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YACT: Overheating problems!

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Phoenix15

Golden Member
My 98 Blazer hassome overheating problems. Within a few minutes of starting it, it immediately starts to overheat. Even sitting at idle. The heater also doesn't work. The coolant is full. I checked the hoses going to the thermostat and they are both the same temperature, which I have been told tells you the thermostat is working. I checked the oil and there appears to be no coolant in it, which I have been told means that there is no head gasket leak. I'm at a loss. Anyone have any other ideas as to what might be causing it?
 
What makes you think it's overheating? The sending unit or gage may be borked.

Probably the sending unit, because that determines whether to allow the water to flow through the heater hose or not.
 
Originally posted by: Phoenix15
My 98 Blazer hassome overheating problems. Within a few minutes of starting it, it immediately starts to overheat. Even sitting at idle. The heater also doesn't work. The coolant is full. I checked the hoses going to the thermostat and they are both the same temperature, which I have been told tells you the thermostat is working. I checked the oil and there appears to be no coolant in it, which I have been told means that there is no head gasket leak. I'm at a loss. Anyone have any other ideas as to what might be causing it?
Click to expand...


Check that the fan clutch is working properly
 
can you see into the top of the radiator from the cap?
Sometimes the impeller comes right off the pump shaft. If you can start it cold, and observe the circulation through the open cap, you can tell if the pump is pumping.
I believe your cap is on the end cap of a cross-flow radiator, and it might be hard to observe the flow.
 
if he's not getting heat to the heater core and the engine is overheating even though there is coolant in the system, i'd say it's pretty clear that his coolant isn't getting circulated... WATER PUMP! 🙂
 
Sounds like the there's air in the cooling system. If that's the case, it needs to be bled. Look for a bleeder valve on or next to the thermostat housing.
 
The 'stat won't make the heater quit. It is not part of that circuit, the heater hoses essentially bypass all that.
 
Here's the update. Head gasket was blown. Checked the oil the next day and it was loaded with antifreeze. I have a friend that is going to replace the gasket (and the head if it is needed) Looks like about $275 for the head and about 70-80 for the head gasket kit. Sucks to be me right now. 🙁
 
Thanks for the update. That's about the worst that could have happened, and I never would have guessed it! I've heard people spend more than that for brake jobs or timing belts, so count your blessings.
 
Wow. That is the cheapest price I've ever heard of for replacing a head gasket. Count your lucky stars. You owe your friend at least a case of beer along with the cash. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Phoenix15
Here's the update. Head gasket was blown. Checked the oil the next day and it was loaded with antifreeze. I have a friend that is going to replace the gasket (and the head if it is needed) Looks like about $275 for the head and about 70-80 for the head gasket kit. Sucks to be me right now. 🙁
Click to expand...


$275 for the head? I didn't htink you could even have yours rebuilt for that cheap anymore...Is he getting a used one from a junkyard? COULD be more problems than the savings is worth...Have yours checked by a machine shop first.
Gasket set price is good.
He's definitely doing you a big favor. While the job isn't terribly technical, (mostly swapping parts) doing it right takes a lot of know-how, and will be fairly labor intensive.
A headgasket R&R for my 87 BMW runs about $1200, with only about $350. being the gasket set. (yeah, I can get the same parts for about $125, but the shop will only warranty the labor, not the parts, and if a gasket fails, I'm stuck with the cost of replacing it, so it's cheaper in the long run, to pay their mark-up...
 
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Originally posted by: Phoenix15
Here's the update. Head gasket was blown. Checked the oil the next day and it was loaded with antifreeze. I have a friend that is going to replace the gasket (and the head if it is needed) Looks like about $275 for the head and about 70-80 for the head gasket kit. Sucks to be me right now. 🙁
Click to expand...


$275 for the head? I didn't htink you could even have yours rebuilt for that cheap anymore...Is he getting a used one from a junkyard? COULD be more problems than the savings is worth...Have yours checked by a machine shop first.
Gasket set price is good.
He's definitely doing you a big favor. While the job isn't terribly technical, (mostly swapping parts) doing it right takes a lot of know-how, and will be fairly labor intensive.
A headgasket R&R for my 87 BMW runs about $1200, with only about $350. being the gasket set. (yeah, I can get the same parts for about $125, but the shop will only warranty the labor, not the parts, and if a gasket fails, I'm stuck with the cost of replacing it, so it's cheaper in the long run, to pay their mark-up...
Click to expand...

Well, the $275 is actually just ONE head. Only one cracked. I'll have to buy a lot of smaller parts as well (plugs, wires, new filters etc...) The heads on the blazers are cast iron, so they can take quite a beating.

and yes, I owe my buddy a KEG of beer for this one. 🙂 I will have to wait a little longer for it, as he will only be able to work on it in his spare time, but then again he's only charging me a couple of hundred. The last time I had a car blow a head gasket the repair bill was about $800, with the gasket itself only being about $100 of that.

 
while were on subject, does anyone know what the little fan directly behind the grill does? mine doesn't spin.

this is going to be a double post because i'm posting from my pocket pc phone
 
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