Overheating still PLEASE HELP

[new_to_drift]

ok so i have had an overheting problem off and on for a while now.And now it is a major problem becuase i cant drive becausa eim scared of blowing my headgasket, or causing damage to my head.In the last 6 months i have replaced everything thermostat, radiator,radiator hoses, 2 12" electric fans instread of stock, and waterpump.I am thinking that it could be that the coolant passages are clogged.So i was going o take out my thermostat today and run the car and if it still overheats then thats the problem.Its weird though because if i fill my radiator and such with and new coolant, it works fine for like 3-4 days of daily driving then it will randomly start steaming out of the overflow tank.After it steams my car starts overheating again. Any help you can provide would be extremely helpful.Im going to try the thermostat idea today and ill post results.Thanks.

I drive a S13 with a 96 KA24DE motor if that helps.

[TheOne]

done compression check? checked for white smoke coming out of exhaust? checked if you are gettin flow from the waterpump?

i had a problem almost like this, i would fill up the rad again and 2-3 days or less it'd start overheating again, ended being an old worn out headgasket which in turn warped the head.(too much overheating)

also the stock water temp gauge will start to go up after the car has overheated somewhat.(as in, after such and such temp the gauge will just go up all the way)

also i said check coolant flow because a friend bought a water pump that was supposed to be new, but it was bad(the impeller wasn't moving at all).

[neverlift]

removing the tstat will make it worse.

Its there for the open/close to let the fluid flow and to increase pressure in the block, which raises the boiling point of the coolant.

[MoSinister]

If you pull the thermo, verify that it's good by suspending it in a pan of water and bring it to a boil. The thermostat should open before it gets to a boil (185° or so depending on the kind you bought).

[masterteque]

It sounds like your headgasket is already blown. Check with a sniffer from a gas analyzer to see if any hc's showing up. Make sure it doesn't get wet though. You'll ruin the bench in the machine....Or you can try and run it with the cap off and see if you are getting pressure out of the radiator. It will probably look like Old Faithful....Sounds like its blown.......

[WI_S14_Goldie]

get new head gasket, new water pump, new radiator...hows the condition of ur motor...

[neverlift]

just get the head shaved and a new hg. If your having problems like that, its the hg. white smoke is the omen of blown hg. If you can smell burnt coolant out the exhaust you have a blown hg. if your car keeps over heating after you spend ubber cash on upgrades and you still are overheating you have a blown hg and more than likely a warped head. I live with it every day. If you cant contain it with the mechanical fan your in trouble. Try the mechanical fan, it saved me till next summer at least.

[boznuttz]

oem thermostats open at 178 f, you Could look into a nismo thermo stat which opens at 143 f i beilieve. but on a n/a car that wont produce as much heat....its just an idea in this scenerio

[boznuttz]

and of corse like neverlift said, order fo operatiosn too. head gasket, THEN try the nismo thermostat, then try shaving the head.

[new_to_drift]

the car runs well though.I was thinking it could be the headgasket but since it runs well, i kind of put that aside.because if my headgasket was blown wouldnt i be shooting coolant into the cylinders and not getting as good of a spark.and there isnt really a problem starting the car ever.if it was a blown hg wouldnt i have trouble starting the car? thanks for all the help.what compression would i be getting if i have a blown hg?

[TheOne]

i had the same thing happening to me, car would run fine but it'd still overheat, maybe its not goin in, but fumes(from when the mixture explodes, too much pressure, goes out the gasket) are goin into the coolant passage, lettin the car overheat.

[new_to_drift]

how much does shaving the head cost?and do i have to have the head bare?like the cams and everything out?

[ryancoke]

your have air in your system, i just got over the exact same problem, and that was the problem, all i did was run the car without the rad cap on, and just let it get to normal operating temperature, it will probaly bubble over a ton of times before the thermostat opens, no worries just keep it going, once the thermostat opens, pull the throttle cable a bit to get the car in higher revs. and pour antifreeze in. keep doing that untill all the air is out of the system. On my car this took just over an hour, and a jug of antifreeze before i got it. G/L

[240sxtuner19]

i shouldve done that to my 240sx, when it ran, but ignorant me tried driving it and wondered why it would still over heat even after the radiator support was patched and filled w/ fluid.. i was driving up a hill and it started losing compression fast..actually very fast so i downshifted until i got to 2nd, and it just stalled and white smoke bellowed from underneath the hood. Well it never started after that.. and it sounds funny when i used 2 turn it over, almost liek teh crank was spinning much 2 freely. Well after it sat for a total of 4 months, i decided to drain the oil, mainly because im taking the engine out, but also curious 2 see if there was anything metalic in the oil.. and just to my luck, it had what seemed like metal shavings if i rubbed my fingers together in the oil, but not alot, but enough to say "ur engine is shot". What exactly was it anyway? Kind of curious now.

ps.. my engine had very low compression to begin with, but never smoked. needed valve adjustment? (low as in like 140-139 ish)

[new_to_drift]

im running a compression check this weekend.i found a small leak in my radiator itself,so im almost positive im just losing coolant from there and thats the reason

[Sijonda]

1991 240sx se.

I'm also currently having this problem. So far I've replaced the thermostat, radiator cap, and now just installed an oem replacement radiator from Koyo. The car spits out white smoke out the exhaust pipe (could be the head gasket) but the car still performs well and starts up just fine. the engine knocks once in a wile which confuses the heck outa me (I keep after the oil level). So far I've concluded that from a cold start if I let it sit at idle or rev the engine without driving it around the temp will NEVER go above half way. but once I drive it down a highway the temp tops out and stays there regardless of what I do (coast down a hill, sit at idle, turn on the heater). but once I turn the engine off and let it cool down a bit, I can start it back up and the temp gage will sit at half way just like a cold start. could this still be a bad head gasket?

[Slipstream]

Mine was doing the same thing 2 summers ago. I was losing oil and overheating at every light. It ended up being my oil pressure sensor, bottom right of the oil filter. It had a small leak, but enough to cause a difference. It's a cheap fix ($7), might as well try that while you're at it.