alright this is what it looks like under the radiator cap....brown clay like nastiness. Would doing a coolant flush help fix this or is it to far gone? the coolant reservoir is also bone dry. i am no car expert just a dude trying to learn how to fix my first car project. So basically where would you start if you were me and saw this.........

 

flush it out real well with a hose. disconnect upper and lower rad. hose first. In rare instances you may clog it doing this. Put in the proper amount of coolant. I change my coolant three times per year. (Daily driver). replace your rad. cap keep a close eye on temp. or pick up a new unit. bout $100. good luck.

 

3 times a year is far too often. Once every 2 years should be sufficient with any vehicle. That looks terrible though, I'd image there is massive buildup on the bottom, and it might not be able to be flushed out.
That would cause your car to overheat if there's massive buildup.....and that's not assuming you have a compression leak into the cooling jacket. That stuff looks nasty =(

 

id replace the rad and hoses and flush the crap out of the block.

 

My radiator looked just like that. I flushed it and ran it to temp and flushed it about about 10 times, then I put some actual flush stuff in the cooling system and ran it about 70 miles then flushed it all another 5 or 6 times. My water pump, both heater core hoses, radiator, radiator hoses, and heater core were all leaking. I replaced it all for less than $200 and now the antifreeze is green as can be!

 

that reminds me, i gotta flush my trucks rad, it looks almost as bad as that one. but then again, its just a beater.

 

i would also do what they said, but i dont see any coolant in your picture and you said the overflow bottle is empty....i would fill and pressure test the system, find out were it is going.

 

Man that was the same crap my 89 5.7L did! Its casting sand that has loosened up over the years because during manufacturing they didnt take the sufficient time to clean all the access out. 20 years down the road this is what you get. Its a straight up menace to get rid of and it kills your cooling efficiency. It'll clog your thermostat or the reserve tank causing it to purge with a burst of brown crap all over your hood. Honestly I did everything from change radiators to buying a full on flushing kit from jegs and still it came back to haunt me, the only way I got rid of it was getting the motor completely rebuilt and ran through an acid wash at a machine shop. But that isnt always manageable due to cost lol I found though that drilling about two or four 1/8 inch holes in the thermostat allows some of the larger particles to pass through without compromising the flow. be careful when drilling the holes though, wear gloves and use a low drill speed to keep from locking the bit up making the thermostat spin viciously! Good luck!!!

 

I couldn't just get a new radiator?? I just flushed it as much as I could. But now I've found a new problem! It won't even hold a tank of coolant for more than a minute... It is completely leaking from the bottom of the radiator. Thought it was the plug but I replaced it and found it still leaks the same. Would a new radiator fix everything?

 

depends on where its leaking. if its the radiator leaking then yes replacing it will fix the leak. if its something like a hose or the pump leaking then replacing the radiator wont do anything.

and people have been drilling holes in tstats for years for "performance" gains. truth be told it doesnt really do anything seeing as coolant will always be flowing in a limited manner and the holes dont really add much to the flow.

 

The leak looks to be the entire bottom edge of the radiator parallel to the plug. ( but like I said not the plug cause I replaced it)

 

iroc 2121 is right on with the sand and you need to get it cleaned up.

 

I would first make sure the water is not dribbling down from above and just running along that seam.

But sounds like the tank is busted. Replace it and keep flushing the hell out of your cooling system. I'm sure that casting sand is doing nothing for the longevity of your water pump... lol

 

WOW

 

Let us know how it works after it is all cleaned up.

 

i had an issue like this. turned out it was a wire in the lower rad hose that had rusted. i don't know why it had a wire in it (support?) but the replacement good year hose had no such wire.

 

the wire is there too keep the older hoses from collapsing from the suction of the water pump. newer hoses dont need the wire.

