what should i do... your opinion please

[Urabus-84HBDR]

i bought this car about 4 months ago. it is a 1988 gl10t, sedan, 5s diff lock. has the digi dash installed a year or two ago by another board member who owned it. (lumpycam) the air ride has been replaced also. it has never heated up on me before, but now when i drive to work, 49* North the local ski hill... it heats up on me when i start up the hills. not sure why but only when going up the hills... i have been told thats common with hg failure? anyone back that? or what is it?

here is what im going to do- get a hg kit and pull the motor, check out the heads have them pressure tested. get a new dual core radiator, hoses, new pcv valve and all the hoses that goes with it. do a thorough tune-up, change all the fluids, even the diff and trans. is there a k&n filter kit to fit these cars? like a cold air intake or?? a different turbo, i think mine is leaking too- also another reason possibly that is why it overheats... i have a ton of other questions that will pop up as i go for sure... i have read almost every ea82t thread so please dont tell me to search, as i am and have done that, so any advice or your opinions are greatly appreciated! thanks. theres more im doing too, exhaust, intercooler...

[The Scooby]

check coolant level, mine was doing the same thing, ended up coolant was just low.

[Urabus-84HBDR]

tried it... it wasnt low, but topped it off any way. in my wagon 83 ea81 it had too much, and would heat up boil over to a point then be fine. weird, its posted somewhere, too much coolant.

 

check coolant level, mine was doing the same thing, ended up coolant was just low.

[Frank B]

If it is HG failure, your almost certain to loose coolant. Usually out of the exhaust if it's a cracked head or a severe failure.

I had a similair problem on a GL-10. I installed a 2 row rad and it stopped.

 

Get a pressure test done on the cooling system and maybe a leak down test on the engine before tearing it down.

[mikeshoup]

Sounds like the radiator is in need of care. If its a single core, replace it with a dual core radiator.

 

Definitely check it out though, and make sure its not clogged, and that you don't have bad cases of fin rot. When I pulled the old radiator out of the XT, I had such a bad case of fin rot, that entire rows of fins were missing.

[Jack in Norfolk]

Coincidentally, I once worked at our local ski hill and was driving home one night. At a stop light I noticed billowing white smoke from the tailpipe. Also, there was absolutley no heat and the temp guage was nearing the red zone. All of this happened pretty quickly. I got that cold sinking feeling and thought I had finally killed the sube. By incredible luck, it turned out to be this little coolant hose that was out of sight. Upon replacement, the car ran like a top.

Some times you get lucky.

If your car is heating up on you on hills but not losing coolant, it might be your water pump giving up the ghost, or you may have a buble in your coolant. How is the heater working?

I had to burp the coolant in my Jeep once. It did the trick though. I didn't have to get a new heater core.

 

good luck.

[Indrid cold]

weak radiator cap? system can't build pressure therefore it will go too a higher temperature....

 

check seating surface too of the radiator cap, had goop under the reubber of the radiator cap so it wouldn't seal...

[Jack in Norfolk]

weak radiator cap? system can't build pressure therefore it will go too a higher temperature....

 

check seating surface too of the radiator cap, had goop under the reubber of the radiator cap so it wouldn't seal...

 

excellent call.

on a similar note, whats up with the resvoir bottle? Is it leaking or cracked somewhere? That was the problem in my Jeep. Luckily this is a very cheap fix.

[Turbone]

Something quick and easy to do is install a new OEM thermostat. If it still gets hot I would look at he rad.

[nipper]

This is old enough for the radiator fins to have fallen off the car. Also it would not be unreasonable for the radiator to be clogged. That would be the first thing i looked at. Thermostats dont care if your on level ground or up hill, but as you go uphill engine works harder, more heat to disipate, fouled radiator wont do its job.

 

 

 

 

nipper

[GeneralDisorder]

This is old enough for the radiator fins to have fallen off the car. Also it would not be unreasonable for the radiator to be clogged. That would be the first thing i looked at. Thermostats dont care if your on level ground or up hill, but as you go uphill engine works harder, more heat to disipate, fouled radiator wont do its job.nipper

 

Not in WA. I have 20 year old radiators that are fine.

 

That said, if it's not a 2 row, it should be - especially for your uses.

 

GD

[Urabus-84HBDR]

ok. i have thought of both, the t-stat and radiator. im replacing the rad. and probly not a bad idea to do the t-stat as well. going to get a new cap as well.

would i have to take my car to a shop for a pressure test for the cooling system, and what exactly is a leak down test?

where do i get a 2 row rad that is compatible with the subies? im looking online..... maybe ill call around this week.

the over flow tank or whatever is fine, maybe has oil up in it... :-\ its dirty and i have never filled or used, seen fluid in it or nothing...

also im pretty sure that the turbo is leaking somewhere... the lower bolts have a weird white residue on them... stinks like antifreeze... thanks

 

 

If it is HG failure, your almost certain to loose coolant. Usually out of the exhaust if it's a cracked head or a severe failure.

I had a similair problem on a GL-10. I installed a 2 row rad and it stopped.

 

Get a pressure test done on the cooling system and maybe a leak down test on the engine before tearing it down.

[mikeshoup]

radiatorexpress.com sells two row replacement radiators for about $135. They say NON-TURBO, but there's no difference, so it works just fine.

 

Get an T-Stat from the dealer. They have a much longer life.

 

Sounds to me though, like you have a coolant leak somewhere. If there's no coolant in the overflow, that's a problem. There should be a little bit. Take off the rad cap and make sure there's coolant up to the neck.

[SakoTGrimes]

Try a bottle or 2 of radiator flush - I do this to every car I plan to keep.

[Prospeeder]

Id say the radiator, a single row should be fine, mine ran hot, and overheated going up hills, a brand new 1 row makes it run perfectly cool and the temp doesnt even move going up steep hills or going on the highway.

[Urabus-84HBDR]

i need a few things cleared up... are these motors single overhead cams, or dual overhead cams? am i stupid or something... also what car does the td04 turbo come off of?! someone knows.... help. i am going to do this, and am doing it right... so thats why i need your help! thanks!

[jeffast]

the tdo4 comes off of a wrx, and the ea82 is sohc

[bigjim5551212]

I had this issue on a 88 GL10 turbo auto. I think the rad was gone. the car worked fine otherwise. all the fan worked etc. I must say, that I never changed the thermostat.

[Frank B]

A coolant system pressure test is where you pressurize the coolant system, if it holds pressure, your head gaskets, other gaskets and heads are fine. The leak down test is a compression test but you hold the pressure longer to see if the cylinder holds the pressure. If it doesn't you have bad rings, bad valves, or valves not seating, or a cracked head. I would hold off on the leak down test right now because worn rings and or valves could mis-lead you at this point.

 

Coolant has a higher boiling point under pressure, so a new rad cap, 13psi, is a cheap fix, and worth replacing anyway, as well as the thermostat. They really should be replaced regularly anyway since either one could toast your engine. Alos be sure to run a 50/50 mix for your coolant. Water disipates heat better than antifreeze so 100% antifreeze isn't a good idea. You could go as much as 70/30 if it gets super cold there.