bighonkhonk Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 A few days ago i was screwing with my car and it started to idle really rough and i looked at the coolant and it was really high in the resevoir, so i shut it off and let it cool down. The next day i went out and tried to start it with the radiator cap off to see if coolant was circulating because i've been having cooling problems. When i start to crank it over coolant kept splashing out of the radiator and it won't start. It starts to fire but dies before it starts. I went and looked at the radiator and even though a whole bunch of coolant splashed out it was still at the top of the radiator. Does it sound like a head gasket? If it is does anyone have any tips on changing the headgasket(s) or anything i should do while changing them? And are the head bolts torque to yield? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intimidatorz34 Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 what motor just out of curiosity? Head gaskets normally cause oil and coolant to leak, coolant to leak out of the motor, or air bubbles to appear in the radiator res. I had a problem which I thought was a headgasket, the coolant light came on and the gauge was in the red, so when I stopped the car and looked at the coolant tank it was full and there was some bubbles. I refired and bubbles continued, but the level didnt drop. Come to find out, the thermostat had stuck( I believe because I changed it), and I had a leaky radiator cap seal. So instead of it sucking coolant from the tank, it would suck air in through the cap. My suggestion is to change your oil first. And if there is coolant in there, then you know its a head gasket for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighonkhonk Posted September 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 it's the 2.8. Up until now it had boiled coolant real lightly in the resevoir almost constantly. then about 5 days ago i was tryin to jump my brothers car and i saw a very, very light mist of water in the engine bay and it started idling rough. That and the fact that it won't run anymore and it was forcing coolant out of the radiator i'm pretty sure it's something serious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regal_GS_1989 Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 It souns like you have a blown head gasket, but you may also have a cracked head. I had the same problem. When you remove the heads, check very closely in the little space between the valves, If you find a crack, you will need to replace your heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighonkhonk Posted September 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 I don't know what happened but she started working again. Doesn't even same phased. Runs exactly the same. I guess it just took a union break or something. :? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoroCorona Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 I still wouldn't sugess dismissing it as a quirk. There is something wrong if your coolant is constantly boiling. I'll have it checked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted September 29, 2004 Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 2.8s seem to be indestructable (headgaskets not really an issue) however I've had all sorts of issues with mine so get it tuned up so it runs properly. Check your waterpump, flush your coolant, change rad cap/t-stat and hopefully it will run cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighonkhonk Posted September 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2004 One major flaw in the plan to get it checked out is lack of funds. I know theres something wrong but right now i don't have any money to fix it. But like I said, it's been doin that for a while. I don't drive it yet cause i don't have my liscense. So i'll worry about the coolant problem later. Now that it's running again I can at least begin to try things again. First things i'll try is the rad cap, t-stat and a radiator flush. If that doesn't work i'll go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighonkhonk Posted October 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2004 Well now though it runs, when i look into the radiater the coolant is foaming really bad. Does anyone know what that means? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted October 2, 2004 Report Share Posted October 2, 2004 Well now though it runs, when i look into the radiater the coolant is foaming really bad. Does anyone know what that means? Into the RADIATOR? Did you check your rad cap that no air is coming in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveFromColorado Posted October 2, 2004 Report Share Posted October 2, 2004 what does the oil look like? whenever you overheat an engine, you ruin the oil, so you'll want to change it anyhow, because when you fill your res. like that, it's typically overheating. I'd guess your thermostat was stuck shut, you should probably replace the thermostat no matter what. --Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighonkhonk Posted October 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2004 If I were to pull out the t-stat and just leave it out would that prove anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excelsior Posted October 2, 2004 Report Share Posted October 2, 2004 tuneup time it sounds like! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveFromColorado Posted October 4, 2004 Report Share Posted October 4, 2004 I drove my 2.8 for a while with no t-stat in it, but I ended up freezing in the winter - the engine just wouldn't hold any heat. --Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted October 4, 2004 Report Share Posted October 4, 2004 If I were to pull out the t-stat and just leave it out would that prove anything? a T-stat is only a few bucks, may as well replace it and the radiator cap before anything else and going from there. are there any signs of coolant in the oil or vice versa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted October 4, 2004 Report Share Posted October 4, 2004 Please change your t-stat.. they are SOOO easy on a 2.8!! On a 3100 they are damn near a nightmare. :x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bighonkhonk Posted October 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 Well right now i have the t-stat out and it's is still foaming really bad right off of start up. It's also started to get real touchy on start up. If I don't give it about an eighth throttle it will stall and die and t won't wanna start again. I just put a fresh couple of gallons of gas in so that can't be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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