Car overheating + cold spots on radiator

[gloryaccordy]

OK something strange is going on.

My car has been overheating like crazy lately, and it's only getting worse. I went to feel if the fans were blowing backwards, and they weren't... but there were cold spots by both of the fans. Is it possible that my radiator could be clogged? And if so, what from a swap could cause that, as it was fine before the swap??? I kept the old radiator + hoses. I'm gonna have bruno8727 look at it, but I just want some ideas of what it could be.

[Losiracer2]

is the waterpump circulating coolant properly? like the fins on it aren't corroded to the point where they're broken are they?

Also when was the last time you flushed your coolant?

It could also be corrosion inside the fins blocking some sections and not allowing coolant to flow properly, kinda explaining the "cold spots"

[gloryaccordy]

is the waterpump circulating coolant properly? like the fins on it aren't corroded to the point where they're broken are they?

Also when was the last time you flushed your coolant?

It could also be corrosion inside the fins blocking some sections and not allowing coolant to flow properly, kinda explaining the "cold spots"

Water pump is brand new, I am thinking it's a clogged up radiator

Which way does water flow?

[illestatus]

sounds like a clogged radiator, time for an aluminum one

[Losiracer2]

Water pump is brand new, I am thinking it's a clogged up radiator

Which way does water flow?

out the top rad. hose down to the bottom.

[93F22A6]

that sounds like a def. clogged radiator. when u get a new one make sure you flush out the rest of the system. if not it could do the same thing again.

[gloryaccordy]

I just checked the lower hose and it's cold + empty after the car has warmed up. I am gonna change the thermostat and see what happens.

[gloryaccordy]

OK, changed the t-stat, still have cold spots on the radiator and a cold lower hose. What gives???

[93F22A6]

I would almost bet money that the radiator is clogged and you need a new one. Just an idea you could probaly clean the radiator, the clog is most likely corrosion. All you would need is a cleaner, a water hose, and time. I don,t know if you can do this but just an idea.

[rudeboy5]

ya b4 u buy a new one try to blow the old crap out and see if that helps. It can't hurt to try. Get like a hose that covers the hole where the caps goes and push all the crap out. Worth a shot. And it's cheap

[gloryaccordy]

ya b4 u buy a new one try to blow the old crap out and see if that helps. It can't hurt to try. Get like a hose that covers the hole where the caps goes and push all the crap out. Worth a shot. And it's cheap

I'm gonna try to clean it up tonight. Odds are it has already lost efficiency & stuff. What I'm thinking is if there's stuff flaking off inside it's already done. I don't think it's a radiator issue... if it was, coolant wouldn't come out of the top hose. I am afraid that some radiator crud got clogged up in the engine I am gonna get a junk radiator & ditch the thermostat for now till I can figure out what the problem is.

[rudeboy5]

well u probably had some extra water in the motor. That's y u had water came out the top but if u don't have water comin from the bottom then that's the radiator. It flows from the top to the bottom. But don't take the thermostat. U should do I flush with all the old stuff on then change new stuff like the thermostat and it clean radiator

[gloryaccordy]

well u probably had some extra water in the motor. That's y u had water came out the top but if u don't have water comin from the bottom then that's the radiator. It flows from the top to the bottom. But don't take the thermostat. U should do I flush with all the old stuff on then change new stuff like the thermostat and it clean radiator

It flows top to bottom? I thought the thermostat held coolant in the block until the engine warmed up?

It does seem like it's clogged though cause the top hose is def. hot, and the bottom is almost empty. Plus if it flowed from bottom to top, the bottom hose would be full and the top would be empty once the engine was running.

Water in the radiator can be cool w/o the radiator being clogged because there's no water flowing... so only the water sitting in the radiator is getting cooled. But the water in the block is getting hot so the temp gauge goes up.

One way or another I am confused as hell.

[92bently]

im assuming that after a while the coolant is bubbling out of the top hose due to it boiling...really can only be 4 things...1 the thermostat isnt opening...either its bad or there is an air pocket in it....2 the wter pump isnt circulating the coolant, did u check and make sure the inside propeller was attatched to the timing belt drive side??i know it sounds stupid but i have seen it before...3 there is just air in it, and last but not least are u sure the motor u put in was good??if there is exhaust gas getting in there it could stop the coolant flow...ive had 3 different cars in the last 3 weeks with that same symptom...one was blown up and 2 had bad waterpumps...hope this helps

[gloryaccordy]

It appears to have been the thermostat for now... it looks like the motor came with a bad one, and I got another bad one from Autozone. So for now, no T-stat (it's OK, I am running a chipped ECU). Both hoses are hot now and the temp gauge stays under or at the halfway mark.