Trans_AM_88

quick summary of what happened:

so we had like 4 inches when i got out of school, i drove home n got stuck in front of my house for like 10 minutes. im reving the engine but i go nowhere. then all of a sudden i see green **** all over the street
pull off to the side open the hood
my anti freeze is BOILING
literally, it was bubbling and spewing out



edit: there is no cap on the over flow tank for the anti freeze

how can i fix this?

Trans_AM_88

anyone? i bought a new thermostat with a gasket, but i looked where the therm is on the engine and it looks like a bitch to get out since like like 15F outside...DAMNIT

TransAmTBI

my anti freeze only boils when my fan doesnt come on... was your tem high? when my temp would rise my fan would shut off then it would boil over.. if it was spewinginto your passenger side seat that might mean a bad heater core..
hope any of this helps check your air damn etc

MdFormula350

sounds like you overheated some...

i would look to see if your fan(s) work, that would also be my first guess to look at, then work from there..

like when the last time your rad. cap has been changed..
also make sure you are running a decent coolant mixture like 50/50...

Trans_AM_88

the heater core is new, the guy i bought it from replaced it like a year ago. how do i check the air dam?

whats the best was to check if the fans work, since its freezing out? the rad cap looks brandy new, but i dunno when it was bought...i got this car a week ago.

Danno

When you post it helps to have year, engine disp and type of fan system. Electric fan should trip on when the temp guage goes a little past the 220 mark on the guage. You can get an overflow tank cap at any parts store. Was the temp guage in the red zone? Could simply be the fact that it was overfilled assuming the guage was not pegged. Otherwise normal cooling system troubleshooting should resolve your problem. Boiling can be tricky because once the pressure is removed it blasts everywhere even if you are not overheating.

Trans_AM_88

my car is a 88 trans am 350ci and im not sure what fan system it has yet. been real busy and havent had time to look everything over, i bought this car a wee ago. i hope i'll have time today to look at it.

i didnt look at the temp guage unfortunately

im going to replace the therm just in case anyway, just need time to do it

KC10Chief

Sounds like you need a new radiator cap for starters! IF your coolant is boiling and spewing out, that's usually a sign that the radiator cap is bad. The cap keeps it under pressure. Water won't boil when it's under pressure. This lets it get over 212 degrees. The antifreeze raises that temperature some. Ever seen a pressure cooker? It keeps the water under pressure which lets it get hotter than 212 degrees. With no pressure, water won't get hotter than 212 degrees. It boils off and turns to steam. So, if your antifreeze is boiling, its not under pressure. Usually the radiator cap. You also need to get a cap for that reservoir. You can get those things at Auto Zone. Matt

Trans_AM_88

that made a lot of sense

alright so ill get a new rad cap, but how much pressure should i get? i also got a new thermostat, auto zone part 400-195. i dont know the temp on it, but i think its the same as the stock one. should i get a lower temp therm? thanks

KC10Chief

The last three digits in that part number are the temp. It's a 195 degree thermostat. If you haven't opened that thermostat yet, take it back. Get one that's a 180 degree thermostat, and NOT an Auto Zone house brand thermostat. Buy the one that's a little more expensive. The one you have is probably fine, and it will work, but you might as well not skimp. Go with the 180 degree thermostat that's better quality than Auto Zone. I don't know how much pressure you should have in your radiator. As long as you have a good cap, it shouldn't boil. Matt

Danno

Look at the back of the stat on the brass side. It will be stamped usually with a number. If it says "STC" it is a Stant thermostat which is the OE supplier to GM. It will be fine to use and equivalent to a dealer replacement part. As far as temp is concerned 195 is the stock operating temp for the engine. It is fine to use. Radiator cap is an AC Delco RC-27 which is a 15psi unit. The Stant replacement is a 16psi cap, makes no difference as far as the 1 pound is concerned.

Trans_AM_88

guys i did some work on my car today and it looks like it might be my head gasket that's causing all of this

i did a pressure test on my coolant system and the pressure went through the roof up the the 'danger' level in about 5 - 10 minutes.

i also seem to smell burned antifreeze

this could explain the missing antifreeze and why i have these problems after gunning the throttle a few times. thats when all this crap starts to happen.

can this be it? i hope not...

25THRSS

Sounds like you figured it out. Head gaskets can be a bitch sometimes.

Trans_AM_88

i know . i cant do it myself...i dont have the time, place, or experience to do it right now. i bought the car a little over a week ago and the owner said the motor still has 2 years left on the warranty. im getting the warranty papers today so ill check to see if the warranty covers the head gasket. if not, ill be shelling out probably more than $500 to get it done...

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

It's not hard to change the head gasket. I changed my first head gaskets 1.5 years ago when I changed heads while doing my carb to TPI swap. It will cost you less than $100 in parts.
If you work on it straight, shouldn't take more than 4 hours from start to finish. Just need to find a place to do it.