Cordero51

yeah I drove the car around like usual and I parked the car at a lot and when I got out I heard this swishing noise and I was like wtf, and when I went in front of my car I saw that a whole crapload of coolant started to gush out from the bottom of the car I immediately popped the hood open and I saw steam coming from the engine and coolant it everywhere in the engine bay I put the car to the on position and I saw that the temp was reading only little bit over the 220 line(it was below this when I was driving around and when I turned it off) and I waited a few minuets to give the car a chance to cool off. I turned it on and put the heat on to try to cool off the engine as much as possible and the temp went almost up to the 4th line I think that's 240 which is way past the normal temp. and when I parked the car home i heard the same swishing noise and i popped the hood again and the engine was steamy it was coming from the front like where the belt and fan is. anybody know wtf happened and can i fix this easily? also im gonna check the car out in a few hours after it properly cooled off and im gonna have to put more coolant in it cause it lost a lot! so where do i exactly fill her up? like in the rad cap, or in the coolant resorvior and how do i figure how much should i put in. this is my dd and i got work tmrw so if anybody can lend me a hand much appreciated

p.s. this happened to me once before like last summer but it was because i floored it on the gas and than i parked it immediately and than coolant shot out of the coolant reservoir i changed the rad cap and never happened after that, this time it came from the bottom area, i couldn't figure out where exactly

Cordero51

update: I took the rad cap off and I saw mudd like substance all underneath it and in the radiator is that a blown head gasket or need a glush??

ozmike00

sound like a blown head gasket but thats a pretty easy fix on a small block

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like a hose exploded.

Calm down; gather your wits about you; employ your keenly honed, superior powers of observation. Don't act like a helpless teenage girl. (even if that's what you are; that's no way to go through life) The broken part will probably be plenty obvious.

Most likely, not a head gasket or any of that.

87hellbird

Ok when the engine is cool one of the bigger signs of a head gasket blow is coolant in the oil, if you are worried about that check. There has the be a reason that so much pressure caused then blew up. My thoughts are that you need to replace the thermostat as you said before its dirty inside so if the thermo isnt opening cause its stuck shut from all the crap til it hit huge pressure releases and blows something probably a hose.

Cordero51

I checked the oil and the tranny dip stick and they both looked normal had no wiered color to them, I couldn't see any blown hoses but its already black out and I was using a flashlight so tmrw morning il go n thoroughly check. if its just the thermostat should I replace that and do a radiator flush as well? as of right now I just put some water an a bit of freeze in the reservoir cause I lost a lot so first thing tmrw before work il go buy a new one

t-top havoc

iTrader: (3)

If you can get a ride to autozone, oreileys, etc, rent a coolant pressure tester.
Follow the directions & see if you can see coolant coming from the hoses // radiator.
As said above, check for water // coolant in the oil.
Like sofakingdom said, take a breath & check everything. Could be anything from a bad hose to a bad radiator or thermostat.

Ask around for ride to work // school til you get it figured out.

87hellbird

It very well could be the radiator blowing as well. So check that and really no matter what its not a bad idea to keep up on the thermastat its a very cheap and easy thing that can do a lot of bad! If you find where it is coming from and fix it I would say fix it and flush it.

Cordero51

yeah today i popped the hood open and i notice this, i think thats were the hose fell off? im not sure if there even is supposed to be hose cause i jiust notice it but if thats my problem what size do i need to replace it and where the heck is it supposed to connect to? also if u look in the secound pic you can see that crud thats in the radiator, would it be safe for me to drive to a mechanic shop cause i have no idea how to flush it myself and i cant see rust crap floating in the coolant resorvoir aswell.

Ransford2987

Maybe a plug went there? Or a sensor? Grab some water and fill that thing up until you see water coming out. If it holds water (which is doubtful unless you fixed something), then you can probably run it until you get some place to get it fixed. Under no circumstances would I drive it with no water in it. It isn't worth it. Pay the 40 bucks for a tow to a nearby shop and get it flushed or checked out at the very least. It also could be an over pressure condition with that much crap blocking the tubes in there that caused that sound you heard. Make sure to use antifreeze when you fill it back up, not just water.

Cordero51

alright thanks and should i try to fill it up throught the coolant resovior tank or through the radiator itself?? would tap water work for this temporarly?

rs89todd

is your coolant overflow cap stock? i got one from crappy tire and put it on and it would blow up like a baloon and it blew coolant threw the plastic seams and ended up cracking it, i took it off and no problems.

if its not that i think you "vented" threw your rad cap and now have an air bubble in your cooling system

for water, id use anything i could drink, ive seen some nasty tap water, but it does not cool as well as prestone mix. why did you car overheat in the first place? is your cooling fan working properly?

87hellbird

Fill it through the rad cap and see where it comes out. Water is actually a better coolant then coolant but doesn't have preventing of corrosion and will freeze thats why you get anti-freeze. could you take a better pix of it? so I can see how far down it is?

