lisurfer

Used my A/C today, pulled into the driver and heard bubbling, antifreeze was bubbling out of reserve plastic tank, looked at the gauge, read 262, looked at the lower hose, it looked like a snake!!!!!!!!!!! Flat as can be. I shut the car down, waited for it to cool , restarted the car hose seems ok. Irecently replaced both fans ,radiator, water pump, thermostat, optispark, car has been running fine, no overheating issues. I am thinking it is low on refrigerant, I have heard that second fan can be sporatic without proper refrigerant, any ideas or thoughts??

newbecorvetteguy

Was the aux fan running at that temperature? If not I'd explore why not. In my '87 it comes on at 230 and seems to work pretty well ac or no ac. It's triggered via a temp switch in the block. A bad radiator cap can cause the flat hose condition. Hoses can be purchased that have a wire coil in them to keep the hose from collapsing. Don't know if you can just buy the coil and put them in the hoses you have.

If you're low on refridgerent, I'd think you'd have other symtoms such as funny noises in your dash, not blowing very cold, compresser cycling to frequently to name a few. I doubt that it would be a cause for overheating, but I'm no expert. Good luck with it.

aminnich

I tend to agree about the radiator cap. Low freon should have cut off power to the AC clutch and not caused any problems on engine cooling. Did you check for debris in front of the radiator and condenser?

BADDUCK

Of course replace the lost coolant with straight anti-freeze via the overflow tank.

newbecorvetteguy

I wouldn't get in that habit. It's corrosive and to high of a concentration eats heater cores, radiators, etc. That's experience talking there. Obtain the proper mix of coolant, maintain the proper mix of coolant.

JrRifleCoach

No spring in the lower hose?

BADDUCK

I've been doing it that way for over 30 years. In fact many owners manuals including my current Grand Cherokee have that exact instruction. You do it your way, I'll do it mine.

BrianCunningham

Check the radiator for debris

Also make sure the fans are working

newbecorvetteguy

That's exactly right. Do what your owners manual says...and if it says to run straight antifreeze and it's not a misprint, I'll eat your manual. Straight antifreeze freezes at something around +10 F. A 50/50 mix is good to around -40 F. I don't believe straight antifreeze cools as well nor has the corrosion protection either.

30 years ago I did what you've been doing to a fleet of trucks. When winter came around, I'd top off the systems with straight antifreeze regardless of the concentration believing more has got to be better than less. Within a couple of years, we had a butt load of bad radiators and heater cores. The coolant was eating through the tubes where they attach to the tanks. We repaired the damage, from then on I used the proper ratio, and no more problems.

I don't intend to step on your toes. The suggestion to do what the owners manual says is best imo. Everyone should do that whatever it may be.

JrRifleCoach

I'll do it my way.





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lisurfer

I recently rebuilt the waterpump, new fan motors, new radiator, new hoses, new thermostat. I had a problem with the radiator cap, locking and unlocking it was a chore. Looking at it today there was some leakage and green residue on the side of the cop indicative of a leak, I read on one of these threads a bad cap can have the same symptoms as a bad gasket causing problems, since today was the first time in anwhile I began using the a/c in a while, I was just about to throw a can of r134 in the driveway when Imnoticed it overheating, I caught it right away. Just ordered a cap from Ecklers probably will add those two relays on the side of the shroud and I was also honking of replacing the sensor between 6&8 plug. Both fans seemed to go on afterwards unknown what happened when it overheated the car was off. When the car was restarted both fans kicked on lowering the temp back to 200 pretty quick. Thanks for the input

aminnich

The sensor on the right head is only for the analog gauge. The sensor on the water pump goes to the PCM and the digital gauge. If the fans work why replace the relays? After driving and then shutting off the engine the temps will always rise due to no coolant circulating - that is perfectly normal. Sounds like the radiator cap was the problem, probably the only one.

lisurfer

Here's another question, Inam third owner of the car I remember when I first got it , the fans would stay on after pulling the car in the garage, and turning the car off,they would shut after a few minutes, that doesn't happen anymore, should it?

aminnich

Fans should shut off when you turn the car off.

lisurfer

Well, the thermosta , which was a Stant replacement as per Stant,'with a
A/C Delco 131-100 thermostat, 180 degree, and replaced the radiator cap. Refilled the antifreeze, ran it for one hour with the heat on Fan Pri
Ary, came on at 227 shut off at 217 which I think is normal. I bled both screws on the throttle body quite a bit to vet enough air out. I then ran the car with the a/c on. It's hovering at 200-204 with the a/c on as the car travels it will actually go down to 197. With the A/c off car is running just about same range. My advice is definitely use that AC Delco thermostat 131-100 . the car seems to be running well about town, Inguess time will tell if that was the fix. Thanks Everyone