radiator smoking?

[Josh@TunerLifestyle]

allrite guys i think im having problems with my lil starbo! i reacently changed the thermostat as my temp gauge wouldent work and when i installed an after market temp gauge it was all over the place and i didnt really have any heating inside the car!

but since i changed it I've noticed my car gets hot fast! like within 5 mins of driving the needle on the clocks is at half point ( whatever that is )

the other day my engine management light came on and i thaught it was fuel cut but it did it again when i was only at 0.5 bar of boost?

so 2nite I've just opended my bonnet and the radiator is red hot, top rad hose is red hot! but the bottom is ice cold?

im sure the radiator is not ment to have smoke coming off it :L

any ideas?

cheers josh

[StarletMad]

Did you drain the system??

[drongo boi]

did you get some water on the outside of the rad or anything like that? lol

or maybe check for any leaks on the rad?

did ya bleed the system when u put the new thermostat on?

[iamlegend]

radiator cap ok?? aftermarket or standard?

mine did this well the high temp under the hood due to a fcuked rad cap!

[Josh@TunerLifestyle]

noo didnt bleed it but topped it up with more water and anti freeze, should i try flushing it? and no spills as i changed the thermostat thursday,

cheers josh

standerd rad cap but it looks clean to me lol

[drongo boi]

yeh ya shud try bleeding the system pal because it wuda got abit of air into the system lol

[DavidAshton]

Sounds like its working as it should. Was probably steam not smoke from spray off the road.

[Josh@TunerLifestyle]

okay il try that tommorrow cheers

[Wantaglanz]

yeah sounds like steam, all the cars at work do this, and mine was the other day ;)

if you have heat in the car, fan kicks in and the level is ok. your all good

[Josh@TunerLifestyle]

what temp dose the rad kick in? im not sure mine dose :/

[Wantaglanz]

Just past half way on the gauge

[Josh@TunerLifestyle]

my fans nicking in then :/ musybe why the light is coming onà

[Hazzagray]

Or could be what the polo lads have problems with....

The same thing was happening with my polo, The thermostat housing is fooked.....not sure if eps have the same style, but if the housing is broke, the thermostat wont open making the car overheat....

[ro55ifumi]

Josh

You using toyota red coolant mate??

This is the only thing to use as it is pre mixed to the correct proportion and it also have metal inhibitors so as not to coorode the engine internals.

[Josh@TunerLifestyle]

yeh its red, where will i get it from?

[micky boy]

What boost gauge have you got?..Just i cant see the engine management light comeing on just because's the car is over heating..My gess is that you are hitting fuelcut and your gauge is out.

As for it over heating is the temperature gauge going right up to the top?...or is it staying just above half way?

[ollie ryan]

my rad fan doesnt kick in anymore either?

as soon as i sit in traffic it over heats

[Josh@TunerLifestyle]

it gets to half way within 5 mins of driving, and its an apaxi boosgauge, its all confusinggg lol

[micky boy]

Ollie ryan you most probley need a fan switch it looks like this..Note this one isnt for you car as far as i know.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Radiator-Fan-Switch-...f676cc7ff43715d

[drongo boi]

@josh - could be air in the system causin fan not 2 kick in or check ya fan fuse

@ ollie

check ya fuses pal or try putting some feed to the fan to c if it works

[micky boy]

it gets to half way within 5 mins of driving, and its an apaxi boosgauge, its all confusinggg lol

If the temperature gauge dosnt go to the top then you have nothing to worry about..I remember last year warming my car up in my garage in the winter and it seem to take for ever for my fan to kick in because of the cold weather but after waiting half a year it did kick in..so Maybe you just arnt leveing it long enuf.

As for the Engine light comeing on if its gone off and hasnt stayed on then it must of been fuel cut..with the cold weather it will boost/creep abit more then normal.

[Josh@TunerLifestyle]

it gets to half way within 5 mins of driving, and its an apaxi boosgauge, its all confusinggg lol

[drongo boi]

mine gets there in about 5 mins of drivin pal lol

but mines a n/a so i dunno if that makes any diff lol

[Youngun]

_your bottom hose should be getting warm-hot though... once the engine gets up to temp the thermostat opens alowing the coolant to circulate through the cooling side. bottom hose is the last hose to get hot but it should get hot otherwise you could have a circulation problem (waterpump, thermostat?) but with the temp gauge being norm i would say not. and prob will take the biscuit for your fan to kick in because of the cold weather.

_steam coming from the rad... could be water off the road like metioned above but if it persists could be a small pin hole from a rotton row in the rad core or possibly a crack if your car might have frozen? have you chacked your anti-freeze strength?

you can norm see a rad leak as to roughly where the steam is coming from and if the core looks slightly darker in a patch usually at the bottom of the rad as thats where all the road crap hits it.

hope that helps? =/

[micky boy]

Its sound mae..if the temperature gauge isnt going right to the H the its not over heating

^^Spot on