Wtf?!?!?!?!

[graza002]

jack the car up really high in the fron, bring the motor up to operating temp with the radiator cap off, and lightly rev the engine with your hand on the TB...the bubbles should pop out.....air rises to the top, and jacking the car up will make the fill hole on the radiator, the highest point in the system.

I did everything to make sure the air was out of the system, I also removed the t-stat. The new fans work great, and so does the f-body rad!!! I am thinking the problem is much larger now...

 

[graza002]

Well, I had to try.

My car ran hotter after the rebuild, too, but not in the manner you describe. I attributed it to the .040 overbore. With dual fans and a re-core radiator it stays cool. You've got something else going on there.

Jim

Effort is key right?!!! LOL. My block is at .030 over, and read my most recent posts, something bad is instore for me.

 

[nordy racer]

we can work out a deal on my motor .. j/k

one step at a time little grass hopper..

 

[Ttype83]

Effort is key right?!!! LOL. My block is at .030 over, and read my most recent posts, something bad is instore for me.

Jaspers engine right? Could be the shotpeen that is used for cleaning the block, now clogging the water jackets. You also said that you found black gunk in the old rad before changing it. This is way I asked if you installed right. There shouldn't have been any gunk from the HG install to make it to the rad as far as I know. You may have used to much stuff

 

[turbojimmy]

My mom used to have this 95 cadillac that was a beautiful car.

If it was a Northstar the first thing you'd assume is a headgasket. They have a bad rap for popping headgakets though after hanging out on the Cadillac forums I'm not sure they blow them any more than any other car. I have an '01 DTS with the 300HP version of that engine and it's been fine.

I have a .040 overbore by the way, and every stint with overheating

Just to be clear: mine's never overheated, or even come close, but it does run warmer (maybe 10 degrees on average) than it did before the .040 overbore. I've never put any gunk in the radiator other than RMI-25 (which reminds me that I need to do that again).

Jim

 

[hrhoward]

I went out and bought a block test kit....the result was not good. The blue die went to yellow meaning there was compression loss/gass in the coolant...so the problem has been narrowed down to a cracked block, cracked heads or a head gasket. I have never retq the new gaskets so I am hoping thats it!!! If not, well my money is really going to be gone...:frown:

I think I have the same problem. Mine will idle without bubbles and stays around 165*. While cruising and staying out of the throttle it hangs out around 178*. I drove that way for 20 miles and temp was stable. I loaded it up about 3 miles from the house and the temp shot up to 230*. The engine has about 1500 miles on it since a rebuild.

 

[vader87]

And a leakdown test. Sounds like a bad head gasket to me. I had a Thunderterd that did the same thing for years. It was my winter beater so I procrastinated on the repair. No water in the oil and it didn't smoke. It ran great, but the temps were inconsistent. Sometimes normal, sometimes it would boil over. There was no obvious bubbling in the overflow tank. It went through a gawd awful amount of coolant. Being a 3.8 Ford engine, I knew it was a head gasket. I changed the thermostat just for fun but that obviously didn't fix it. Eventually I replaced the head gaskets and that cured it, but I think overheating it so many times took its toll because by that time it had developed a deep knocking sound (which strangely also lasted for years without any ill effects).

Eventually I sold the car for $50 - it was a nice, low mileage car otherwise. I think you should do the same. Do you take PayPal?

Jim

I too had the same exact problem on my Ford Super Chicken. I was loosing coolant but no leaks. When I was driving the temp would return to normal and no problems. When I stopped at a light or stop sign, the car would begin to idle rough. Then I would drive again and it would clear up. Pulled the heads and I had one small tear in the head gasket. As the car would heat up at idle, the head would start pulling away from the block just enough to let small amounts of coolant in the combustian chamber, making a rough idle. As I drove the car it would cool just enough to "reseal" the head back onto the block. Check your spark plugs. They will look like mold is on them, if this is the problem. If you are loosing coolant and you have no leaks and none in the oil, its gotta be going into the chambers and out the tail pipes.

