well a few days ago when i got my car back from the tranny shop dude said ive got a small coolant leak near back of pass side engine. well i drove home and coolant kinda steadily came out once i parked. well i popped the hood cuz white steam was coming out. couldnt locate it but it was one of the heater hoses i thought. so, i repalced the LONG one today and the car was low on coolant (around where the line goes to the rad is where it was filled to) so i drove it up to autozone right quick to check for leaks (only hissed n **** at running temp) so i checked for leaks none, good to go, so i go inside and buy some 50/50 and head back out i pop my hood and pour it in the recovery tank, well, i started my car up and i was standing there looking under the car for leaks and what not when i popped my head up bubbles were coming out of the recovery tank i could see them exit the rad / tank line and head up i thought "hey, air bubble... but why isnt the coolant level lowering? OH **** ITS BOILING OVER!" so i ran looked at temp gauge and it was at like 40 billion degrees so i slammed the key off and ran back up front. well, at the upper rad hose on the rad i saw steam and thought **** that hose is gonna rip off, about 3 seconds after i took off running i heard PSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH looked back and my engine bay was just white steam.

well in the end my rad cracked right on the side/front below the upper rad hose.

my uncle danny said the reason it blew is because i added coolant without the car running and it cause like an air pocket or something and it boiled over.


so... it sucks for me because i have nearly no money to go to chicago with (going to UTI on june 14th) and now my car is non-running shape and i JUST dropped 792 on a rebuilt trans last thursday.

what should i do, a new stock radiator is 116 bucks. ive seen the griffin but i think its like 200 and i dont have that kinda cash. hell ive got a 100+ ticket to pay so that i dont have to drive 8 hours back to ky on july 12th.


ugh.

 

If your radiator is aluminum, with plastic end tanks (most are, if they're original), a radiator shop can replace the busted end tank, probably for about $50. If you want to go cheaper than that, you'll have to head to the local pick-your-part yard.

 

yea i bought a radpro radiator for 101 bucks today. so w/e its cool.

 

Glad that worked out for you, but I gotta say, that was very entertaining...you should be a writer. That 40 billion degrees comment almost split my side open as I tried to visualize you doing all that...

 

^burnout.



lol

 

man i just dropped my thermostat (180 bought it less than 6k miles ago, less than 6 months too) wont move in boiling water. at all... the spring doesnt compress and the entire assembly just doesnt mvoe at all. could the car over heating have done this or could this have been why it overheated and not an air buble as thought?

 

My guess would be that the thermostat wasn't opening and so it blew...

 

Beleive it or not I had a rad cap that held no pressure, coolant boiled and blew the plastic tanks. So for $3 replaced that with a 16lbs cap.

 

"40 billion degrees "

ouch! You must have felt the heat from that!

 

A cap that holds no pressure will do that as well...you are correct.