cooling probs

[Tappy]

I've took her out for a spin today , i notiched the fan didn't come on and the clock is all in red , i've installed a bypas switch for this but it didn't had much effect , i got no heat from the heater @all. the over flow bottle was overfull (after the ride) some ecces steam escaping from the radiator , both top hoses were very hot and felt under pressure

any suggestions ? I've put in a new waterpump 50km ago so i'd like to rule that one out , the thjeremo switch was also replaced not long ago can that one be wired faulty ? Can an air bubble be the cause , or maybe the thermostat ?

ant suggestions on diagnostics are welcome , additional tests up on request

edit : the lower radiator hose is cold as are the hoses for the heater(and they feel emty ?) .... i think a broken thermostat can be the cause ? pls advise

[baltobernie]

No heater output would suggest air or another obstruction in the coolant flow. This "bypass" switch you're talking about; is it a manual electrical switch to override the temperature switch on the bottom of the radiator? What was the propose of installing this? The OEM setup, properly functioning, works fine.

Did the cooling system work OK following the new water pump installation? Have you opened the system since it was performing satisfactorily?

The only modification to the factory setup I recommend is the installation of a "flushing tee" mounted at the highest point of the system. It looks like this:



Its purpose is twofold: It allows the attachment of a garden hose which uses household water pressure to reverse the flow and purge (flush) coolant from the system. It also allows you to "top off" the coolant after mechanical repairs to the cooling system. You fill the radiator thru the pressure cap opening, fill the coolant reservior (overflow bottle) to the recommended level, then use a funnel to slowly add coolant at the flushing tee until it overflows there (all bubbles gone). The heater valve should be in the full "on" position during this process.

If this tee is unavailable where you live, you must raise the front of the car to such a height that the pressure cap opening is the highest point in the system. There are other links to this procedure. Good Luck!

[Tappy]

No heater output would suggest air or another obstruction in the coolant flow. This "bypass" switch you're talking about; is it a manual electrical switch to override the temperature switch on the bottom of the radiator? What was the propose of installing this? The OEM setup, properly functioning, works fine.

wel the electric temp switch overrider was installed by a previous owner , he did this to overide the temp sender as it was not functioning anymore. since then i've replaced the temp sender and it worked fine , i just left the overider for safety and the switch and hole where already installed in the lower radio dash

Did the cooling system work OK following the new water pump installation? Have you opened the system since it was performing satisfactorily?

Yes after reinstalling the engine the system worked just fine , however i didn't witness the radiator goin on as it was freezing -25°c back then (-13°F) and i couldn't get the engine heated without driving , after that i brought the car to a mechanic to set the shims and carbs , he told me that the fan came on 90° during testing

The only modification to the factory setup I recommend is the installation of a "flushing tee" mounted at the highest point of the system. It looks like this:



yes that looks great i go and search for one like those , even i need to inport it from the states , i've drilled a hole in the t-piece to fill op the coolant but in my opinion that didnt work that great (topping of coolant trough a 4mm tap with a funnel took me about 30min )

besides that i notiched there was a buckle in the elbow hose to the heater , and i'm not sure the valve was opened when filling the coolant , i dont even know for sure how to set it open because i suspect it to be a lada replace valve , and the work opposit to the fiats

the uppper howes beeing hot and the lower radiator hose beeing cold , and probably the termosender not heated eather i still think a bad themostat could be the cause , not probebly connected ? or broken ? the cooland overflow bottle also suggest a blocked of route for the coolant, i think And like fiat troubles its probbably a combination of several things like reverse valve , air in the system and a broken thermo and hopefully not a broken waterpump (mostly the cause is the one thing you don't suspect...)



edit: after writing this post ,the engine was cooled down a bit so i went and checked the radiator there seems to be no coolant in it , on top of that all hoses seem to be emty ...looks like i know what to do for now , if filling up doesnt work i get back to U guys (and/or denise )

[mbouse]

i suspect the thermostat is not opening. full overflow bottle says the radiator filled up with no where for the coolant to go but to the overflow bottle. an emptying radiator would have sucked the coolant back from the overflow tank.

or, possibly the thermostat is not installed correctly?

[Tappy]

my thermostat looks a little different it looks like this :



but i guess you cant hook this one op wrong ?

[mbouse]

i think that is not correct... but will certainly defer to some one that is postive one way or the other...

[artmunson]

I thought the same thing as soon as I started to read this(thermostat in wrong)My friend had the same thing happen to him-because there are three hoses you can imagine if the housing is not exactly the same as the old one you could get confused.....just a side note....what I have used for years when filling radiators is a coolant bottle that I drilled a hole in the cap and fit a four foot long piece of clear hose(3/8") tightly in the hole.This way you can stick the end of the hose into the radiator or "T" fitting,hold the bottle higher than the end of the hose then squeeze the bottle-when its full you can quickly lower the bottle and it will suck out the excess so it wont pour out all over the place...make sense????Works great-just move it from bottle to bottle over the years.I dont like messes!

[TulsaSpider]

The thermostat looks installed incorrectly to me.

[mbouse]

i think you need to do this:
the radiator bottom hose should be connected where you have the water pump hose
the water pump hose should be connected where you have the T-fitting hose
the T-fitting hose should be connected where you have the bottom radiator hose

can anyone say this better?

[Tappy]

so if i understand :
-3 to bottom radiator hose
-1 waterpump
-2 t-piece

? if so then this has been wrong on since i bought it 3 years ago , when i make that turn with the thermostat the hoses wont line-up no more

[TulsaSpider]

I believe the following to be correct Tappy. The end with the "skirt" which you have labeled 3 goes to the lower radiator hose.
1 should go toward water pump and 2 goes on the other one. I found a pic in my stuff that shows mine, mostly maybe that will help. Ignore the oily block that's fixed!!
Mine was on incorrectly when I got it as well and a great deal of other things!

[So Cal Mark]

Tappys' installation looks right to me, but I'd like to see better pics of the t-stat

[htchevyii]

Tappy, I couldn't tell which brand you t-stat is, but I had some confusion when I got a new one from IAP. The new one was a different style, I called and they said the "machined" nipple goes toward the water pump.

[narfire]

I had this problem last year, I was lucky and had a cheap/easy fix. There are different brands of T stats, but I went to IAP's tech bulletins and looked at the cooling system rad section for the fiat. They tell to make sure you fill point is the highest point( ramps/steep hill) also if your lower hose is cool then no fluid is moving and you might have a block at the t stat. The bulletin shows where to drill a small 1/8 th hole allowing a small amount of fluid to pass but no airlock forms.Did this and no problems since.

[launieg]

If you are unsure, take the stat off, put it under the kitchen tap (cold water) and see which way the flow goes, and which outlet is blocked (not open 'cause not hot). I did this to mine to satisfy my curiosity, plus I immersed it in hot water to watch it open.

Then you'll have to look at a flow diagram for the hoses in order to match the outlets to the correct hoses. Takes a bit of thought, but not a tough puzzle. The trick is to see which is the blocked outlet when it is cold.