Hi, my name's Loralyn and I'm a 21 year old girl who just bought a 30 year old car. The Mav and I have been through a lot together in the past couple of months, but I'm about ready to call it quits and break up with it. It's a v8 302 with a/c. I'm having problems with the car over heating. So far, I've... -flushed the radiator more times than I can count -put a new thermostat it (I knew it couldn't be THAT easy to fix the problem) -put a new (BRAND new) radiator on -checked the lines, they're all great -got two new radiator caps (one of each kind) -rigged up an overflow tank -my next move is to put a new water pump in- that's this weekend. It all started when the original radiator cracked. I replaced it with a brand new radiator, which quickly started overheating. The radiator fluid would overflow and would spill out more than HALF of the amount in the radiator, which is what I figured was causing this overheating. I then bought a new cap from oreilly's (just the push down and turn kind). This cap didn't have the right fit b/c it was still overflowing and then over heating. I bought a cap with the red lever that closes the system a little tighter and added a home-made overflow tank. This fixed the problem for a little while. As soon as that was done, the heater hose decided to crack, so I trimmed that down and tightened it back up; everything was fine. All of the sudden, out of no where, it started to overheat again this week. I know that the engine got pretty hot b/c it started making that god aweful noise that engines make when they're trying not to explode. (really loud, higher pitched squalling noise) I assume that this was due to my water pump going out b/c that's just about the last of the new part replacement options. I have that new water pump sitting in my garage, my weekend is entirely dedicated to replacing that. Until then, I'm just filling it up with water constantly and driving it as normal. (this is my only source of transportation). With this car, it's been one thing after another. It's only got 58K original miles on it, so it really shouldn't be acting up like this. Are there any secrets anyone out there knows about getting this damn car to behave? And also, does anyone know exactly what the overflow situation is on this car? There's an overflow hose that comes from the top of the radiator and runs down along the side, but that doesn't do too much for keeping the radiator full. When I put that second cap with the lever on and added an overflow jug, it seemed to make a WORLD of difference. Also, this past week, a tacking noise started in the engine. I figured that I might've just gotten all of the gunk lose in the engine and oil, so I changed the oil tonight. Ever since I did that, I've noticed a blueish/whiteish smoke coming from teh exhaust. Other than burning oil, what could this mean? I know that this could be a cracked head gasket, radiator fluid in the gaskets, or the seals and rings in the engine have finally given way which would mean an engine rebuild. I need help! Please!
:Handshake , you are at the right place for any help you may need. . the overheating problem can be tricky. it could be as simple as putting the right pressure radiator cap on, to a head gasket being blown. you may be on to something with the water pump. let's get the overheating fixed first and then we will address the smoke. you may have toasted your valve seals. ...frank...
to the board. Sounds like you might have the overheating problem solved, after replacing the water pump. Unless it's a blown head gasket. Keep at it. These cars need tender loving care. Pics, we love pics....
If you have a fan clutch, I don't know if these cars came equipped with one or not, this will cause the car to overheat and is easily overlooked. Even if the clutch still has resistance to being turned by hand (with the engine turned off, please), they can be bad. Hope that this helps.
When the car is running you might want to go back and smell the exhast. If it smells like antifreeze you can bet on headgaskets at the least and more likely cracked heads from overheating. A bad water pump will certainly cause overheating. I've had the propellers come loose and spin or even break. I just bought the same car and plan on driving it 1000 miles home. Good luck to both of us. Will
