Really need your help (cooling Issue)

[ajay5605]

hey guy my friend has a 2002 SSEI with 115000 miles she doesnt know too much about cars so im posting for her

the car keeps overheating but does it intermittenly first on my initial check of the car someone has put some stop leak crap in the cooling system and both the radiator and coolant resavoir are both super dirty and have a ton of crap in them like the block is corroding and got junk in the system Are these cast iron blocks? next she told me that when it is hott (i havent seen it run) that it will boil in the resavoir can. which should be an instant giveaway to me that the head gasket is blown and gases are getting into the coolant system (i am not very familiar with this motor it is way different than my LS1 Z28 camaro) she also says that the fan is working fine and she can hear it come on and go high

any light you could shed on the subject would be greatly appreciated

do you thiink its the head gasket or do these cars have any common issues in the cooling system?
i heard a few things about the upper/lower intake gaskets. could that be it?
but if it was that the exhaust gases would not be able to get into the coolant system

HELP!!!! lol

[harofreak00]

Headgaskets are not a common problem in the 3800's AT ALL, but they can happen, especially when highly overheated.

That brown sludge in the radiator and coolant reservoir is DEXCOOL. Read up: http://www.zillamotorsports.com/DEX/

The first thing I would do would be to do a COMPLETE flush of the coolant system to remove every drop of DEX. After that try running it and see if it will overheat. If it does, do a compression check for a head gasket leak. If it is still overheating after a good compression check, check back here.

[ajay5605]

well she just told me that she just had the system flushed by her husband

but i already told her to get it pressure tested (or maybe ill just do it)

any other ideas anyone?

[00Beast]

Could be Lower Intake Gaskets. Do you know if they've ever been replaced?

[ajay5605]

they have never been replaced

[00Beast]

If your pressure test fails, that would be the first thing I'd replace. I highly doubt it's the head gaskets.


Also, the thermostat isn't stuck closed, is it? That could cause overheating. I would check that too.

[ajay5605]

i thought about that too but the kicker is the gases in the reservoir

when the car is hott you can see the gases bubbling in there usually exhaust in the cooling system is always a head gasket

[ajay5605]

oki sorry man i take that back lol i just had her start it and let it warm up the hose on the right side as best that i can tell has the thermostat on it and that one i hott like fluid is flowing but the hose on the left that goes into the water pump is ice cold which makes me think that her radiator is just that clogged up lol i cant see anything coming out of where the intake gasket is but it is all wet around where it should be there was NO bubbling in the reservoir like she told me there was so your prob right with the intake gasket being dead or her radiator is just that clogged and coolant cant flow

[00Beast]

Take the radiator out, take it to a radiator shop, have it flushed and checked for leaks, then while it's out throw in a new thermostat. $10 investment on the t-stat, and whatever the radiator shop charges.

[harofreak00]

You are in Missouri, right?

I have a brand new radiator for sale if she is interested.