Overheating festy

[perucho]

This has me leaning towards water pump, even though you said it isnt leaking or making any noise.

Yes, is there a way the actual pump impeller can stop turning and everything outside look okay?

[FestYboy]

This has me leaning towards water pump, even though you said it isnt leaking or making any noise.

same here, i've seen on various ocations that the water pump is quiet and not even hinting at a leak, but once removed for inspection, found that the impeller is broken/damaged and is no longer circulating coolent, thus overheating.

[perucho]

^ There's the answer to my question above.

[damac]

I am no techie but I am just curious if at the point of overheating, could you potentially pickup a difference in the coolant temps at the bottom and top radiator hoses?

Like when its all flowing they are equally hot, when the thermostat is closed the top is hot and the bottom is cool.

Would there be a noticeable difference if it was inbetween circulating partially vs. full force?

[FestYboy]

when the t-stat is closed the coolent is circulated via bypass hoses to speed up the warmup cycle (keep the warm coolent warm untill it's hot enough to open the t-stat). once the t-stat opens, the hot coolent is pushed through the top hose and forces cooler coolent into the water pump and the cycle begins. as for the difference in hose temps, there should always be a "hot" hose and a "cool" hose (upper hose being hot). the differance in temp may not be great but there should always be a differance.

[V8Festiva]

When I bought my 92 GL three weeks ago I knew it was overheating. There was also oil in the water but no water in the oil. No white (or any other color for that matter) smoke coming from the tail pipe.
The first day I removed the valve cover and re-torqued the head bolts. I also removed the radiator and flushed the cooling system. There was no thermostat in place and I left it that way.
After that, no more oil in the water, and still no water in the oil. It even passed the smog check (I'm in California). However, it is still overheating.
When I removed the radiator, it seems to be fairly clogged. Y tried to flush it as much as I could but I'm guessing there are tons of deposits in the inner vertical tubes.
The other thing could be the water pump, but it's not leaking or making funny sounds.
The electrical fan comes on and stays on since the temperature doesn't seem to go down once it starts rising. Freeway speeds seem to agravate it even more. I thought that air flow at 60+ mph would help keep the temerature down. Any ideas? I'm thinking about replacing the radiator first and go from there.
I want to swap the engine with a B8 as soon as possible but I also want to keep driving it in the meantime.

Make sure the fan is not wired wrong.
I got a Festiva and the fan was wired so air was being pulled from the engine side and not from the front. Had overheating problems. Corrected this and no more problem.

Dean
Raleigh, NC

[perucho]

^ thanks, the fan is definitely a puller so it's rotating the right way.

[TominMO]

same here, i've seen on various ocations that the water pump is quiet and not even hinting at a leak, but once removed for inspection, found that the impeller is broken/damaged and is no longer circulating coolent, thus overheating.

Easy to check the flow. With the engine cold, remove the radiator cap, start the motor and watch the coolant to see if it is moving. Put cap on before it starts to overflow as it warms up.

[perucho]

^ so, without the thermostat I should be able to see the coolant moving right away?

[TominMO]

^ so, without the thermostat I should be able to see the coolant moving right away?

^ With or without.

[FestYboy]

Tom, for us to see cooent flow at the rad with a t-stat, the t-stat has to be open or non-existant. you shouldn't see movement with a closed t-stat.

[TominMO]

Tom, for us to see cooent flow at the rad with a t-stat, the t-stat has to be open or non-existant. you shouldn't see movement with a closed t-stat.

I don't think they ever close completely; I have done this several times with cold engines on different cars. Anyway, he said he does not have a thermostat, so it would work in this case.

Another good idea, esp. when putting on hoses or changing the rad itself, is after filling it with coolant, park it so that the radiator cap is "uphill". If on a flat surface, you can jack up the left front wheel. Then with the cap off, turn on the motor and let the coolant circulate. Any bubbles will reach the open area where the cap is, and burst. Make sure the heater is on too, so that you get that part circulating with the rest. Might have to do it a couple of times if the coolant heats up too quickly, and you have to stop and put the cap on.

[perucho]

Took the radiator cap off, started the car, saw the coolant moving. As I reved the engine, the fluid raised and then slowly drained down the radiator. I'm assuming the pump is working properly and that the radiator is clogged. Since the car overheated before and there used to be oil in the coolant, I'm sure it will need a new head gasket shortly. I hoping to swap the engine before I have to do that. Anyway, I'll replace the radiator and see how that goes.

[FestYboy]

sounds like a plan

[Lil-Red]

I had the same issue when i put my stock engine back in. I had to fill the heater core with anti-freeze first, then procede to fill the rest of the system. Funny, but I had an 84 Ranger that needed the same thing done. One mechanic told me that it needed to be "primed". I thought that a pump would pump, but I guss not.