Great fun! My car overheated!

[STLRegal]

Went to get my emmisions taken today, so i can finally get this damn car plated. Well just my luck it starts to overheat. I was hoping theyd get the test done soon enough. Well nope radiator fluid started bubbling out of the reservoir. Car failed of course, now i got to deal with this. Thankfully it atleast made it home, but not before the service engine idiot light came on.

Sorry for the rant, but I needed it.

My question is what would make it overheat like that. My dad who was with me (Thank god or I woudlnt know what to do) said hed never seen it happen like that before.

 

[rustyroger]

overheating

most likely the thermostat jammed shut. This an easy repair, 1/2 hour start to finish. Good luck!.

 

[STLRegal]

My dad was also pretty confident that it was the thermostat or the radiator cap, just not sure. Can someone tell me where its at? Im gonna go buy a book anyways but any guiding info will help.

 

[1980Gbody]

under the water neck for the top radiator hose it take only about 10mins to change 2bolts might wana drain some anitfreeze out first when u fix that if it over heats again check out the water pump could be bad

 

[jerrycad472]

How far did you drive? I would think if it was the thermostat it would have overheated before you made it very far, but its worth checking and easy and cheap to replace. Radiator cap is another quick and cheap item to change out.

You may want to consdering having the cooling system flushed, depending on how well the car was maintained over the years it could have a lot of build up in the the block and radiator. This will cause it to overheat. Most shops can flush it for you. You used to be able to buy do it your self kits at the auto parts store. Not sure if they still sell them. But it was easy to do. I had overheating issues with the SBC I put in my Regal years ago. As I flushed it, it looked like the block was full of muck.

Good luck.

 

[STLRegal]

It was not very far away only about 4 miles, then had to leave it running to get the emissions taken.
Ill probably buy the radiator cap, too. Its cheap and an easy fix. The way Ill go about it is see if those two fix the problem, if not Ill go from there.

 

[78mali350]

yep everyone was right here you could even replace your top hose too it's an easy fix while your at putting new stuff on

 

[8GPLE7]

If it is the thermostat and your gonna change it, replace the rad cap too. If it was me I would also go ahead and drain and refill the coolant, if it isn't all nasty inside. Of course the hoses should be in good shape also. Is it full by the way, you might want to check the level of the coolant also.

Just check the basics first. I don't know how many times I've seen people jump the gun and assume the worst and end up paying for expensive work or parts and still can't get it fixed.

 

[STLRegal]

I filled the reservoir up the addline before we left. We knew it had somewhat of a cooling problem because there was radiator fluid leaking out at the very top of it and it would smoke a little, but not that bad. Just enough to leave a drip mark on the radiator, but never made it to the ground.

 

[stopshootn]

I KNOW THIS IS IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS BUT ON SEPTEMBER 1ST THE EMISSIONS PROGRAM ENDS ON CARS OLDER THAN 96 SO IF YOU WAITED UNTIL THEN YOU WOULDNT HAVE TO PAY A MECHANIC TO DO IT AND YOU WOULDNT HAVE TO PAY THAT DAMN 24 DOLLARS..ALL YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO IS HAVE YOUR INSPECTION AND YOU CAN GET YOUR PLATES....