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CR55

It's just a little surface rust!
Joined
Jul 3, 2008
Messages
3,573
Location
Northern Illinois
My daughter in law's Kia minivan will run around all day long at a normal temp, but when they try to drive a distance this thing will overheat! EVERYTIME! It's been back to the dealer when it was under warranty numerous times. They changed pumps, radiator flush, thermostats,ect.! There isn't any obstructions in the radiator. Any ideas?[S
 
You might get a case of the stink eye thrown at you but could you suggest jacking it up and driving a Chevrolet under it????....jk
 
The cooling system in new cars are real bad about getting airlocks in the heater core and will cause this symptom. It's hard to bleed this air out.
They've reduced the systems cooling capacity so much it needs every bit of coolant it can get.
 
1. overheat: is it losing coolant, boiling over?
2. ^ an air pocket will cause this problem.
3. engine cold, open radiator cap and let engine run until thermostat opens, watch for bubbles in fill opening. Rev engine a few times to push out any bubbles. top off, THEN shut off engine, let cool.
weird problems:
1. water pump impeller blades are worn or it is spinning on the shaft
2. heater core is restricted
3. small leak from hose fitting allowing air to enter system.
4. leaking radiator cap or damaged fill neck.
5. new thermostat took a dump.
6. I have fixed this problem on some engine by drilling a 1/8" hole in the thermostat at the top edge.
7. too many bugs on your radiator/condenser
BTW: I am not guessing....I have seen, fixed all of the above.

weld on ..........[;)
 
55,
I'd search the Goog & I bet others are having the same problem. This may be an issue with that year. My dad had a BMW back in the 80's that had a similar problem & since it had aluminum heads... it would warp & need expensive service. They blamed it on air getting trapped in the cooling system & causing the water pump to cavitate.

BoB
 
Also, is it boiling over, as in loosing coolant? Rick pretty much covered it but I always check the simple stuff first and I have seen a lot of cooling problems that just needed a new pressure cap. More on the shadetree side of advice, if the coolant isn't overflowing (boiling out) you really don't have a cooling issue, more of a gauge issue.
 
Some great ideas guys! Thanks...It doesn't ever need coolant added and no leaks! That what baffles me. Gonna have my son try some of these simple fixes!. (Translation...dad will crawl under and in it to figure out the problems!...lol)
Had a Vette years ago that did the same thing...pulled the radiator and found the front of it completely covered with grass, leaves and straw!
 
if it was head gasket it should build pressure in radiator and blow out water .. clogged radiator still should run hot even or worse in town .. if it dont run hot around town just long trips the fan issue should be ok ,, thats when they are needed , not going on long trips .( air flow is automatic ) going down the road unless the radiator is partially stopped up and wont over heat till engine is running at high RPMs for a while (like going down the road) get a water hose and wash the radiator fins out to see if a lot of trash or dirty water comes out [S[S[S may have to pull out radiator if AC core is in the way that you cant see radiator .
 
Don't know if this will help, some cars like hondas have bleeders in a high spot the cooling system to let trapped air out. The dealership should know this but some times the new kid doesn't know and isn't told by the old timers. another trick that sometimes helps is to raise the front of the car once it is warm enough for the thermostat to open and air will come to the filler. when it is raised you could also try burping it by squeezing and releasing the radiator hoses. just a couple of ideas.
 
I've seen a casting flaw cause this before where the water pump mounts.
Casting flash stayed in the block and when the water pump was spun fast enough it would suck the casting flash into the hole and block flow. When I pulled it apart I could just barely see the piece but I couldn't get it out through the hole...

In your case the other thing I would wonder about is the radiator cap (I'm not sure if this is a pressurized overflow system or not?) but if you cannot build pressure in the system it will definitely overheat every time. (We have tested this theory on a known good cooling system, drive it without the cap on, or lose, and it will overheat within a mile or so usually)
 

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