Calling out Calgarians

[SteeleMX3]

So... My baby is overheating again, checked under the hood... it's the *%^&#$ waterpump again I'm pretty sure
Now I'm wondering if any of the guys in/around Calgary might be willing to help a fellow MXer out, I can drive for a bit and refill with water/coolant when needed so I could come to you!

Cheers,
Dillon

[Dragon1212]

I assume you checked your rad cap?. Try runnning from cold till warm with the cap off make sure the rad is higher than the heater core, When it stops bubbling air put the cap back on and see if it overheats. It seems to have fixed mine. Mind you I'm running a stock 1.8L V6 A bubble will probably cause the same problem to a KLZE as well

[SteeleMX3]

I haven't tried the rad cap, maybe I'll give it a go today. But when I checked there was rad all over the timing belt cover and the exact same thing happened when my water belt crapped out the last time. It doesn't really make sense as I just replaced it about 4 months ago, but maybe it does?

EDIT: lol, water belt. I meant pump, just to clarify.

[wytbishop]

Here's what you do.

1. remove the rad cap.
2. remove the drain plug from the bottom left corner at the front of the radiator.
3. drain the coolant into a bucket.
4. put a garden hose in the rad and run it till the water comes out clear.
5. Disconnect the rad hoses from the engine block and remove the thermostat housing and thermostat.
6. feed the garden hose into the top rad hose and run the water again until it comes out the thermostat housing clear.
7. The water should flow easily through the engine block and heater core and come out the thermostat housing. If it seems to want to come back out the top rad hose where your garden hose is that could indicate that there is some blockage.
8. After that your cooling system should be clean and clear.
9. To refill the system properly reinstall the thermostat (a new thermostat is not a bad idea even if yours is new) and reconnect all the hoses.
10. Refill the rad first until it won’t take any more and replace the cap.
11. Refill the engine through the top filler cap until it won’t take any more and leave the cap off.
12. Start the engine and as the pump circulates the air in the system will rise to the filler cap which is the highest point in the system.
13. Continue to add coolant until the level remains topped up. This should take about a minute.
14. Replace the top filler cap and check the level in the overflow reservoir. The reservoir should be full to the lower line when the engine is not hot.
15. Take the car for a 5 – 10 minute drive to get things heated up.
16. The bottom rad hose and the radiator itself should be hot. This indicates that the thermostat has opened.
17. The lfuid level in the overflow reservoir should be higher than it was indicating that the rad cap has opened.
18. Turn the car off and let it cool. Within a few minutes you should hear the fluid being drawn out of the overflow reservoir as the fluid in the engine cools and starts to create vacuum in the cooling system.

Do this exactly and tell me what happened. It will take you about an hour.

If coolant flows freely through the rad AND the block AND you fill it properly with no air in the system, AND the coolant overflows into the reservoir as it heats up AND sucks back into the engine as it cools then everything should be working fine.

If any of these things does not happen this way then something is wrong. It’s not that complicated a system. We can figure it out.

[SteeleMX3]

yaay, step-by-step instructions, this is what I like
I will try this tomorrow, I didn't get around to doing the rad cap thing today so I've no idea what the situation is still. I'll do this exactly and let you know.
cheers wyt

[SteeleMX3]

Alright so I did everything you said Wyt, however, as it has never done since I've owned it, the resevoire did not fill up when I finished doing everything. All the other steps went perfectly, but when I filled the rad cap with fluid nothing went into the resevoire, I have actually never seen it with anything in it. I'm going to take it for a spin right now to see if it fills and retreats but I doubt it.

[wytbishop]

The rad cap is basically a two way check valve. When the system is hot the pressure rises until the cap opens allowing excess fluid to overflow into the tank. It will not fill the overflow until the system is up to pressure. You should make sure that there is at least a bit in there so that when the engine is cooling and the other valve opens to draw coolant back into the system it will suck it all up and suck some air into the system.

[SteeleMX3]

I'm not too sure if that will make a difference. I just went for drive, or tried to, and the power steering gave out, I put more fluid in, but nothing. Also, there is definitely a big leak as I lost about 1 L of rad in like an hour (10 mins of driving and the rest sitting). So all in all, my car is f*cked

[wytbishop]

It's a pretty simple system. Should be easy to figure otu where it's leaking and replace it. Aside from the water pump which you hve already replaced...everything can be replaced in the junkyard.

Never give up! Never, ever, ever give up.

[SteeleMX3]

lol I was close today, almost wanted to sell her for whatever I could get
The leak is coming from the timing belt cover, it's right behind the radiator on the passenger side. That's where the pool of rad always seems to be. I'm almost sure it's the same spot as before, but like I said and you mentioned earlier, I just changed that. arghh, shall I attempt to remove the crank and go back into the depths of the water pump? I hope not...

[Evo_Spec]

your best bet is to pull your engine and do the pump, timing and everything, i think that's why it happened again, because the 6cyl engine bays are so cramped so you probably accidently left a little gasket on, or something that's causing the leak, pull the engine and do it over, change anything you haven't changed, i assume you don't need a new pump since you already did it, but if you didn't replace the belt and stuff i suggest doing that, but i hear it's better just to pull the engine.

don't sell it, it's not worth it and you know it, especially after all you've done, you know you love it and all the other mx-3 people

[wytbishop]

Sadly Evo is right. If it's coming from under the timing cover you probably didn't get a perfect seal when you replaced the water pump and most likely because you were doing it with the engine in. I would not pull the engine myself but I am an experienced mechanic. I am sure if you remove the pump, clean allthe mating surfaces carefully and reassemble it you will be fine. You've already had it all apart, so you know what to do and everything should come off easily this time.

Sorry for your bad luck.

[Ryan]

I wouldn't pull the motor either. Unless you've got hulk hands, its really not that bad. Just time consuming, and some of those bolts are bitches.

I've recently started working in coveralls. Its nice to just be able to lay on the floor and not worry about getting something to lay on, or to sweep it first, or ever dust yourself off... just one of those little things that takes the stress off when you drop that bolt for the fourth time and have to crawl under to get it...

[SteeleMX3]

I would really like to avoid engine removal, although it would make it soo much easier. I know that system down there pretty well after spending a week just figuring it all out when I replaced my waterpump the first time lol. But just one thing before I get into this whole madness again, has anyone ever replaced their waterpump or been in that area without removing the crank and timing belt? I actually replaced the pump quite easily, however, after realizing that I didn't know how to reinstall a timing belt I was boned thereafter haha. Oh and 1 more thing, do those crank-remover tools work for our cars?

[wytbishop]

When you say "Crank" are you referring to the crankshaft pulley? IF so yes there are universal tools for removing it that will work fine for you.

How did you get it off the first time?