 

alright so I took the radiator out. Is there anyway to test or inspect it out of the car to determine its bad? (pretty sure it is). Also the hoses look like they have that brown crap in them as well so Im wondering how bad the insides are now. Are flush kits any good? Would I need to completely overhaul this whole cooling system? Like thermostat, water pump, radiator, hoses, tank? This project was meant to be a resell for profit so Im trying to break the bank here. So hopefully I dont have to replace and engine like iroc2121 did.

Also sorry it took me so long to reply to all you guys, my first son was just born, so time has been limited!

 

Resell? Best course of action would have been to flush with agent several times and fill it up. But it sounds like the rad is leaking now. A rad shop can test it for you.

Make sure you clean the oveflow tank if you are selling. A crusty tank looks terrible to a buyer. It's difficult to clean because the only access to it is the fill hole. Remove it from the car and set it in soapy water for a day to loosen up the chunks.

 

is there a way i can flush it without the radiator in?

 

Its really drilled so the air will bleed out faster and your Tstat opens at the correct temp.
Not really anything to do with "performance" of the car but the proper performance/ function of the Tstat.

 

UPDATE!!!!: alright everybody heres what i did.
-Flushed the hell outta the radiator multiple times with water from the garden hose.
-Replaced both top and bottom hoses with new ones.
-Picked up some radiator cleaner and flush.
I am in the process of running the cleaner at the moment (needs to be driven 3 to 6 hours).
this is tough to do cause i dont have tabs and do get them i need to pass emissions which i cant do yet most likely!
BUT its running and not overheating! Still is hesitating though and im not sure if it is a carb thing or trans.

 

HELP!!! I FOUND WHERE ITS OVER HEATING! HERE IS THE VIDEO I UPLOADED ON YOUTUBE:
http://youtu.be/Ei2eV5kcKvw
PLEASE HELP! WHY IS IT OVERHEATING THERE?

 

Hard to tell, I could see the steam in the wide angle shot, but whenever you went for a close up I couldn't see jack squat due to the camera focus and underexposure.

The only thing that should be able to leak in that area would be the heater core hoses.

Unless somehow the back of the head has a crack in it or something. Which is much less likely.

 

When it over heats it only takes about 10 minutes and then it's over 260+. Would the heater core houses do that? I can run the heater on full blast and feel it sitting inside.

 

Remember your cooling system is a pressurized system to keep the coolant from boiling in addition to additives in the coolant that increase its boiling point.

 

I hope it is not a rusted freeze plug back there.

 

Rusted freeze plug? What exactly is that and how do I fix it?

 

Engine removal, and off to the shop for replacement.

 

Ok that sounds pretty bad... How do I check to see if this is the case

 

freeze plugs are brass plugs placed in various places on the block. they're there to keep the block from cracking if the water in it freezes and expands. it pushes out the freeze plug instead of cracking the block. some freeze plugs can be gotten to with the engine still in the car, some require some very creative thinking or removing the engine.

 

So say one of these freeze plugs went toast. Would the engine still be drivable? Other than overheating after about ten minutes I can still drive it alright and reach speeds over 60 no prob. I'm just hoping my problem is simpler than this

 

rusted/missing/damaged freeze plug means the cooling system cant hold pressure and cant work as intended as well as it will leak. depending on the size of the hole rusted in it, or how much its poped out of the block determines how fast the water leaks out. while its still drivable with a busted freeze plug, i wouldnt do it. you run the risk of overheating the engine and causing major damage.

 

Any idea where I can find a diagram of where these freeze plugs are located?

 

you can see them in these pics, its the bright and shiney brass plugs.

 

the ones under the motor mounts and bellhousing flange pretty much require pulling the engine to get to.

