Radiator Water Boilin

[96 celica gt]

hi folks, was wondering if you can help with something.

i bought my 96 toyota celica gt import about 3 weeks ago and since ive owned it ive not really been able to drive it! the problem im having is the water in the radiator keeps boiling up. its not the head-gasket or water pump as ive had them both checked out and no problems. i replaced the thermostat as the one in it was broken so thought that might have fixed it but alas, it hasnt.

what happens is if you start it up and leave it idleing, itll get to its operating temp (the needle goes to about halfway on the temp gauge) and is fine, itd stay there allday if you left it but as soon as you drive it the temp gauge starts to rise and keeps rising til it gets to the red and then the steam starts (the faster you drive, the quicker the water heats up). the fans come on but doesnt seem to make any difference.

i was wondering if anyone knows whats up with it or had any similar problems or can give me some advice please?

its a lovely car and ive been after one for a while but its so disheartening having it sitting on my drive doing nothing. help!

cheers

[GT4 BOOSTER]

system could just need bleeding of air , or there is a fine crack somewhere on the cylinder head , try it without the cap on the headertank or try a new radiator cap, its possible they are not venting properly.

[96 celica gt]

tried that. had the radiator out earlier, took it into the bath and gave it a good flush and clean, stuck it back in and filled it with plain water (no coolant this time as wanted to see what was what). after havin it runnin for bout 20 mins the temp gauge went up halfway and stayed there til i took it up to 3000 rpm and then the temp went right up, steam was escaping from the top left hand corner of rad. no steam coming from the cap so think thats fine.

so far ive deduced that its not the head, not the thermostat as i fitted a new one on sunday, not the water pump. im lost! theres something not doing its job right coz it just seems to be boiling (fan comes on when its meant to but makes no difference) as soon as the engine warms up the water keeps heating up. its like theres nothing regulating the heat, it just boils an boils til the steam starts escaping.

driving me mad!!

[GT4 BOOSTER]

only only offer from me then is to run it with the thermostat out .

[96 celica gt]

i just does the same thing, heats up til the point of overheating. wouldnt that cause damage to the head as they'll be nothin to keep the temp down (not that its doin much at the min anyway!)im running out of ideas and cash, might just sell it on and cut my losses :ffs:

[GT4 BOOSTER]

running it with the stat out will keep temp down as it wont pressurise { sellers remove the stat to sell on a car with overheating issues ) , whats happening is its boiling up before the stat opens , sounds to me like the head is cracked , take the stat out out , if it still boils , its probably the head thats damaged .

the thermostat has nothing to do with cooling the engine - its there to warm the engine up quickly for optimum running performance and economy, by keeping the water in the engine only - once its open it lets water to the radiator and heating rad inside the car.

[96 celica gt]

ill give that a go then. cant do anymore damage than whats already wrong with it!

cheers

[GT4 BOOSTER]

it wont damage anything - it will help if anything - good luck .

when you got the car you said the stat was broken - what exactly was wrong with it ? was it stuck open or closed ?

[Hou]

Sounds to me like it is a crack in the block, causing pressure to enter your water.

Best bet to rule it out is take it for a leakdown and sniffer test

[shabzgt4rc]

yup best way is a leak down and sniffer test change of color will tell you if your oil and water is mixing ie headgasket..

i had similar problem at idle car was fine wen driven temp shot up was a major headace for me at the time was going round in circles.. in the end turned out to be a faulty radiator wich had the cores blocked so had no circulation and was pressurising in the radiator..might be this problem or probably not worth having a look good luck hope it gets sorted soon

[levi-st182]

i am having quiet a similar problem with my beauty St182...have tried everything... aafter i bought Drove 170miles and strarted to smoke from the engine just before i got to home and the radiator leaked. Changed the radiator to brand new, new cooler liquid filled up no leaks., thermostat checked is OK. Started the engine just now and after 2 minutes smoke came out again of the front of the engine.Was soo hot after 2min you could fry an egg on it. Water boiling.

Now, one of the 2 fan's is not working. The smaller one( on the left) so i will change this but i dont think this is the only issue..waterpump? The other itersting thing is when this occured first time i was in a heavy traffic. So stop and go stop and go and the water started to boil and smoke..and when the traffic is cleared and i was driving constatntly the temp went back to normal?? whats this? but at the end the water was boiling anyway...and now after 2 min starts overheating.

Please if you have any suggestions, apreciate it! thanks

[Karma Supra]

If steam is escaping from your rad, you have a leak.