14-08-2022, 07:55 PM
Hi all,
I have a bit of amateur hour issues that now might need a bit more help.
Werner is a '89 2.1L auto 2WD with freshly rebuilt engine (3-4000km/1year ago). The radiator was new when I had the engine rebuild done.
My coolant water was pretty filthy and gross with accumulated muck seemed like it was boiling and losing a little bit of water when the van got a bit hot, temp was getting above the coolant warning light without the radiator fan turning on but never overheated above the normal zone in the owners manual.
In consultation with my brother in law who is a mechanic we flushed the coolant system through the hoses (big no-no?) and topped up with coolant so the mix is about 4-5L of coolant and the rest tap water.
I tested the radiator fan, it is a 3 plug switch but seems to only have one speed which I'm not sure if is an issue. Fan ran like normal when shorted and switch is also near new.
I was a bit concerned the flush didn't clear out the radiator, using an IR thermometer the bottom left corner was getting quite hot while not much happening across the rest of the radiator which makes me think the radiator is clogged.
In the process I have unscrewed the bleed valve at top left of the radiator, screwing it back on I have overtightened it and snapped the bolt head off. As some would know its not the easiest position to access.
My current thinking is that I will probably have to remove the whole radiator and the non-functional AC condenser. Then try some of the many tricks to get the broken half of the bolt out and give the radiator a full on flush out. Will probably remove the condenser for now, AC isn't a huge priority for me.
I've never really had cooling issues and in the past the temp gauge has never gone right of the warning light until the last month or so and I'm a bit concerned about not having it in tip top condition as the weather warms up.
Please let me know what you think or if I should just take it to mechanic and get another new radiator Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for reading this far.
Ben
I have a bit of amateur hour issues that now might need a bit more help.
Werner is a '89 2.1L auto 2WD with freshly rebuilt engine (3-4000km/1year ago). The radiator was new when I had the engine rebuild done.
My coolant water was pretty filthy and gross with accumulated muck seemed like it was boiling and losing a little bit of water when the van got a bit hot, temp was getting above the coolant warning light without the radiator fan turning on but never overheated above the normal zone in the owners manual.
In consultation with my brother in law who is a mechanic we flushed the coolant system through the hoses (big no-no?) and topped up with coolant so the mix is about 4-5L of coolant and the rest tap water.
I tested the radiator fan, it is a 3 plug switch but seems to only have one speed which I'm not sure if is an issue. Fan ran like normal when shorted and switch is also near new.
I was a bit concerned the flush didn't clear out the radiator, using an IR thermometer the bottom left corner was getting quite hot while not much happening across the rest of the radiator which makes me think the radiator is clogged.
In the process I have unscrewed the bleed valve at top left of the radiator, screwing it back on I have overtightened it and snapped the bolt head off. As some would know its not the easiest position to access.
My current thinking is that I will probably have to remove the whole radiator and the non-functional AC condenser. Then try some of the many tricks to get the broken half of the bolt out and give the radiator a full on flush out. Will probably remove the condenser for now, AC isn't a huge priority for me.
I've never really had cooling issues and in the past the temp gauge has never gone right of the warning light until the last month or so and I'm a bit concerned about not having it in tip top condition as the weather warms up.
Please let me know what you think or if I should just take it to mechanic and get another new radiator Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for reading this far.
Ben
