I recently just moved from Phoenix to Albuquerque, and had the car shipped here as well (obviously). When I first got it back in my hands I took it for a short spin and no problems were present at the time; ambient temp was around 45 degrees, and engine temp got up to around 215 and did its usual drop. The second time I took it out, the outside temp was around 71 degrees but the engine temp got up right to the 250 mark and dropped. This happened a couple of times, and I would also like to add that I was going 55-70 mph the whole time while experiencing this problem. Do note that I have never had any cooling problems before the move and had a coolant flush done as well. Could it be the elevation change that's causing the engine to work harder in some kind of way? Thanks for any kind of help/prior experience in this situation.
Sudden cooling problem after relocation
- Thread starter ohno
- Start date
01sapphirebob
Enthusiast
Air in the cooling sysytem?
Maybe, I just got out of the garage to inspect the cooling more accurately. I started the car, popped the hood, and let it run. The temps get up to the normal op temp the does the normal drop for the first few times, but eventually the temp will rise a bit more and more before the drop.
After around 6-7 cooling temp gauge drops I turned the car off and felt the hoses. They were hot to the touch and hard as should be so no problems there. Then I checked the bottle on the right which has plenty of fluid in it. Then I made sure the radiator cap was on and tight (which it was). Finally I looked through the eye sight for the overflow bottle in which I discovered it has a rather large open crack (2-3 inches) and no fluid in it. So now my question is; How important is the overflow bottle in the operation in the cooling system? Could that be the culprit or is it not all that important at all and I should look else where like head gaskets and what not?
dave6666
Enthusiast
The overflow bottle is critical in keeping air out of the system. Every time the system heats it pukes out some coolant due to expansion. Every time it cools it ***** it back in due to contraction. If the coolant is not available to be sucked back in - it all ran out the bottle - it ***** in air.
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Please note the complaint-free content. Dave, contemporary mod-rice Viper/Ricer owner, and I approve this message.
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Please note the complaint-free content. Dave, contemporary mod-rice Viper/Ricer owner, and I approve this message.
VYPR BYT 94
Enthusiast
... Every time it cools it ***** it back in due to contraction...
Air in the cooling sysytem?
Agreed, I think they are both on to something. My guess is if you park in the garage after a quick spin and then sit there listening to it, you'll hear alot more gurgling than usual as it cools.
malcoll
Enthusiast
If this is a new symptom, it could be that during the shipping transfer someone bottomed out the front and the impact cracked the bottle.
Is there any damage on the underside of the front cover?
Is there any damage on the underside of the front cover?
I just ordered a new one off of ebay. Thanks for explaining how critical the overflow bottle is for the cooling system considering my tech manual doesn't explain it. There is no damage to the underside of the front cover as far as I can tell right now, so that being said; who knows how long it has been like this. My main concern right now is making sure I don't have a warped head or blown head gasket due to this situation.
AZTVR
Enthusiast
It is pretty common to puncture or crack the overflow bottle. One mounting screw for the bumper cover extends to within a quarter inch of the bottom of the bottle, and can be pushed up into it without causing extraordinary looking damage to the fascia.
Also, I wonder if the plastic if that bottle might get brittle over the years, depending on how it was spec'ed, or maybe even how it might vary with different batches. We see big variations in my business from year to year on composition of things we buy, even though it was all bought to the same spec. Maybe what used to result in a puncture in the plastic might now cause a crack. (but same result = leak)
LifeIsGood
Enthusiast
As info...here's a picture of the coolant recovery bottle with the front fascia off...
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dave6666
Enthusiast
That bottle is probably HDPE and because it is clear has no stablizer package in the polymer such as you would find in something that is made to be exposed to the elements. Like your plastic lawn furniture. That is not clear. Stabilizers typically take away clarity while enhancing properties.
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Please note the complaint-free content. Dave, contemporary mod-rice Viper/Ricer owner, and I approve this message.
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Please note the complaint-free content. Dave, contemporary mod-rice Viper/Ricer owner, and I approve this message.
Dave is correct, and though it is not likely the culprit, how long has it been since you flushed the system. Seems it might be some good preventive maintenance when you replace the bottle to start the system off fresh, as you likely have some air in the system as Dave suggested.
Up to you , but just a thought, and best of luck.
Up to you , but just a thought, and best of luck.