 

[VadersV6]

If I were you, I would pull the intake again and replace the gasket, again. This time, only use a moderate spread of gasgacinch on both sides of the intake gaskets. try to make it as even as possible, and dilute the gasgacinch a bit by adding some alcohol and stirring it up to make it thin, so it goes on more even. best way would be to dilute it, spread it on even on both sides, and hang it up with a coat hanger to let it dry, and add several coats, making sure you have no built up lumps anywhere. It will never leak. Its possible that you have a cross leak between a coolant passage and an EGR passage on the intake mating face of the heads, and combustion gases are finding their way into the coolant. The gases in the EGR could easily heat the coolant up bigtime, and you would also not have any milkshake oil or milkshake coolant. I can see people replacing their head gaskets with a problem like this, and the problem is fixed after that. SO they think that proves it was a headgasket, when in fact it could be that resealing the intake up is what did it.
I could be joining the ranks of blown headgaskets, since last night I accidentally turned my boost controller the wrong way, and tapped 28psi last night, just for a second. No knock registered on the scanmaster, but I heard it. 28psi with 35psi fuel pressure, line off, is not a good combo. My O2's were like 675 My homemade boost controller makes it spool up way too fast, so I wasnt able to catch it quick enough.

 

[graza002]

Ok, today I am going to change the oil, and Re torque the HG's. If I have time I am going to pull the intake gasket and replace it.

 

[T- Type Tim]

Take you only a couple minutes to bleed the air out of you system. I had the same situation , losing coolant out of the resivoir because the air bubble caused a n overflow, then leak out the vented cap on top of the resivoir. Please drill a 3/32 hole in the thermostat lip, heat cycle once or twice and your done(should already be done as easy of a fix this is).

 

[dougie]

My 97 ws6 Formula has a fitting with a bleeder screw at a high point on the radiator hose. Works like a charm to bleed air out while it's running. Anyone ever thought about installing something like this on a GN?

 

[graza002]

Take you only a couple minutes to bleed the air out of you system. I had the same situation , losing coolant out of the resivoir because the air bubble caused a n overflow, then leak out the vented cap on top of the resivoir. Please drill a 3/32 hole in the thermostat lip, heat cycle once or twice and your done(should already be done as easy of a fix this is).

I have drilled that hole in the t-stat, actually the t-stat is out for right now.

I pulled the plugs after I retorqued the heads, and I found coolant in the #6 Cyl. So with that being said, I think I found out where the "air" in the system was coming from...Lets hope the retorque will do the job.

 

[graza002]

My 97 ws6 Formula has a fitting with a bleeder screw at a high point on the radiator hose. Works like a charm to bleed air out while it's running. Anyone ever thought about installing something like this on a GN?

Good idea...I may have to do this.

 

[VadersV6]

Something I forgot to say, was that you should warm it up, thermostat open, radiator cap off and while wearing gloves or using a rag so you dont burn your hand, grab the bottom radiator hose and squeeze it really fast a bunch of times. Ive pulled the coil out of my lower hose, so it makes it easy. Do it to the one on top as well, but do it really slow, cause scalding antifreeze will pop out of the fill hole all into your face. I totally forgot I did this like a year ago and it got the air pockets out in a hurry.

 

[graza002]

UPDATE

The Buick is up and running. It was the HG's the whole time. The car runs ice cold...164 on the freeway 168 in stop and go traffic and 173 after running under boost. The coolant no longer disappears. Thanks again for all the help everybody offered.

Thanks again!!!!

 

[RUQWKNF27]

So did you simply re-torque them or replace them?

 

[graza002]

So did you simply re-torque them or replace them?

I replaced them. I was using RJC's old HG's...the ones that were 45 thousandths thick, so they did not compress. I just replaced with stock for now. I just wanted the car running. So far so good.