blocked rad?

[pauldeacs]

right coolant system probs. here goes:

new thermostat, pump and viscous fan installed but still have same problem ive had for a while.................

fill up coolant system following all teh recommendations seen on this site, fire it up, bleed it off, heaters get nice and warm, temp comes up. ideal.....


however when im driving the car and come to a halt a few seconds later the heaters blow cold and the temp starts going up, then as you drive off the blowers USUALLY but not always go hot again and engine temp drops off a bit.

also if im sat at idle with windows up and blowers off and rev teh car up gently i get the sound of water rushing through thematrix as the revs go up over 2k.

any ideas? im thinking partially blocked rad making it impossible for water to flow properly when car is at idle or low engine speeds.

Its NOT a blocked matrix as ive bypassed the matrix in the past to eliminate that.

no mixing of oil and water and ive never let it get over 3/4 on theguage, also when this overheating occurs the hoses feel rock solid. all plugs have been removed and all look spot on, a nice lightish brown dusty colour

ive took each hose off and flushed thru and flushed/back flushed the rad and water seems to flow through ok howver im unsure how FAST it should be able to flow thru the rad???

Ultimately this problem has made me fall out of love with E30's and the car is now on ebay but i would like to try fix the problem if possible

[Andy335Touring]

ive took each hose off and flushed thru

Did you do the little one from the top of the rad to the header tank and/or disconect it at either end and blow into the rad and header tank if you know what i mean ?

Defo sounds like it isn't bleeding properly for some reason and you are getting air locked.

Once you are up to temp does the bottom hose get hot ?

I don't know if this will help but this is my fill up routeen(sp?) ?

Turn the ignition switch on
Turn the fan off so you don't flaten your battery
Turn the heat up to maximum
Open bleed nut
Undo the top rad hose and fill the rad and block as much as posible and reconect the hose
Top the header tank right up to the top and leave the cap off
Close bleed nut for now but keep cracking it open a little as it warms up
Start the engine, squeez the top hose and rev the engine up to about 2-2.5k rpm two or three times for around 5 secs
Top up as required(right to the brim)
Check temp gauge
After 2-3 mins you will have to put the cap back on
Allow the engine to reach normal operating temp and make sure you are getting hot air from your heater
Check for air at the bleed nut
Go for a local/short trip in the car making sure to rev the engine up to 4-5k rpm once or twice as you are driving
Check for air at the bleed nut

Any excess coolant will be blown out the cap/pipe, this will leave you with the right amount left in but check the level once it's cooled down to be sure.

Some people sware by uncliping the header tank and raising it up as they fill/bleed works well for them.

HTH

Andy

BTW Aplina head if you could be so kind ?

[pauldeacs]

cheers il give it ago although i must of tried every method of bleeding at least 30 times now so i hold out little hope.

head........... yep will send it off asap mate, pm me your address again if you please. sorry been busy as hell with work and trying to fix/sell my car, my mrs's car and helping with a Turbo install on a mates Chavalier as well. its all go i tell thee!!!

[Andy335Touring]

PM on it's way

[Andy335Touring]

Have you sorted it ?