86FirebirdV8350

heres what i've replaced so far...new water pump, new 180* thermostat, new coolant, and the fan is a manual flex fan bolted on the water pump....what could be the problem now? it gets crazy hot in traffic within 5 minutes...the air dam is intact...the only thing left to suspect is the radiator itself? could that really be something that would cause this?

brodyscamaro

What year is your car? Is the fan spinning the correct way for proper air flow? Also, I have had new thermostats that never open.

86FirebirdV8350

its an 86...the electric fan crapped out so i just put a flex fan on it...it blows the air towards the engine...is it supposed to? i always thought that it should blow it at the radiator...but anyways...do i need a radiator, it is kinda old...but the thermostat does work and so does the water pump and such

92 zzz28

Do you have a fan shroud? You said it had an electric before. If you do not put in a fan shroud, the air is not being pulled through the radiator. Take a picture of it if you can and post it if you are not sure.

And the fan is designed to pull air across the radiator to remove heat from it.

86FirebirdV8350

hmm...the fan shroud i do not have lol maybe thats my problem...but i do have a leaky radiator too, so maybe i should replace the radiator and get a shroud from the junk yard

mdr211

i hope youve already tried replacing your radiator cap...

92 zzz28

Yeah, I would do just that. With a leaky radiator, you won't hold pressure or coolant. No fan shroud, no air moving across radiator when moving slow or at stand still.

txhotRS

I'de replace the radiator anyways... if it's leaky.. AND MAKE SURE TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR CAP... it's small BUT can make a car overheat BIG TIME,, if you are any good at fabricating stuff... or making stuff fit... I'd get a fan shroud from almost any old chevy W/ a fan, and make it work on your car... either that... or since you will be in a junk yard ANYWAYS.. look for a replacement fan motor for your electric one (they are better in my opinion anyways... more engine room, no fan clutch to adjust, easier to reach crap when there is NO fan there, etc...
good luck

86FirebirdV8350

found an 84 with a shroud...got that and i put it in, also removed the other radiator in the front that hooked into the a/c because i already removed the ac components...doesnt overheat anymore, i also grabbed another radiator while i was there...i'll be puttin that in this weekend just to be on the safe side cuz i dont want it to leak anymore...thanks for all your replies...problem solved

92 zzz28

Good job.

txhotRS

creativity, and problem solving ARE the best assets for fixing any car... (that and a little bit of mechanical knowledge)
I hope it works well

Danno

If your rad is leaking you are not holding pressure. There's your answer. Without system pressure the boiling point of the coolant mix drops way down. Make sure the system can hold at least 15lbs before troubleshooting any further.

92 zzz28

But with a mechanical fan and not shroud, he has 2 problems. Sure a leaking radiator will cause a problem. And unsufficient airflow across the radiator will cause a problem as well. I think he got it fixed though. He put in a new radiator and got a shroud from the bone yard.

86FirebirdV8350

yeah i fixed it, i just grabbed a radiator and shroud from the junkyard, no more leaks, no more overheating...and that damn ac condensor was all clogged up too and was blockin air flow, and since i removed the ac i just pulled that out as well for more air flow