[94whitegsr]

yes, i have already searched and i couldnt quite find an answer to match what i need. here goes, so my 94 gsr boils its coolant after about 15 minutes of driving. i thought it might be the thermostat so i wired my fans to a switch to make sure they work and they do and still boiling. i have checked to see if coolant leaks elsewhere and cant find anything. after the engine is shut off, the only leaking coolant on the ground is from the places it splattered while driving so i couldnt trace any other places that might cause this problem. there is no white smoke from the exhaust so i dont think my head gasket is bad so i am just unsure about what to do. hope someone can give me some advice. thanks for the help.

 

[godspeed94]

i'm confused, is your car running hot and when you check it the coolant is like all gone? or do you drive and your car heats up and you have smoke coming out the hood or what? how do you know that the coolant is boiling? do you have the coolant overflow reservoir and is filled up?

what about your radiator cap is that bad?

 

[PoeTheGambler]

If you drive your car, turn it off, and hear boling, then it may be your water pump!

Turn your car on when it's cold. Take the radiator cap off. You should be able to see the coolant flowong through. If it's flowing, then your water pump is fine.

 

[jojo]

Check to see if your thermostat is stuck shut.

Make sure you refill it with distilled water so it doesn't corrode while in there and start build up.

 

[wenlyone]

i see 2 ways to use thermostat in this thread.

to clearify.

jojo is talking about the valve in the path of the main coolant hose.


94whitegsr, the themostat you are looking at is just a switch. nothing to do with this. change the thermostat (valve)

 

[jojo]

Thanks for clearing that up. Gauge would be the right word there.

 

[94whitegsr]

after 15 min of driving, it starts to steam so when im at a light, i can see the steam and smell the coolant. if the water pump is ok, should i just go ahead and replace the thermostat valve? should i even get a new radiater too while im at it? thanks for the help.

 

[pnoytegn707]

Bro i had the same problem with my gsr. It turned out my fans were wired incorrectly blowing in wrong direction. Make sure fans are blowing in right direction if swapped out with different ones.

 

[godspeed94]

don't fix it unless it's broken or else you will probably break it.

now i understand that there is maintenance but don't go and replace your radiator just because you feel like you should, i have a 94 GSR and my radiator is perfect, no leaks or anything. all i do is replace the coolant with Honda type-2 antifreeze and it's all good. if the water pump is shot then your gonna have to replace your timing belt( cam seals and valve cover gasket might need to be replaced at the same time ) maybe some more stuff but i don't remember.

 

[Weston]

Where exactly is this steam coming from? Is the coolant overflow bottle full? What does the coolant temperature gauge say?

It could be:
- hose or radiator leak (possibly only opens up when the coolant pressurizes)
- blown headgasket
- bad water pump
- bad thermostat
- bad radiator cap
- alien creatures living in your engine

It's really impossible to know from that description. Where is the steam coming from and how much? Does it leak from there before it gets to the point of being steam? Does more or less come out when you squeeze the upper radiator hose?

 

[taiyou_matthew]

same exact thing happened to me. after a few minutes of driving and the car warmed up i see steam and smell coolant so i go and open the hood and i can hear the coolant boiling in the overflow. turned out being my water pump.

 

[94whitegsr]

forgot to include some relevant info, sorry, but it boils from the over flow bottle..., sounds like taiyou's problem. ill check out the water pump tommorrow and see. And yes, the fans are blowing the correct way. Just to reinterate, crank the motor and take off the radiator cap which should should flowing coolant. if not, then the water pump is confirmed dead. thanks for the help, greatly appreciated

 

[integrascoot]

I've had this same problem, car overheats in stop and go traffic. Same thing though, coolant boils out of overflow reservoir. Any other way to know if it is the water pump?

I've replaced:
-Radiator w/ a fluidyne
-2 Slim fans, ghetto wired. thought it could be the fan relay
-Water pump about 35k ago

I'm thinking it's the fan, car stays right at 183' F on the highway, heats up when stopped.

 

[godspeed94]

how often do your fans turn on? mine rarely ever turn on except in the summer when it's just blistering hot.

 

[integrascoot]

Hardly ever...never hear them. I'm thinking about hard wiring them so they will be on all the time. (just don't know how lol)

 

[godspeed94]

would you really want them on though all the time? maybe a switch if you desired but i think that having them on all times wouldn't to good for the electrcal system, plus it would now take longer for your car to warm up to an ideal temperature. without my fans ever turning on my car never gets up past a 1/3 of the gauge

 

[Letno5]

I had this exact same problem, its not actually boiling its air being pushed into it from the radiator if you un screw the top and squeeze the hose you will notice it wont be bubbling anymore. When this first happend to me i was like damn, my car over heats and the first time it happened i was picking up a girl, so yeah that sucked. I replaced the radiator cap along with the thermostat. Get one that will open up at a cooler temp then the stock one, thats what i got and i havn't had this problem since. I hope this will help you a little bit. Good luck

 

[korean_teg]

I'd be curious to know what kind of rad the OP has installed. Also, if you want to find a leak go to Autozone and rent a pressure tester. It's free with a deposit. Test the rad. capt while you're at it. Just b/c you don't have white smoke blowing out of the tailpipe doesn't mean you don't have a blown HG. You can get the coolant tested for hydrocarbons at a radiator shop or you can buy a test kit from NAPA. It's called a block tester. People always seem to have problems after the OEM rad dies and they install an aftermarket one. Furthermore, a lot of issues with oem rad. caps on aftermarkget rads seem to be prevalent. I've had rad issues for over 2 years now. I can drain, flush,install, and bleed a rad. in 30 minutes now..lol.

 

[WhiteGSR-DC2]

This used to happen to my supra all the time.. Turned out to be the headgasket..

 

[Jonas104]

wait a minute!!!!!!!!!!!!! is this topic the same as the topic that is stickied at the very top?????????