Ransford2987

Taking everything else said into account, you'll probably need some decently pressurized water to break up that sludge build up. It also may take forever to flush it out, but you need to make sure you do that. It may be easier to take the radiator out and flush it, so if you have some tools it shouldn't be too tough. When you refill that radiator, refill it from the cap like 87hellbird said and leave it off the first time you start it up. Wait for the temp to come up and then once you see level rising in the radiator, put the cap on, watch the coolant reservoir for bubbles, and shut it down after it's running at temperature and steady. If it gets too hot, or after its steady at temp, shut it down and wait for it to cool off. Then check the radiator level and refill as necessary. Let us know what you find with that leak.

87hellbird

Ransford2987 newer guy killin it! haha

Ransford2987

hahaha, yeah thanks...I just saw this coming so I figured I'd throw it in there. I enjoy the idea of free information, so I'm doing my part to perpetuate this idea with what little knowledge I have. If there's anything else you guys know or something I got wrong, feel free to correct. It will be well received

Cordero51

I have no idea really Wat caused this to happen, the ran fine when I was driving it. I just decided to pull into a store and park it and once i turned hr car off and immediately all the coolant shot outa the car the temperature was fine and everything but once I restarted the car the temp whent up to 240 so there was like no prewarning signs


@87hellbird pictures of what evactly? More of the sludge that's in the radaiator? Wil do I'm just at work now so il let u know when I get home. O and should I drain all the old coolant out of the radiator before I fill it up with water and new anti freeze?

Ransford2987

The overheating is probably due to to all of that sludge coating the heat transfer surfaces in the block. I had a 94 ford ranger that was boiling the water in the coolant. Turned out ro be a sludge problem. I did a significant flush until the water was clear and it solved the problem. It might not be the same for you, but it sounds like an over pressure condition from boiling/blockage.

abray1

First wash the system and get it clean. I usually stick the water hose in mine and let it run for 15 minutes through the rad and then stick it in the t-stat housing and clean out the engine side. Get a 170 stat, new rad cap and make sure the front air dam is on and doing its job. I like 60/40 water to antifreeze and 2 bottles of purple ice which is good for about 12 to 15 degrees. New hoses would be nice if its a new car or been 5 years plus since you changed them. Autozone has the goodyear high miler hoses that I usually use and I get new clamps also. If you live in a hot climate like I do and you plan on keeping the car for life like I am then you can get serious about your cooling. To get very serious you will need an aluminum 2 rows of 1 inch tubes radiator. A fan change will also help and I got a taurus fan and it was the best cooling investment I ever made. Those fans are INCREDIBLE and I got mine for $45.00. They also made a factory resettable fuse that plugs into the fan harness on the 95 models. In 103 degree temp mine gets one needle width above 180 and thats it and I have a seeping head gasket. The trick is air flow and a decent rad.

Cordero51

Alright thanks, I plan on doing the whole flushing tnrw because I don't work, correct me if I'm wrong but the tstat is somwhete in the upper hose thats connected to the radiator? And that pic where I posted the red arrow is there actually supposed to a hose there ? Or is it just something that I might've just notice now mines carbd not tpi btw.

Ransford2987

Your thermostat will be on the top of the intake manifold, in the front, on the driver side. If you follow the upper rad hose to the engine, at the end of that hose is the water neck that the hose is connected to. Take that off (2 bolts) and there's your thermostat. Remember to note the correct position of the thermostat (spring side goes down).

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Buy a Repair manual, it will be money saved in the long run!

87hellbird

@87hellbird pictures of what evactly? More of the sludge that's in the radaiator? Wil do I'm just at work now so il let u know when I get home. O and should I drain all the old coolant out of the radiator before I fill it up with water and new anti freeze?[/quote]

Pix of the part that you thought had a cap or hose on it. Or did nothing come out when you filled it?

87hellbird

@87hellbird pictures of what evactly? More of the sludge that's in the radaiator? Wil do I'm just at work now so il let u know when I get home. O and should I drain all the old coolant out of the radiator before I fill it up with water and new anti freeze?[/quote]

I was wanting a pix of the part you thought may have had a plug on it or a hose, Like a pix from inside the engine bay so you can see how far down it is from the top so I can tell what was on it. Or did anything come out when you filled it?

Cordero51

yeah i went and filled the radiator up with water not flush it or anything but to see where exactly where it was leaking. and when i first started to fill it up nothing happend but when i started to get almost full it started to gush out from the bottom of the car. i looked under and it looks like its leaking whatever is behind the serpentine belt. so it looks like i wouldnt be able to even drive to the mechanics but id have to towe it. anyone have any idea how much the repair would cost? . cause im leaving for the military soon so if its too much than wont be worth it

Ransford2987

Is the hose to the water pump still connected? My guess would be that or the water pump is leaking or broken. Try to look at the water pump and take some pics.

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Water pumps will leak behind the pulley when they go out.

8 bolts and it is swapped.

Very simple repair. $50 part

Cordero51

pics fixed and is that somthing i could do, like a novice job or would i need like a pro to swap it out?

