Cooling issues. . .

["Racer X"]

My new 240 heats up to almost max out the temperature gauge within 10 minutes of starting it up, I have no idea what is causing the problem, nothing i can tell by just looking at it, it just started doing this about a week after i bought it. a bud of mine and fellow 240 owner is going to replace the thermostat, but in case i need a new radiator i was wondering what the difference between the G1000-52650 Radiator 1-row metal tank/core and the G1000-125027 Radiator 1-row plastic/copper, which is better?

Also what's the best thermostat i can get for the price? any nismo thermostats floating around?

any general tips on how to keep my engine temp down below normal once i get this problem fixed would be appreciated as well!

[flohtingPoint]

[quote=""Racer X""]My new 240 heats up to almost max out the temperature gauge within 10 minutes of starting it up, I have no idea what is causing the problem, nothing i can tell by just looking at it, it just started doing this about a week after i bought it. a bud of mine and fellow 240 owner is going to replace the thermostat, but in case i need a new radiator i was wondering what the difference between the G1000-52650 Radiator 1-row metal tank/core and the G1000-125027 Radiator 1-row plastic/copper, which is better?

Also what's the best thermostat i can get for the price? any nismo thermostats floating around?

any general tips on how to keep my engine temp down below normal once i get this problem fixed would be appreciated as well![/quote]Did you do rudimentary checks, like see if your fluid for motion, or see what your fluid level is? Might be a hosed water pump. Other than that, thermos would be my next.

[hek1620]

mine overheats only when its a very hot day and i'm stting in traffic with the a/c on. i think its because of my small e-fan. but yeah dude ur probably not gettin much flow

[Slipstream]

Mine kept running hot when I would stop at a light or drive thru. Every time I turned on the heater full blast, it would drop in a second. It was my oil pressure sensor. The seal was leaking a some oil and was causing it to run hot. I didn't notice cause it's mounted right next to the oil filter and I thought the oil I saw was from the horizontally mounted filter. It was a $6 fix.

Hope this might help.

["Racer X"]

yeah, i would'nt know what to look for in any tests. . .anyone mind telling me step by step what to check for, like what my collant levels should be and how to tell what they are currently, etc.

Thanks you're all great!

[Slipstream]

As far as coolant I always just look in the resevoir and pop off the radiator cap and look. You can take it and get it checked with that UV dye. That's what I had to do. Cost me about $40, but better than cracking my block.

["Racer X"]

yep, my engine is definately leaking something possibly antifreeze. I tried to get my friend and 300z owner to 'test" the substance by taste just to make sure, he refused and thus we dont know what the liquid is for sure.

Anyways i was thinking about getting a new radiator, but wasnt sure of the benefits of going stock or koyo, will i see any boost in horsepower? what are the benefits of a cooler running engine?

It would be great if anyone knew the difference between the 2 radiators I have listed in the initial post: metal/core and the plastic/copper configurations.

[bryanmenard]

to check what's leaking, wipe the puddle with a clean, white napkin or paper towel. if it's green, it's coolant, unless you've got your radiator filled with water, in which case it would be clear.

Check your radiator cap. Make sure your overflow reservoir is PRESENT. You have no idea how many cars I've seen with them completely missing. I think they get damaged in accidents or just get old and crack and people just remove them. Check the radiator cap and make sure coolant's not backing up into that reservoir. The cap controls whether or not the radiator either overflows or pulls from the reservoir. If there were a problem with that radiator cap and it felt like blowing coolant out, if the hose going to the reservoir were damaged or missing...or if the reservoir itself was missing, it's absolutely possible the car would hose coolant all over the place and drain itself. YES, I have seen it happen.

As regards radiators...all metal is always superior to any of the half-plastic trash. The half-plastic ones will eventually leak. It's a certainty. It may take 5 years. It may take 10 years, but they WILL leak. I've never heard of increased horsepower from a cooling system. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. You can certainly benefit from better cooling of the engine with a decent radiator, thermostat, and water pump. As for horsepower, i've never heard of it.

It's not good to drive an overheating car. If you need to limp it somewhere, bring lots of water in the car (if it's leaking) and refill constantly. Open the windows and run the heater on FULL blast. This causes ambient air to flow over the heater core and uses it like a mini-radiator and can provide a limited degree of cooling.

Modified by bryanmenard at 11:19 AM 8/7/2005
Modified by bryanmenard at 11:20 AM 8/7/2005

[S13XERolinLo]

Dude it could be your gauge, is the engine compartment smoking? or really hot? Check your fan clutch make sure its good, could be water pump. and check the belt that runs the alternator, fan and water pump, my s13 ka-e broke the belt and overheatedand, and my gauge was always hot no matter what, there is a lot of stuff you can check before jumping to buying new expensive parts that you might not need. Do you have a manual? if so everything i stated would be in there so you can check.