Overheating

[ElSucio]

Hello All,

I did read the how to ask a question section & I hope I covered all the basics, however if I didn't, I profusely apologize and please feel free to instruct me on my errors.

Now I have had my 86.5 N/A for about 5 yrs & of those 2 were on the road. However, I am expeditiously attempting to get her back on the road as I'm losing the space I've had her in within 1 month's time. All upgrades I have undertaken were done under the guidance of my former mechanic, hence the need for assistance & proper guidance. I'd also like to point out that i'm a novice who's currently not working so everything must be undertaken with a budget in mind. The problem i'm currently having is that with the mods undertaken (including the 440 turbo injector w/AFPR upgrade, J-tube removal) I need to know what the proper range would be on the AFPR. Secondly, after having the engine on for about 15mins, my temp. reading did't go up, but there was obvious overheating as the coolant was literally boiling in the reservoir tank. As per previous threads, I did check for BHG & while there was white smoke coming out the muffler, there was no sweet smell, I checked the oil with the dipstick & it was clear (I use royal purple synthetic motor oil) and coolant was not milky but clear as well. There were no coolant leaks anywhere, but I did notice that smoke was coming from underneath the heat shield by the manifold header. Therefore, I would highly appreciate assistance as to what the problem may be.
Thanks to all!!!

 

[prism1]

um a couple things

how long was your car down before it was started again? if its been a whike its gonna smoke a little

second the boiling i dont think thats bad mine does it all the time and never had a problem i forget why it does it....

my two cents

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

Hello All,

I did read the how to ask a question section & I hope I covered all the basics, however if I didn't, I profusely apologize and please feel free to instruct me on my errors.

Now I have had my 86.5 N/A for about 5 yrs & of those 2 were on the road. However, I am expeditiously attempting to get her back on the road as I'm losing the space I've had her in within 1 month's time. All upgrades I have undertaken were done under the guidance of my former mechanic, hence the need for assistance & proper guidance. I'd also like to point out that i'm a novice who's currently not working so everything must be undertaken with a budget in mind. The problem i'm currently having is that with the mods undertaken (including the 440 turbo injector w/AFPR upgrade, J-tube removal) I need to know what the proper range would be on the AFPR. Secondly, after having the engine on for about 15mins, my temp. reading did't go up, but there was obvious overheating as the coolant was literally boiling in the reservoir tank. As per previous threads, I did check for BHG & while there was white smoke coming out the muffler, there was no sweet smell, I checked the oil with the dipstick & it was clear (I use royal purple synthetic motor oil) and coolant was not milky but clear as well. There were no coolant leaks anywhere, but I did notice that smoke was coming from underneath the heat shield by the manifold header. Therefore, I would highly appreciate assistance as to what the problem may be.
Thanks to all!!!

Were under the heat shield? There is a small rubber cap towards the back of the motor that has a tendency to split and start leaking before it really lets loose.

The FPR adjustment, do you have a gauge to set it? I'm not sure about the 440's but probably the stock setting would work just so you get a spray and not a dribble. From memory the stock NA setting is around 40 lbs. with the vac hose disconnected should be in the TSRM. Do you have a way of adjusting the AFR? You probably need a SAFC or some way of setting the AFR, otherwise your are going to run pretty rich.

Have you burped the coolant system? Checked the thermostat or replaced it?

 

[ElSucio]

Were under the heat shield? There is a small rubber cap towards the back of the motor that has a tendency to split and start leaking before it really lets loose.

The FPR adjustment, do you have a gauge to set it? I'm not sure about the 440's but probably the stock setting would work just so you get a spray and not a dribble. From memory the stock NA setting is around 40 lbs. with the vac hose disconnected should be in the TSRM. Do you have a way of adjusting the AFR? You probably need a SAFC or some way of setting the AFR, otherwise your are going to run pretty rich.

Have you burped the coolant system? Checked the thermostat or replaced it?

Hello!
I removed the heat shield this morning, but haven't localized where the smoke is coming from will do so tomorrow morning & see if it's coming from he back of the motor. I did just pick up a new thermostat & radiator cap. Hopefully that will help with the over-heating problem.

On the FPR I do have a gauge on it & will try it @ 40lbs. It was set @ 34, but when I started the engine idled @ 1500, just wanted to make sure that it would be ok to go above that to bring it down under 1,000.

Thank you for your response I highly appreciate it.

 

[ElSucio]

um a couple things

how long was your car down before it was started again? if its been a whike its gonna smoke a little

second the boiling i dont think thats bad mine does it all the time and never had a problem i forget why it does it....

my two cents

The car has been down for over 2 years. Initially, I was having a problem where the engine was stalling &/or missing. I must've gone to about 7 different shops & they suggested bad fuel pump, dirty & bad fuel injectors, bad valve cover gaskets (hence me changing all) etc. etc. However, while determining what my options were going about 2 months ago, I realized that on the intake hose itself, underneath there was piece that had broken off, which I assumed was a knob for a hose, checked on the engine & sure enough there was half of a hose dangling. I installed a custom intake & connected a new hose, end of problem! (Hence I lost confidence in NYC mechanics)
Yeah the boiling freaked me out because the temperature gauge was not going up @ all. I picked up a new thermostat & radiator cap & will check if that solves overheating problem.

Thank you for your response, it's highly appreciated.