Ransford2987

You can do it yourself for sure. Take the belt off, remove the water pump bolts and the water pump then clean the gasket surfaces, bolt on the new pump, and torque it down. I don't know the torque specs off hand, so maybe someone following this thread can post them...if you have a torque wrench that is. My 90 manual says 30 ft-lbs, but I don't know if that's the same.

Cordero51

yeah im sorry but do i take off the fan first than the upper rad hosses lossen the belt and than remove the water pump? kinda confused as to where exactly it is located

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

That's why I said buy a repair manual.

Cordero51

Update: I did a flush and all this brown crap came out and the resorvoir coolant was filled with chunks of mud, how do I go about takeing the propeller fan off cause my socket wrenches are havin a hard time getting into T the 4 bolts that is holdin it

Ransford2987

Do you have some deep sockets? Is the issue that the bolts (or studs) are too long for the sockets to reach the nuts? Or do you just need an extension? It's hard to tell what the problem is...

khulsebus

iTrader: (2)

The first pic on post 9, that is for the heater core. Not sure which cars had that, but my '91 RS did where as my '85 TA did not. If your heater core already has both lines running to it, just plug it. I believe I got mine from the HELP! section when I removed my heater from the '91. And like Johnny Blaze mentioned, water pumps leak from behind the pulley when they go bad.

Cordero51

im talking about the 4 bolts that hold the fan i cant seem to remove them with a wrench and with a socket wrench the socket fits but i cant connect it with the wrench part cause there not enough room

edit: im guessing i need a fan clutch wrench size 36??

Ransford2987

Just a regular wrench, dude...

Dakota W.

That's not sludge, that's casting sand in your block from when the engine was cast and wasn't cleaned out properly. My old 305 had the same problem, I flushed and flushed and flushed it, but it wasn't good enough to get it all out. The only way you'll ever really get it out is to have the engine dis-assembled and the block cleaned out.

Cordero51

yeah im past the clutch fan i was just being retarted and couldnt get it out, anyways i just took out the water pump out and cleaned off the remaing old gasket off,can somon1 tell me what this is called and what size is it cause i cant take it off the old one so id rather just buy a new one instead
and disassembling the engine to take all the sand off = way too much work for me

Jersey89GTA

iTrader: (1)

Looks like a hose nipple to feed heater ... Size ? take the old one to NAPA, I'd guess 5/8", 3/4 at most.

khulsebus

iTrader: (2)

Correct, that would be for the heater core.

Dakota W.

No, it's INSIDE the engine. It's not something a novice mechanic should even attempt, but you will eventually have the same problem again. I replaced my radiator and flushed my entire system repeatedly, but the mud just kept coming back.

Cordero51

update: i replaced the water pump, thermostat, and all the hoses and yet it still overheated. i let the car idle abit to let the tstat open up and within the 5-10min idle of the car the temp shot up at the redline. also i saw that it was still leaking abit near the same location before but just not as much so i have no idea what it could be, the only thing i didnt replace. is the lower hose that connects the rad to the water pump cause it looked good so im stumped. could i just need a new radiator??

Johnny Blaze

iTrader: (15)

Pressure test the cooling system!

TA

iTrader: (1)

He is right. If you pressure test the cooling system, you will be able to hear/see it bubble from where ever it is leaking from. You might have missed with a hose clamp or you might have completely missed the problem. Many auto parts stores will rent or even loan cooling system pressure testers.

Also, the brownish crud in your system is stop leak, somebody apparently put a ton of it in there. It is not as bad as lit looks to the engine, but it is hard on water pump seals, so that might have been the start of this whole mess. You can go through all the hassle of trying to clean it out, but it will make little functional difference, apart from perhaps uncovering the leak it was sent in to seal.

Thank you in advance for your service
TA

TA

iTrader: (1)

It is stop leak. It coats every hose and valve, all the little passages in the radiator and the heater core both, as well as every little bit of the coolant passages in the heads and block. It will not wash off with water, or it would not make a good stop leak. Most importantly, having it floating around in your coolant does not hurt anything, but it looks like rust-mud. The stuff really works, it's just not pretty.

Dakota W.

When it dries it crumbles like sand. The 305 block is sitting 5 feet away from me. Mine isn't stopleak, but the OP's could be.

Richboll

If it's still leaking water, you still have a problem. The very least part of it being that your system is not able to hold pressure. You need to have your system not leaking in order to be able to diagnose and resolve your overheating problem.

Cordero51

Well I called around and there saying it cost 100 to even just rent one of the cooling pressure kits so I'm just gonna have to wait until I get paid to do that


edit: the leak went away randoml, the two hoses that go to the heater core get hot when the engines running but the upper rad and lower hose stay pretty cold is that normal??

Jersey89GTA

iTrader: (1)

Top main hose off of rad to T stat should get hot, especially if stat opens.

Sounds like radiator may be clogged.

What kind of belts do 85 - 305s have - serpentine or individual types ?
Water pump spins in reverse w/ serpentine, maybe they gave you the wrong pump ? Just throwing ideas out there ..