strange steaming radiator tale
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:55 am
So I bought a broken down 89 Prelude, professionally rebuilt/resurfaced the head, put it all together, new timing belt, new water pump, new thermostat, new belts, etc... got it in fine working shape, fixed it all up. My son has driven it for 4 months, but he is pretty responsible. No real problems - just minor stuff that needs to be fixed on a 20+ year old car. But during Christmas shopping it starts to overheat on my son. He pulls over, calls me. I come up and drive it slowly home, watching the temp gauge go up and down, but never over 3/4 or so. In my garage I put in *lots* of water, but then I watch the radiator steam like someone is pouring water over hot coals - well, one or two hot coals. A steady, constant steam. I replace radiator cap. No change. I don't see any fluid dripping down on the floor. Strange. I check all connections and hoses - nothing unusual. This goes on for about 10 or 15 minutes minutes. Water temp gauge is fine the whole time, so it seems to have originally gone up because of low water. Finally I go out and buy a new radiator, thinking that it must have blown out and that is why the overheating, etc.. I install it, add fluid, bring up to temperature, and.... it continues to steam.... Very strange!
Then.... I notice that the exhaust is blowing out white smoke, with a funny sweet smell. And I see *the puddle* - looks like mayonaise on the ground. AGGHHH!! And the radiator water is gurgling away. Head gasket blown! Sooooo... after I recover from my agony, I tear the whole thing apart, take the head back to the shop where I had had it resurfaced 4 months ago, and ask them what happened. They checked it out and said it was fine, and did not think that the car had overheated to cause the head gasket to blow. They had installed a pressure valve that busts open at 240F, and it did not blow. The head was absolutely straight. Very strange!! They only surmise that one of the head bolts did not get tightened enough when I originally put it together. I'm sure I followed everything to spec - 22lbs, then 49 pounds, working from middle to outside. So I go and buy all new gaskets, put the whole thing together again. I did notice when I put it together that the middle two bolts, after tightening them to 49 and then tightening up others around it, were loose again, as tightening up the ones around the middle had relieved some of the pressure on the middle two - perhaps this was why the head gasket blew between cyl 2 and 3 in the first place???. Anyone had this happen?? Anyway, I fix up an oil leak along the way, got it all back together, and now.... the radiator still 'steams.' Enough so that when you stop at a stop sign you can see steam coming from under the hood...constantly. The engine is NOT overheating - temp gauge below 1/2 and fans rarely going on. So I am ready to go out and buy another radiator and try again, assuming that there are again some holes in the new radiator...??? . My basic question is what is going on with this new radiator - could a blown headgasket cause a huge amount of pressure in a radiator - enough to blow one out?? Seems strange. The radiator was one from Autozone, which could also explain things.... But it all is strange. Anyway, I will let you know if radiator #3 does the job, but if anyone has answers, I would love some.
Then.... I notice that the exhaust is blowing out white smoke, with a funny sweet smell. And I see *the puddle* - looks like mayonaise on the ground. AGGHHH!! And the radiator water is gurgling away. Head gasket blown! Sooooo... after I recover from my agony, I tear the whole thing apart, take the head back to the shop where I had had it resurfaced 4 months ago, and ask them what happened. They checked it out and said it was fine, and did not think that the car had overheated to cause the head gasket to blow. They had installed a pressure valve that busts open at 240F, and it did not blow. The head was absolutely straight. Very strange!! They only surmise that one of the head bolts did not get tightened enough when I originally put it together. I'm sure I followed everything to spec - 22lbs, then 49 pounds, working from middle to outside. So I go and buy all new gaskets, put the whole thing together again. I did notice when I put it together that the middle two bolts, after tightening them to 49 and then tightening up others around it, were loose again, as tightening up the ones around the middle had relieved some of the pressure on the middle two - perhaps this was why the head gasket blew between cyl 2 and 3 in the first place???. Anyone had this happen?? Anyway, I fix up an oil leak along the way, got it all back together, and now.... the radiator still 'steams.' Enough so that when you stop at a stop sign you can see steam coming from under the hood...constantly. The engine is NOT overheating - temp gauge below 1/2 and fans rarely going on. So I am ready to go out and buy another radiator and try again, assuming that there are again some holes in the new radiator...??? . My basic question is what is going on with this new radiator - could a blown headgasket cause a huge amount of pressure in a radiator - enough to blow one out?? Seems strange. The radiator was one from Autozone, which could also explain things.... But it all is strange. Anyway, I will let you know if radiator #3 does the job, but if anyone has answers, I would love some.