blown head gasket? Options

[jvb6806]

i had my radiator flushed at a local place up in the CHI area a few weeks. i noticed a bit of coolant on the ground in the days following. i assumed that it was just coming out of the overflow beacuse they filled it up too much.

i was on my way back to school last weekend and i made a stop to visit some friends. when i got back to my car there was a large puddle of coolant on the ground and the resivour was empty. i drove to a NAPA and picked up some coolant and started back towards bloomington. i stoped at a gas station on my way back and when i got back to my car the water temp gauage was almost to the top. my turbo timer was still running. i turned the car off and let it cool down. i turned it back on and let it warm up and it started creeping over the 210 mark. i drove it around a bit and the temp went back to were it should be so i drove back to B/N w/o a problem.

as long as my car is over 30mph or so my temp is fine but when i stop at a light for more than a few mins the temp starts climbing but drops right back down when i start to drive again. when i turn off the car there is a gargling noise that i assume is the coolant. and my fan is working all the time because it is hardwired to the accsesory.

i picked up new thermostat but i am guessing that isn't the problem. fearing that i blew the head gasket. anyone ever have this happen to them?

*yuk it up haunter even with a blown head gasket my car is still faster *

[AWD DSM 1]

I had a similar problem just before I blew the head gasket on my 91.... if the motor got hot, there's a good chance you warped the head.

[jvb6806]

it didn't go into the red or over the line it was about 3/4 of the way up though.

[jvb6806]

thinking about throwing in some GM stop leak for the time being as a band-aid till i can raise the funds to take care of it. unless someone that has done it before wants to give me a hand and a warm garage to work in .

[Red_06_EvoRS]

I had the exact symptoms last summer...temp rises until you start to roll then comes down...gurgling sound when you shut it off. Replacing the thermostat fixed the problem.

[jvb6806]

just changed the thermostat. neglected to put RTV on the new gasket so it leaked like a siv. waiting for the RTV to set and i will crank it over tomorrow and see how she goes. i hope the black automotive RTV will hold. if not it looks like i will be flushing my coolant again.

[90GSX]

i had the gurgling sound in mine before and it was a bad cap, the rubber was deterorated and didnt seal very well

[KOU In3]

i had the gurgling sound in mine before and it was a bad cap, the rubber was deterorated and didnt seal very well

Ditto here. We've had three cars at the shop with similair symptoms. Swapping/replacing caps and in one case just tightening the cap down all the way cured the problem with these.

If the rubber seal isn't sealing against the housing, as the system pressurizes, coolant will flow past the cap seal and out into the overflow tank.

Hopefully that's all it is in your case. If there is insufficent amounts of coolant it could also account for the high temp at idle. At 30mph there is enough airflow through the radiator to allow it to cool even with lower coolant levels.

Hopefully this is all it is in your case as well.

[jvb6806]

my radiator cap is new (6 months old) and the coolant level is fine. little over the full line. waiting for the RTV to set over night and i will try it tomorrow. i will be sleeping tonight with my fingers crossed.

[90GSX]

ive been under the impression you dont put form a gasket on thermostat housings cause they can cause the thermostat to stick if any of it comes off

[jvb6806]

it was leaking if i didn't and there was RTV on the gasket i pulled off. it ran the car fine for god knows how long with it in there before and i didnt' put a lot on it. just rubbed it on with my fingers on both sides to create a seal. you might be right though we will see. i just drove my car to the gas station with no problems so i am hopeing that will fix it. i let it warm up before i left and sat in the car while the turbo timer ran twice and it was all good. i will post again if there are any more issues.

[smrtkd69]

lol i am having exact problem with my 90 fwd. overheated when i let run going into the store. came out 20 minutes later and fans weren't working(since fixed), ever since, i've had a problem keeping temp down if i'm not moving. i'll try thermostat and cap tomorrow, i think i have both chilling out at the shop:) thx guys

[jvb6806]

easiest fix i have ever done. took all of about 2 mins to do. and the thermostat was like $6.50 w/ gaskets at advance.

[MidwestDSM]

easiest fix i have ever done. took all of about 2 mins to do. and the thermostat was like $6.50 w/ gaskets at advance.

I told ya it was cheap and easy

[jvb6806]

easiest fix i have ever done. took all of about 2 mins to do. and the thermostat was like $6.50 w/ gaskets at advance.

I told ya it was cheap and easy

kinda like your GF.

[KOU In3]

The thermostat on that car should only be about a year or so old. I replaced it the day after I bought it actually. (Back when I used to own that car)

Rereading your post, I find it odd that it's losing coolant just after it was flushed. It would really make me look harder at connections and leaks in general that whoever flushed it might have accidently created.

Just my $0.02

[jvb6806]

i took it to the place that flushed the coolant and both of us checked all the collant lines and the guy said it looked like it was coming from the water pump. it doens't leak all the time that is what is odd.

[xian 1g]

how much do you want to sell the car for?

[turbohcar]

How big a puddle was it leaving? If you've got a bad water pump it could be leaking out the weep holes.

[jvb6806]

it was only a small leak. few drops here and there untill i that one day when it just dumped. but it has been find since i got back to school... no leaks at all. i don't know what it is. i am just going to chalk it up to being a DSM and when i start seeing fluid on the ground again i will take a closer look at it.