[Jesse_81_Stockman]

Hi everyone, i am new to this so im not sure if this right but, i am having troubles with my 1981 Suzuki Stockman overheating, it has new welch plugs, new thermostat and proper coolant, it only takes 4 - 5 kilometres for the gauge to be half way to hot?

Please Help Me

[Fatzook]

What condition is the radiator in? Have you had it flushed? Is the fan in good condition?

[steak_knife]

Jesse_81_Stockman wrote:

Hi everyone, i am new to this so im not sure if this right but, i am having troubles with my 1981 Suzuki Stockman overheating, it has new welch plugs, new thermostat and proper coolant, it only takes 4 - 5 kilometres for the gauge to be half way to hot?

Please Help Me

Does it go any higher??

[Jesse_81_Stockman]

the radiator is good, and so is the fan, i did the simple test of taking the radiator out and sticking a hose in the top and seeing if it comes out as fast as its going in and it was fine? what do u think

[Jesse_81_Stockman]

yer it goes up to 3 quaters hot but that is when i stopped driving it, before i did the welch plugs and thermostat it started smoking and hissing : /

[royce]

once it cools down do you need to fill the radiator back up?

[Jesse_81_Stockman]

no it stays up fine, its got my dad and me buggered, we dont know whats happening

[alien]

if theres no coolant he wont get a reading (i found this out the hard way when i busted a hose lol).

I had a similar issue recently (without the hissing etc) and verified my temps with an IR Gun to find they were acceptable.

I'd take the thermostat out and check it (drop into hot water and see what happens). Its a cheap part and theyre known to fail.

[Taylor74]

A hose is no way to test a radiator, Pull it out and get it checked properly or if you know some one with a laser temp sensor they can check the core temp differences to tell you if it has a blockage.
Also make sure your fan is on in the correct direction the little ribs should point to the radiator, backwards they still work but not as eficent.

[89_tintop]

what brand of thermostat?

[Jesse_81_Stockman]

the thermostat is a quality product : )

and another problem i am having is ! i want to replace the front wheel bearings in it but i cant get the massive nut off on the front hub ? i have tried a socket with a bar of metal for extra leverage but it wont budge?

[Fatzook]

Jesse_81_Stockman wrote:

the thermostat is a quality product : )

and another problem i am having is ! i want to replace the front wheel bearings in it but i cant get the massive nut off on the front hub ? i have tried a socket with a bar of metal for extra leverage but it wont budge?

Cold chisel and hammer. Although this will most certainly damage the locking nut.

Out of interest.....What sort of socket did you use? Your normal 3/4" etc sockets have a bevel on the internal edge which is about the same depth as the locking nut, which causes it to slip of the nut when force is applied.

Try a Tube socket if you haven't already.

[Jesse_81_Stockman]

yes it was a 3/4 socket !

thanx for the tip i could always just break the nut and replace it couldnt i ?

[89_tintop]

and what do u call a "quality" thermostat

[Fatzook]

Jesse_81_Stockman wrote:

yes it was a 3/4 socket !

thanx for the tip i could always just break the nut and replace it couldnt i ?

Try the cold chisel and hammer first. If you burr it up a little you can sometimes linish them back so they can be re-used. Although investing in a tube or pipe socket would be a better idea.

[Jesse_81_Stockman]

it was a brand name and i got it from a proper shop !

[russty_2008]

is your radiator blocked with mud and shit

[MrRocky]

check thermostat is the same degree's as the one you removed

[Jesse_81_Stockman]

im not sure : S how can i check ?

[89_tintop]

yeh..

I have used a particular brand at work ... and 50% had a problem... and they were a "reputable" brand.

what store did you get it from then?

[Jesse_81_Stockman]

how can i tell if the radiator is blocked ?

[losfer]

read what fatzook said in the second post , and taylor74 said.

best way to check a blocked radiator is to take it to a radiator shop , where they will pull it apart and professionally clean it .

[alien]

if you drive lots of dust and mud / water crossings, getting the rad professionally cleaned every year is a good idea. I've been meaning to get mine done but everyones been closed over the xmas break.

[russty_2008]

Jesse_81_Stockman wrote:

how can i tell if the radiator is blocked ?

look at the front of the radiator and see if there is a shitload of mud on it it happened to mine and check if your fan belt is tight too

[Fatzook]

russty_2008 wrote:

Jesse_81_Stockman wrote:

how can i tell if the radiator is blocked ?

look at the front of the radiator and see if there is a shitload of mud on it it happened to mine and check if your fan belt is tight too

It can be blocked internally aswell. No way to see that without a boroscope, or removing the end tanks.

[jonno_racing]

i ALWAYS buy genuine thermistats.. around $5 more and they work!!! i went though 3 in my coily from repco before i found one that works.. never had a over hearing issue since!

[89_tintop]

jonno_racing wrote:

i ALWAYS buy genuine thermistats.. around $5 more and they work!!! i went though 3 in my coily from repco before i found one that works.. never had a over hearing issue since!

]

theres the problem..

thats why I asked where he got it from and what brand

[2stroker]

Hi Jesse, mate can you give us some history, is this a new problem, was the car running ok and then this has started or is the car new to you and came to you with the problem.

I have chased oveheating problems before and after replacing thermostat and radiator found cheap aftermarket waterpumps with cast alloy fins that were corroded away. On the other hand it could even be your temp sender or gauge.

[royce]

If it got really hot you may of blown the head gasket which can cause ongoing overheating issues but usually with a big loss of coolant, one way to test is to let it idle with the radiator cap off and look for bubbles, please be careful here incase its bad and spits hot coolant everywhere.

1 litres also had an earthing problem that can make the temp and fuel gauges read off, the fix is to fit a wire from the firewall to teh negative battery terminal, fixed a running hot on the highway problem in mine

New thermostats can be faulty as well, to test pull it out and stick it in a pot of water on the stove and make sure its open fully before you start to see bubbles form and well before the water boils.

If you start it up form cold and jsut let it idle away, will it get hot?

[2stroker]

Jesse_81_Stockman wrote:

yer it goes up to 3 quaters hot but that is when i stopped driving it, before i did the welch plugs and thermostat it started smoking and hissing : /

Royce this post of his made me think that he saw the gauge going up and shut it down. I may be wrong but I think he means

i stopped driving it, before i did the welch plugs and thermostat OR it started smoking and hissing