 

The way I have cleaned them out is to park the car in the grass and get the water hose and loosen the lower rad hose and stick the hose in the radiator and turn it on and leave it for about 15 minutes. I also remove the t-stat for good flow through the top of the motor. I also remove the heater core hose from the top of the rad and run a ton of water through that and other hoses I can get to. After running up the water bill about ten bucks I put in a 170 stat with one small hole drilled to get rid of air and a gallon of green antifreeze, distilled water which does not cause rust and corrosion, two bottles of water wetter or purple ice, 1 bottle of lubricant and a new cap. I also check for leaves and crap in between the rad and condensor and make sure the baffle and air dam are not broken. Then get rid of the factory fans and get one 16 inch fan that blows at least 3500cfm and a way to control it. A pusher fan and a way to control it. A fan for the trans cooler and a way to control it. A be cool radiator or equivalant with samco hoses, new aluminum water pump and belt and your done.

 

And you've suddenly spent way more than this guy can probably afford.

I doubt he needs a BeCool radiator for his setup. Sure its great, but there comes a time to balance the budget with the urge to splurge.

 

Yeah that's pretty much true. Although I do appreciate any and all advice I am try to keep this simple as possible. Whats up with drill a hole in the stat? I actually drill it I the stat or what? And this is usual?

 

Well I forgot to mention that it took about a year and a half for all of the water pumps and radiators and electronics but it all started seeing the mud when I took the cap off and pulling the car on the grass and getting the water hose. That part happened that day and actually happened about three times to get all of the crud out. Then living in Arkansas where all the heat is and having to deal with overheating. We usually have a month over 100 and two months in the mid to high 90s. I always drill a small hole in the stat to help get rid of any air bubbles in the system. That will overheat you quicker than anything. Plus it allows a slight bit of coolant to continually flow helping to keep it cool. Heat rises and the slight bit of coolant helps keep the heat down and flowing towards the radiator.

 

i've never drilled a hole in the tstat... ever... if it was intended for that dont you think they would sell a modified tsat that was drilled for optimal flow? In your case i say check the freeze plugs and the check to see if your collant hose came off the metal pipe long the frame rail. yet another place that could be messed with. As far as the radiator goes... i would replace any radiator that leaked.. I know because i have replaced mine twice. Once was my fault though but i found them both for around 65 bucks a piece...

 

They do. Almost every thermostat I've seen recently has a small bleeder hole.

 

Lots of cars especially race cars will have a metal disc with a certain size hole to restrict water long enough to keep it in the radiator just lng enough to get rid of the heat and quickly back to the motor. Boats with sbc and bbc use this method since the lake is the radiator. The hole trick is a trick we have used for decades. Like putting clothes pins on a fuel line will help keep fuel from overheating. Ever heard of that? Been doing that since the 70s. Hard to find clothes pins anymore.

 

FINAL ANSWER:
Finally found the source of my problem! It was the heater control valve and an old hose. One of the hoses connecting from the heater control valve back to the engine (behind the rad) would leak only after it got to a certain point of overheating after about 10 minutes or so (making it hard to find when checking without enough time waiting). So got me a new hose ($22 bucks Oreilly) and a heater valve (18.99 Oreilly) and now im rolling! I want to thank everybody for their help with replies I appreciate it.
Also here is a pic of the heater control valve if any of you were like me and didnt know what it was

 

Way to go Jimmy that's the way to get things fixed yourself. You stuck with it like a true Third Genner.

 

Seeing this thread made me try to remember when I last had my radiator flushed. I knew it had been awhile. So today I had my mechanic flush her out. Happy to report that all was well, the coolant was alittle dirty but still very green. But thats one less thing too worry about.

 

Yes sir this was a good thread.

 

way to problem solve! thank god it wasnt a freeze plug. i thought one of my freeze plugs in the rear of the engine went one time. took out the driveshaft and trans just to find out they were fine. i replaced them anyway and the rear main seal while i was under there but it sucked to see they were fine. turned out to be the wall that needs the silicone bead on the back of the engine where the manifold base sits. ive also had that heater valve go too. twice within the year. i did some research and just ended up removing it. it cleans up the engine bay a little and makes for a less leak prone cooling system. the only draw back is your a/c wont run quite as cool. but mine never worked so its gone too. lol