overheating!!!!! please help

[WideBodyCharlie]

hey guys, i am at a loss. my rb20 has been overheating for like a year now! first i got a new radiator{stock 240, should have saved for bigger} then i replaced the thermostat {thanks for the easy write ups!} it's a autozone z32 thermostat, could it be faulty? the car slowly warms up and then after a little hard driving i'm overheating. it's like it's not opening. last night it heated up after 10 minutes driving, and then i took it home. when i went back outside to work on it, the block was still hot like an hour or 2 later. any ideas? i really don't want to spend 500 bucks on a koyo rad. and a waltro water pump. esp. if that's not the problem. thanks

p.s i am a horrible mechanic so if you think i might have done something really dumb when installing the thermostat, i probelly did.

[Darius]

Search for air ducting. Also pull your thermostat and make sure you installed it with the little hole with the pin through it on top. Shouldn't be causing an overheating problem, but that's the way it should be installed. You can test the thermostat on your stove according to the FSM. Basically heat up water and make sure the thing opens up at a reasonable temperature (~185).

[minivan_don]

ive never had much luck with anything BUT OEM t-stats (except for 1). and i hope you bled your system right.

also, you can get koyo's for like $300 US on ebay. i just bought one.

[WideBodyCharlie]

Search for air ducting. Also pull your thermostat and make sure you installed it with the little hole with the pin through it on top. Shouldn't be causing an overheating problem, but that's the way it should be installed. You can test the thermostat on your stove according to the FSM. Basically heat up water and make sure the thing opens up at a reasonable temperature (~185).

i searched air aucting to no avail. could you tell me what you wher thinking on that subject? so i emptied the rad of coolent before i installed the thermostat, but should i of bled it better? i what to drive my car so bad... i have put like 1000 bucks in it lately to get it running right, but i havn't addressed the heating issue. just got new turbo maf etc.

[Joe]

hey guys, i am at a loss. my rb20 has been overheating for like a year now! first i got a new radiator{stock 240, should have saved for bigger} then i replaced the thermostat {thanks for the easy write ups!} it's a autozone z32 thermostat, could it be faulty? the car slowly warms up and then after a little hard driving i'm overheating. it's like it's not opening. last night it heated up after 10 minutes driving, and then i took it home. when i went back outside to work on it, the block was still hot like an hour or 2 later. any ideas? i really don't want to spend 500 bucks on a koyo rad. and a waltro water pump. esp. if that's not the problem. thanks

p.s i am a horrible mechanic so if you think i might have done something really dumb when installing the thermostat, i probelly did.

sounds like you didnt bleed your coolant properly! make sure the car is fully warm and the heater is on full blast when you bleed it.

and the block will always be warm for a significant amount of time after it heats up.

[WideBodyCharlie]

sounds like you didnt bleed your coolant properly! make sure the car is fully warm and the heater is on full blast when you bleed it.

and the block will always be warm for a significant amount of time after it heats up.

so i leave the car running, trun the heat full blast and just un-hook the the large hose that goes to the thermostat housing? is that all or do i bleed it from somewhere else? thanks and sorry

[Joe]

no dont unhook that lol

here is how you bleed your car.

1) open radiator cap2) start engine3) let it warm up a little (wait till lower and upper radiator hoses are warm)4) turn heater on full blast5) open the bleeder screw. (its located near the front of the intake manifold on the right side between the manifold and the engine. its a 10mm bolt sticking out of a hardline. )6) wait till fluid comes out of the bleeder hole with no air mixed in. 7) add coolant to the radiator8) close bleeder9) drink beer.

[Carl H]

was the water pump changed when the swap was done, eikon had this same problem and it was due to non existant water pump fins moving no water.

[WideBodyCharlie]

[QUOTE=Carl H]was the water pump changed when the swap was done, eikon had this same problem and it was due to non existant water pump fins moving no water.

i believe it's a stock water pump. i should replace i guess. after i try to bleed it.

kamin-thanks for that info.

[Carl H]

not being mean man but if you have problems bleeding the cooling system DONT try to replace the water pump.

[Cpt_Impossible]

Kamin, the fsm says to close the bleeder and cap before you warm up the car. I tried it your way and fluid waas overflowing from my radiator cap within about 45 seconds. Am I doing something wrong?

[Joe]

close the BLEEDER or the RADIATOR cap?

you generally want to leave the radiator cap OPEN because if you dont you can build up pressure in the system and when you open the bleeder you can get a surge of fluid. thats bad because its hot. lol

[Eikon]

was the water pump changed when the swap was done, eikon had this same problem and it was due to non existant water pump fins moving no water.

zerothread?id=97865

Man that sucked!!!! After further review, that faulty water pump probably cost me $2000.00.

flight to WA state to pick up car and drive home + multiple hotel rooms... failed... $500

Last minute tickets home for me and poor friend who joined me.. $600

A fantastic deal on shipping the car to Wisconsin... $500

new radiator $200

pressure test $100

new t-stat $50

labor at a mechanic cause I was still a noob and didn't want to risk messing things up.. $250.

