Cooling Issues with the X

[chad]

Short Story
Had cooling issue with my Double Naught X.
replaced thermostat and drive belt (Napa gives a AAA discount!!)
did not work still over heats while driving.
took it to the mechanic today.
zero leaks, water-pump & radiator new.
belt were replaced correctly.
Cylinder Leak Test passes
He gave me a few options but he thinks its internal
Need help???
Anyone ever have cooling issues???
 

[Bobby B.]

Start running down the basics.

Is the system bled of all air?  There's a bleeder valve on the top of the engine to open as part of filling the coolant.

Is the fan clutch ok?

Is air getting to the radiator (no crud plugging the ac fins before the rad)?

[chad]

no the mech says its all good.

He ask me a lot of question on what has been done to the car because he noticed the new radiator.
I gave him the full history. he doesn't think its the water pump, radiator or fan clutch because they are fairly new08. The hoses are less than a year old (different story).
No air in the system. presser test ok. no leak's. ran a CLD and all good. he checked the belt & assumes I could install a thermostat correctly.

[chad]

Options he gave me was to remove the radiator and have it cleaned out (doesn't think this is an issue because its less than two years old) if that does not work replace the fan clutch, then to bring it back to replace the water pump.
What do you guys think?
I'm thinking of removing the radiator and takeing it in on monday, it can't hurt and if I'm lucky that should do the trick.

[Bobby B.]

I think you're better served by troubleshooting than by chucking money away replacing parts.  Go test your fan clutch, go test your thermostat, etc.

Unless you're doing things yourself, you need to find a real mechanic, not a tech.  Mechanics find whats wrong for you; techs replace stuff and hope it works.

[chad]

Well I removed the radiator and took down to a garage in ELA to flushed it out.
Got done installing it, test drive: stop and go traffic to the local mall and the hills on the way home. AC on full blast. (AC seems to work better:-X). So far its running fine. I'll  see what happens on the way home from work tomorrow.
Oh the thermostat on a Double Aught X doesn't come with a ring you need to use silicone. Make sure to remove the old silicone of the housing.
Wear gloves when using the silicone.
 

[boomer818]

After all that you might have to check your gauge. It might be electrical (false reading). Just because you changed your thermostat does not mean it works I always check by dipping in really hot water before i install it in my past cars.

[chad]

I also had the radiator. I checked the area after the drive home
no leaks and no more bubbling fluids in the reservoir.

[superslidestyle]

I agree.  A good mechanic will do the troubleshooting and fix it right.  A good shop will even give you warranty on their work.  If you look elsewhere here in the older threads, you'll see that I had to rebuild the entire motor with 190,000 miles on it and even had to add an hood vents and an oil cooler that barely clears the steering stabilizer to help with internal cooling.

[chad]

what does a complete rebuild go for and how long will it take?

[superslidestyle]

Its really going to depend on you, on how much you want and  how much you can afford.  I did all the work myself because I own an engine hoist to remove/replace engine.  Machine shop charged me $1200 plus $200 more to replace a cracked head and another $200 for new O.E.M. pistons.  These I sent to Swain in New York and paid $350 for ceramic anti-heat coating on the tops na a slippery moly coating on the piston skirts and valve stems, rod bearings and main bearings.  got those back and them handed them to machine shop so they can finish the motor.  dropped it in myself.

[fleury123]

Options he gave me was to remove the radiator and have it cleaned out (doesn't think this is an issue because its less than two years old) if that does not work replace the fan clutch, then to bring it back to replace the water pump.
What do you guys think?
I'm thinking of removing the radiator and takeing it in on monday, it can't hurt and if I'm lucky that should do the trick.

I had an simular issue with my old gen 1. I later found out the core of the radiator were clogged up. Most shops charge like 90 to core it if you take out the radiator yourself. I did exaclty the same crap you are doing

[Ruination Fan]

Does your X have a manual or auto trans? If auto, how has the trans been shifting? May be a combination of poor core performance and trans overheating, causing the radiator to become even hotter. If you dont already, an external cooler for the trans (if auto) would be a plus to help keep the temps down.

[chad]

All fine now

[superslidestyle]

Mine has been fine since the rebuild but I'm still looking into upgrading to a double-core, double-pass aluminum racing radiator for about $500.