LingLing Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Not my personal problem, but this is important. Just really want to know, how do you know a car 15-20 years old will have a potential over heating problem. Let's say drive it daily 20-30kms range for few days is sweet as. But How do you know over next 100-500kms long trips will not over heat? I was thinking using the cooling system compression kit for testing. apart from that, what else should we check? Thank You in advance! This is Tech Talk, I perfer Technical discussions ONLY. Please Do not Spam this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidTheCreator Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 lol@you saying not to spam in a tec thread there isnt a fullproof way that i know of but a compression test and cylinder leakage test would be a good place to start, also check the hoses and overflow bottle. if they look like they have been replaced reciently then ask why? maybe it had a cracked overflow bottle or burst hose at some time which my have cause it to overheat. check that there isnt any signs of leaking coolant from the radiator, thermostat housing, overflow bottle or radiator and check the coolant condition. and if it is a later model car with obd2 then check for old fault codes that could have been logged if it had overheated. also do some research into common faults wiith the vehicle, overheater might be one of them, like 1mz powered camrys that overheat at the first sign of trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durty Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Easiest way to see is to drive it further and and see what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Just really want to know, how do you know a car 15-20 years old will have a potential over heating problem. Let's say drive it daily 20-30kms range for few days is sweet as. But How do you know over next 100-500kms long trips will not over heat? I was thinking using the cooling system compression kit for testing. This isn't an issue, a 20 year old car is 1992. I drive a car of this vintage daily. just think of how many cars around this age travel the length of the country everyday. as long as the radiator isn't fucked everything will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felixx Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Is it overheating? Did it overheat on track day? Flush radiator, get air locks out when you refill with coolant If your radiator is OK then it should be sweet. I followed the advice off here and crumbled half a dish washer cube into mine, drove 50km then flushed. Fixed my overheating problem quick smart. Or go to a radiator specialist and pay the man $100 and get it steam cleaned edit: If its not overheating - dont 'fix' what aint broke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUNAMUCK Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Use your eyes, and look for rust stains. Check the frost plugs. Look for signs of weeping around the water pump, and all heater/raditor hoses. Stick a dishwasher tablet (Finish powerball ftw!) in the rad, and go for a good long drive. (Keep in third gear to hold the revs up so the waterpump really gets the water circulating) Then drain the cooling system, and flush the shit out it with fresh water. Replace thermostat, and refill with new coolant. (ie antifreeze) Then once in a while check the coolant level in the radiator. (With the motor cold!) Thats about all you can do. If you have crappy looking hoses, or weeping frost plugs, or water pump replace them. true story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phtmbl Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 all the things already said are great points, i would also be checking every hose to see if the har hard and make a crunching noise when squeezed (if yes serious flush needed) or if the are far to soft (if yes relace them) other than that load up car and drive up biggest hill you can find if it does not over heat you will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 just open the radiator cap for a start, is it coolant or water residing in there? my understanding is any 90's era car needs glycol to stop the alloy heads perishing, if its water then more often than not hoses will be perished and rusty, so also check that the top of the tubes are clear in the radiator, as a good indication on whether the rad is blocked can be had from just the view through the cap, metal flake and scale can normally be seen blocking the tubes at the top. also what car is it as theres plenty out there with widely known overheating problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LingLing Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 Felixx, they ain't sports car, I am talking about the cars I sell. The starlet I sold was overheated yersterday due to a blown hose, because of the rust in the radiator blocked the cooling system I think. Thank you for all your inputs, I have a good idea now on how to check these type of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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