( cold engine ), start the engine with the radiator cap off. I you see bubbles in the radiator when you fast idle, you have a blown head gasket. Alumaseal $2.00, will temporarily fix the problem until you can have the head redone.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Super Siver & Black Stud
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,526
From: Hayward Ca
change yoru thermostat and flush your entire coolant system too.. your problem is most likely your thermostat.. its not opening up at the right temp and allowing your engine to overheat.. also change your radiator cap too...
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my z has been overheating too, but when it started blowing smoke out the radiator. i noticed an oil leak around the head. will that overheating cause the head gasket to break and leak. because right after the overheating it started to leak some oil out the side of the engine
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Originally posted by gtr
my z has been overheating too, but when it started blowing smoke out the radiator. i noticed an oil leak around the head. will that overheating cause the head gasket to break and leak. because right after the overheating it started to leak some oil out the side of the engine
my z has been overheating too, but when it started blowing smoke out the radiator. i noticed an oil leak around the head. will that overheating cause the head gasket to break and leak. because right after the overheating it started to leak some oil out the side of the engine
Replace the thermastat. 85% of the time that is the problem.
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Wellif you're not sure if your Z has a thermostat I would start there first. That inexpensive little part can cause big problems if it's failed or missing.
If that's in order, I would do a flush/backflush and replace the coolant with the right h20/coolant mixture. If your car has been overheating while on the road chances are you've just been topping off with water and no extra coolant.
If that doesn't work, and you just want a replacement radiator then try to determine where ( if at all ) your rad. is leaking. If the top or bottom tank has broken off you can usually get it fixed at a local radiator shop for 50-60 dollars. I had that done to my radiator when I first bought my Z and it's held up just fine.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
If that's in order, I would do a flush/backflush and replace the coolant with the right h20/coolant mixture. If your car has been overheating while on the road chances are you've just been topping off with water and no extra coolant.
If that doesn't work, and you just want a replacement radiator then try to determine where ( if at all ) your rad. is leaking. If the top or bottom tank has broken off you can usually get it fixed at a local radiator shop for 50-60 dollars. I had that done to my radiator when I first bought my Z and it's held up just fine.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
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ok, here's the deal
ok..for one. The thermostat doesn't do anything except for allow water into the engine when the engine is cold. In the summer, the thermostat serves no purpose. The thermostat, in the winter, is important because when the water in the block heats up, the thermostat opens, which allows water from the radiator to enter the block, cooling it down. If you have no thermostat, water just goes through the block freely, therefore if you have no thermostat, then there shouldn't be a problem overheating, unless you have 1. a leaking/clogged/broken radiator 2.a leaking/clogged tubing for your cooling system. The ports on the original Z's for the cooling system are too big for any kind of blockage inside the block, so that's not an issue either. I know for sure that my radiator has blockage and is leaking, I know where the leak is, and I have flushed it myself. As a matter of fact, I am buying a refurbished radiator off of someone from eBay for $50, plus s&h. So, basically, the thermostat is not always the problem. If you drive your Z during the summer, you could remove the thermostat and have no problem at all, and you could remove it in the winter and still have no problem. I have no thermostat in my Z, and even when I did, it opened and closed fine. So, overall, if you have a good thermostat, or not a thermostat at all, and your car still overheats, the only other place that the problem lies is in your radiator.
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yeah, I got a radiator last year from ebay. When I got it, the small inlet pipe on the bottom of the radiator was cracked due to bad shipping on UPS's part. I notified the sellers, and they went ahead and spoke to UPS. UPS decided to give them the value of the radiator, so they went ahead and wrote me a check for the radiator, so I took it down to a shop and had it welded and fixed. all in all, I got the radiator for next to free.
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send me some pics, or post them here at Z driver, if you don't mind. If you'd rather e-mail me some pics, send them to Pir0San@yahoo.com. and that's a zero in pir0, not an o.