It was a rocky start with my RB20

[Cpt_Impossible]

IIRC the directions say to fill it, close it, start it, let it heat up. Turn it off let it cool down and repeat.

[Gold Digger]

no dont unhook that lol

here is how you bleed your car.

1) open radiator cap2) start engine3) let it warm up a little (wait till lower and upper radiator hoses are warm)4) turn heater on full blast5) open the bleeder screw. (its located near the front of the intake manifold on the right side between the manifold and the engine. its a 10mm bolt sticking out of a hardline. )6) wait till fluid comes out of the bleeder hole with no air mixed in. 7) add coolant to the radiator8) close bleeder9) drink beer.

After that, if you are still haveing overheating issues, try this. And it might sound completly retarded, but I had an issue much like yours when I had my KA'd 240 hatch.

Change the clutch fan.

I replaced everything except that when I had my issues with my KA. Rad, t-stat, water pump, hoses. Still overheated. Ask my dad's mechanic buddy and the first question he aske me, "Did you change the clutch fan?" That took care of it, and it made my car sound like an airplane at start up...lol

Now, I am not saying that's what it is, but if after you bleed your system and still having issues, try that. It just might work.

[skillzilla]

Im guessing he doesnt have a clutch fan , theres never room for them. That is a word though, have you checked any type of fan setup you have? ALso, maybe the thermostat was put in the wrong way? Like, sping side out?

[Gold Digger]

Im guessing he doesnt have a clutch fan , theres never room for them. That is a word though, have you checked any type of fan setup you have? ALso, maybe the thermostat was put in the wrong way? Like, sping side out?

He he...ya know, after I went through and re-read the thread, I don't know why I didn't notice he was driving an S-chassis with an RB...I am teh suk!

[WideBodyCharlie]

yeah i don't have a clutch fan. just 2 10" pusher fans. i reinstalled them on the front of the radiator. i didn't bleed it last night cuz it was raining but i am tonight. let's all prey to the nico gods that it fixes it. i want to enjoy my investment.

[jrb92se]

make sure that you have your fans wired properly and they are pushing and not pulling. i had some issues with my rb25 overheating when i bought it too (i did a write up on it here zerothread?id=188805) i had to put a panel under the car to direct air through the rad and hook up another fan on the front of the stock rad it definetly worked for awhile but i eventually ended up just buying a koyo because it started to run hot again also get a water temp gauge so you can better monitor whats going. its also supposed to be good to jack up the front of you car as high as possible when bleeding the system becaues the air will try to move to the highest point in the line. someone else on the board told me to get one of those radiator breather tank setups and from what ive read it is a good idea to have one of those so ill eventually get one too. good luck

[WideBodyCharlie]

make sure that you have your fans wired properly and they are pushing and not pulling. i had some issues with my rb25 overheating when i bought it too (i did a write up on it here zerothread?id=188805) i had to put a panel under the car to direct air through the rad and hook up another fan on the front of the stock rad it definetly worked for awhile but i eventually ended up just buying a koyo because it started to run hot again also get a water temp gauge so you can better monitor whats going. its also supposed to be good to jack up the front of you car as high as possible when bleeding the system becaues the air will try to move to the highest point in the line. someone else on the board told me to get one of those radiator breather tank setups and from what ive read it is a good idea to have one of those so ill eventually get one too. good luck

nice write up, concerning the panel, is it just flat across the bottom of the intercooler. or an angle? i couldn't tell. i have a stock i/c and a aftermarket front bumber{body kit with silvia face} just attach to the bottom of the bumper?

[Yellow4g63]

Another thing to note is with all this overheating you might have killed or weaken the headgasket. If your going to do some maintains on the car start with a new headgasket,water pump, Idler pulley and tensioner.

[Cpt_Impossible]

Here is a pic of the one I made, I actually bent it to hug the bottom of the fmic and the bottom of the radiator so that no air could get under.

[jrb92se]

i have a stock front bumper i just screwed it to the plastic lip that the stock underpanel wouldve been attached too look closely at the front portion of the bumper in the pics on the write up. i used home depot roofing valley roll i believe it was the 20inch kind. it was very easy to make i just cut a 31 by 9 inch piece out and held it under the car marked it for the tension rod mounts and cut. on the new one i just made (ive made a couple of em) i sprayed it with this under body coating stuff thats kinda like linex it looks sweet. since you have an after market kit i suggest that you go buy some poster board and make a template out of it before you try and make it out of metal it will be easier then just ruffing it out of sheet metal like i did. mine isnt attached to the front mount like his that one looks better i kinda have an air scoup under my fmic frim the front it looks like a figther jet,lol. i also rigged up a diy water spray kit with a stock s13 wiper bottle and some nozzles that spray mist instead of a straight stream.
Modified by jrb92se at 6:06 PM 10/20/2006

[Cpt_Impossible]

http://home.satx.rr.com/nissan...t.htm

Reading this should be mandatory for forum membership. it covers so many noob questions very well. They also made some similar ducting. Very good writeup!