 

[ElSucio]

Ok I did change the thermostat & radiator cap & beforehand I checked the oil & coolant to make sure there was no mixture of both, hence a BHG. Then I proceeded to manually move the vehicle when I noticed a big puddle of coolant on the garage floor. After checking to verifiy that it was coolant, I attempted to in vain for about an hour searching for the hose that was the culprit. Finally, I was able to see that there was a trail of coolant going down the side of the engine to the rack, where the coolant seemed to be leaking from. Traced it back & it seems to be coming from in between the front of the engine & the water pump, so I guess it's safe to say that I need a new water pump. correct? (I'm a novice!) Also, while i'm taking care of that is there anything else I might as well take care of?

I Would really appreciate any & all responses please.

Thank you!

-AL

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

Ok I did change the thermostat & radiator cap & beforehand I checked the oil & coolant to make sure there was no mixture of both, hence a BHG. Then I proceeded to manually move the vehicle when I noticed a big puddle of coolant on the garage floor. After checking to verifiy that it was coolant, I attempted to in vain for about an hour searching for the hose that was the culprit. Finally, I was able to see that there was a trail of coolant going down the side of the engine to the rack, where the coolant seemed to be leaking from. Traced it back & it seems to be coming from in between the front of the engine & the water pump, so I guess it's safe to say that I need a new water pump. correct? (I'm a novice!) Also, while i'm taking care of that is there anything else I might as well take care of?

I Would really appreciate any & all responses please.-AL

There's also a right angle hose in that area that connects to the coolant pipe that goes along the head and to the thermostat housing. Before I'd spend the money on a new WP I make sure that its leaking.
The fact that the car sat 2 years is a problem in itself. I would double check all the hoses and give it a good flushing with Prestone flush.

 

[ElSucio]

There's also a right angle hose in that area that connects to the coolant pipe that goes along the head and to the thermostat housing. Before I'd spend the money on a new WP I make sure that its leaking.
The fact that the car sat 2 years is a problem in itself. I would double check all the hoses and give it a good flushing with Prestone flush.

hey-

Will check the hose, (do the flush as well) as I traced the leak but can't really tell if its the water pump just yet. Will probably have to remove the thermostat housing to check for sure. If I have to replace the water pump will look into replacing the timing belt & tensioner as well. Would love to replace the radiator & fan (replacing it with an electric one), but unfortunately, don't have the funds just now to do it. Hopefully will do so in the future.

Yeah it was not a good thing having it sit for so long, but could not bare to part with it & personally the last 2 yrs have been the worse so far in my life, so I'm just glad I still have the car. I did change all the vaccum hoses & changed the upper & lower radiator hoses. Did see a few others that need to be replaced, as well as, my rack (did pick up a replacement last yr). Luckily she sat indoors for those 2 years or the slight body rust (have to replace the driver's side door too though, geez lol) would probably b a hella of a worse...

-AL

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

hey-

Will check the hose, (do the flush as well) as I traced the leak but can't really tell if its the water pump just yet. Will probably have to remove the thermostat housing to check for sure. If I have to replace the water pump will look into replacing the timing belt & tensioner as well. Would love to replace the radiator & fan (replacing it with an electric one), but unfortunately, don't have the funds just now to do it. Hopefully will do so in the future.

Yeah it was not a good thing having it sit for so long, but could not bare to part with it & personally the last 2 yrs have been the worse so far in my life, so I'm just glad I still have the car. I did change all the vaccum hoses & changed the upper & lower radiator hoses. Did see a few others that need to be replaced, as well as, my rack (did pick up a replacement last yr). Luckily she sat indoors for those 2 years or the slight body rust (have to replace the driver's side door too though, geez lol) would probably b a hella of a worse...

-AL

Save yourself some money and stay with the stock fan. They work just fine, maybe replaceing the radiator would be a good thing due to the age and the sitting.
No need to part with it, there's been quite a few others in worse shape hang in there.

 

[CyFi6]

take it to a qualified shop and ask them to pressure test the cooling system. This is where they put a little pump on the radiator and pressurise the cooling system. They put it up to about 17 psi i think and it is supposed to hold there without losing any pressure. If it is, you have a leak, and the pressure will cause water to come out of that leak so that you can pinpoint where its comming from.

 

[GrimJack]

There are small holes on the top and bottom of the water pump that will leak when the seals on the bearings inside start to go. That's where it should leak from if the pump is shot.

It's tough to see the coolant leaking from the bottom one, but if you're creative with a flashlight and a mirror you can see it.

 

[ElSucio]

There are small holes on the top and bottom of the water pump that will leak when the seals on the bearings inside start to go. That's where it should leak from if the pump is shot.

It's tough to see the coolant leaking from the bottom one, but if you're creative with a flashlight and a mirror you can see it.

First thank you all for your responses as i'm not a mechanic, but I really want to gain as much knowledge as I can regarding the MKIII. Secondly, I haven't had a chance to do further checking as the car is garaged about an 1hr away from me & currently i've been pre-occupied w/my mom's surgery today, but I will f/u once I have inspected further. I actually did use a flashlight & a mirrored piece and it @ least showed me the general vicinity of the leak. Will f/u during the week, thanks again to all....
Oh & Grimjack, I did read the Dealing with the "old school" guys, thanks a ton for the link. & I must add that I take nothing personal as I should be treated like the idiot that I am... lol
Hopefully one day I'll gain the knowledge to pull the engine apart, & actually understand terms that I've read such as Dyno & such. Yes i'm that much of a moron...lol However, i have felt good about myself being able to replace the valve cover gaskets, the fuel regulator, Fuel lines and all rotors, brake lines & calipers. I just look @ this as my education into not ever having to trust another New York City mechanic again. If you guys knew how many times I've been taken for a ride you would understand! The funny thing is I have so many friends that have great mechanics around the country & you guys on these forums are a great bunch, but over here they like to act like lawyers & figure, well if you can't start the car that's $500 right there! lol

-AL