My car hates me

[CanuckQx4]

Im having a damn time getting my cars cooling system back up and running and I dont want to cook anything on my way to work tomorrow and figured this is the only place to ask at this time of night.

This is on an 20001 Qx4 with VQ35DE engine. Just earlier this week I put in a new thermostat and radiator and lower rad hose. I filled it up and thought everything was good.

I tried to pop my cap of the other day to check the fluid level and the engine sat all day but coolant still rushed and blew everywhere, so I know its not full. Then I tried to top it up with the car running on an incline to get rid of air bubbles, didnt work, after 10min of idling the coolant started gourging and rushing out of the rad and I couldnt take it anymore. Are you supposed to be able to idle with the cap OFF for a long time???

Now today I popped my cap off when the engine was cold, and ofcourse, the coolant wanted to rush, bu I only untwisted it so alot of coolant simply went into the overflow.

So tomorrow I want to get this right!!! I need to take my front bumper off to empty the now full overflow. But I really dont get why its gushing out all the time and I wasnt able to idle for a long time with the cap off to get all the bubble out, could it be freaking out because I have air in the system??

Appreciate any help!!

[Razi]

Do you have the factory service manual?
There should a procedure on how to bleed your coolant of air.

[alms24sebring]

That sounds wierd that it is gushing when cold. It is ok to leave the cap off but only from a cold start, thats how you bleed it. There has to be a giant air bubble somewhere. What seems to work for me when I keep getting huge overflow problems is that when you start it cold, rev it up high a couple times before it gets hot so the waterpump forces that air out. Also, did you put in the thermo the right way? With the little hole facing up? Just asking.

[CanuckQx4]

Yes there is a engine bleed plug, which I used. But I still think theres air in the heatercore, even though I had the heat setting put on max like the manual says to open that valve.

I just dont get why i cant take off my rad cap with the car COLD without coolant wanting to rush out of there. Or when I openned it after starting it, just a litle coolant came out, but then it started going crazy after 10min or so (a post I read told me to idle for 20ish min and rev and squeeze hoses to get all air out) But after half that time coolant started going everywhere and I wasnt comforatable proceeding, like coolant was jumping a few inches out of the neck.

My car isnt acting the way the manual says. My resevoir is now 2.5 - 3" above the max fill line 9and it might have been for the last 2 times I popped the cap off I didnt look) so I need to drain that no matter what.

Would the resevoir being to full cause this crap??

[CanuckQx4]

That sounds wierd that it is gushing when cold. It is ok to leave the cap off but only from a cold start, thats how you bleed it. There has to be a giant air bubble somewhere. What seems to work for me when I keep getting huge overflow problems is that when you start it cold, rev it up high a couple times before it gets hot so the waterpump forces that air out. Also, did you put in the thermo the right way? With the little hole facing up? Just asking.

Thermostat couldnt have been put in wrong, they dont sell it seperate for my car, it comes straight from nissan already assembled and installed in the water neck and you just throw the old thermostat/neck away

[ADDirishboy]

My car hates me

Join the club.

[CanuckQx4]

But this is important!!

[Rex]

With the engine cold and after topping off the radiator through the cap, try slowly squeezing the upper rad house and see if you can "burp" any air out of the system.

You may also want to run the engine to warm/hot with the nose in the air. It should continue to draw fluid from the overflow tank if there's any air in the system.

[CanuckQx4]

Im usrious though, should I be able to idle for a LONG time with the rad cap off? Like the water would just never boil and assuming it stays under operating temps, why would my coolant go all crazy bursting out of the cap like it did when I left the cap off for 10min and running, mind you its also -5 atleast here so its not like a nice summer hot day or anything

[Rex]

The "gushing out" you see (even when cooled) is the air trying to get out and pushing the coolant out of it's way (if you will).

Seriously, try jacking the front of the car up so the rad cap is the highest part of the cooling system. Then do your best to burp the system. It won't get all the air out, but it will help.

[Rev_D21]

There should be a bleeder port either near the throttle body(10mm bolt) or on the back side of the engine(little tube poking out between the engine and the fire wall with a rubber condom on it).

[CanuckQx4]

There is definetely a tube on the firewall with a little condom on it I just went and checked after seeijng your post, that is cnnected to the cooling system?? I thought it was for the a/c system or such.

This morning I tried a few things though, I pulled my front bumped, grill and headlight to the get the overflow bottle out. I then noticed the overflow rubber hose connecting it to the rad was pinched between the overflow and the body, I cant tell if it was almost completely pinched off but the hose was prety beat I replaced it.

So I reinstalled the resevoir, topped up the rad with about a liter of coolant and put the resevoir upto the min line.. Started the car with the cap on, idle for 30 seconds then I went to pop the cap off, sure enough, coolant was a coming

I had to get here to work so I simply revved it a few times (didnt see any foamy air bubbles or anything just good coolant going on the ground) so I capped the rad and came to work

[lamuncha]

I would run the thing for a few days, watch the gauge, let it burp itself out the overflow. The water pump/heat pressurize the system while running. It should relax when stopped. That it gushes when cold tells me it cannot relax so something is in back asswards.
Does the gauge act as it did before you messed around? Like sit on C for a few minutes then climb to normal?

Did you double/triple check the new unit to be sure it is the correct one, with the proper spring?

Your care may not hate you now but I think it will shortly.

[CanuckQx4]

Ya gauge acts completely normal, stays way down for about 3 min then slowly creeps up to the middle and stays put. My aftermarket temp gauge gives me an actual readout. And while driving 40+ mph my car doesnt get over 130*
At idle it climbs up there though

No I did not do any checks to the new thermostat and housing, it looked identical, well built (its nissan OEM) and bolted in fine...

[Rev_D21]

That tube is connected to the cooling system and will gush coolant once all the air is out of the system.

[CanuckQx4]

Sooo take it off with the car running?? With the rad cap closed. Air will come out followed by coolant?

[Rev_D21]

No, make sure the rad cap is off, remove the condom from the tube, fill the radiator with coolant until coolant pours out of the tube. Once that happens put the condom back on, start the engine and run it until the t-stat opens. Best way to do this is to use ramps so the front of the truck is higher than the heater core. I have a funnel I use that fits the neck of the radiator perfectly, I'll stick that in there with a little coolant in it. Once bubbles cease the system should be clear. No need to rev the engine at all really.

[Rex]

Not to beat a dead horse, but do whatever you can to get the nose of the car up in the air, even if only a few inches. Every little bit helps the air move it's way up/forward so it can get out.

[CanuckQx4]

Ya that makes sence, I figured my driveway fairly steep incline would be good, but I guess jacking it up 10 more inches wouldnt hurt!!