Recently the coolant has been "boiling" over in my 97 Chrysler Concorde, 3.5 V6. In this particular system, the radiator does not open, as the pressurized cap is on a very rigid coolant reservoir, and excess coolant has no where to go but out a relief tube that spills it all over the ground. Every week or so I have to fill the reservoir, and usually I don't see the coolant coming out, but a few times lately it has boiled over, and the temp guage shows a perfectly normal operating temp. What gives?
2006-09-28 03:27:17 · 15 answers · asked by Proud Daddy 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I mix my coolant with water 50/50 and keep it in a marked container so every time I add coolant I know it's always mixed properly.
I have plenty of heat and it doesn't always boil over, but it seems to lose coolant slowly, constantly. It's my wife's car, so I don't get the chance to look at it until she's home from work. I would suspect the cap would be the culprit then...I'll check that and see what happens. Thanks everyone for your input.
jjbeard92...thermostats are not in radiators; they sit in a thermostat housing usually right on top of the motor, where the return hose connect the motor to the radiator. The thermostat has a heat-sensitive spring that opens and closes the valve, which is part of the thermostat itself. Thanks for the advice, but I've never heard of a thermostat inside a radiator.
2006-09-28 04:04:05 · update #1
Have you checked your thermostat,, it could be sticking.
2006-09-28 03:28:55 · answer #1 · answered by Backwoods Barbie 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Have you checked the radiator it self? The do some times get plugged. With the car warm run your hand over the radiator and see if it has hot and cold spots. If you feel a difference it means that part is plugged. Make sure you do not put your hand in the way of the fan as since they are electric they can turn on at any time.
Also part of the caps job is to keep the system under pressure so if it get weak the water can boil. Since by being under pressure the water can reach higher temperatures make sure you get the correct cap.
Next if the leak is small look close at the water pump. Does it have a small water stain from the seep hole? Look at all the hose connections also.
Last have you checked to make sure the cooling fans work properly?
Last I would check the head gaskets. As stated in other answers if you get blown gasket a small amount of water could be getting into the combustion chamber. Small amounts would burn with out you seeing smoke. Do this soon as if you let it go to long it could crack a head.
2006-09-28 11:21:23 · answer #2 · answered by uthockey32 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most likely this is a broken thermostat or valve. The radiator has a thermostat to tell it what temp the coolant is at. When the coolant gets warm, it then opens a valve to start the coolant circulating through the radiator.
However, if either of these break you may notice the coolant boiling over even if the temp doesn't show a change.
Sadly the labor to get this fixed is pretty expensive as you have to fully disasemble the radiator to get to it. I also do not recomend doing it yourself unless you are a real pro at this kind of stuff.
2006-09-28 10:30:45 · answer #3 · answered by jjbeard926 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have seen this a many of times and have experienced it several times. You have a clogged radiator. I suggest you have it taken to a radiator shop and have them boil it out. It will cost about $50. Or you can replace it for around $200 bucks plus radiator hoses and a new thermostat which could max you out at $400 bucks if you do nothing.
2006-09-28 10:33:27 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
trust not your gauges. check the blocks thermostat, then if you have electric fans on the rad check them, I almost forgot. check the pressure cap on the coolant overflow tank, it might not be holding pressure. Check it first because it is the easiest to do.
edit. there is a fill line on the coolant reservoir. it is meant to be able to hold the extra fluid from the rad as it heats up and expands. I hope you are not overfilling this. It is not meant to be right full to the top.
2006-09-28 10:31:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The boiling point of an anti-freeze/coolant solution depends on the concentration of your mixture. When you fill it every week, do you fill it with water? This could be the problem. Your mixture could be too high in water and not high enough in anti-freeze. Anti-freeze has a boiling point of 370°F and too much water significantly reduces that causing you to boil much sooner.
2006-09-28 10:33:33 · answer #6 · answered by Jer 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Replace the thermostat.
2006-09-28 10:29:14 · answer #7 · answered by Krazykraut 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Probably just a bad thermostat.
2006-09-28 10:29:18 · answer #8 · answered by c.arsenault 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
one of a number of reasons may be responsible.the radiator itself may be dirty in which case you may have to flush the radiator. The timing of the engine is not well set. the fan blade maladjusted
2006-09-28 10:45:34 · answer #9 · answered by alaba bickersteth 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your temp gage is out or a sensor,,and it still has to be the thermostat or the water pump
2006-09-28 10:29:16 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