HELP PLEASE - OVER HEATING - I HAVE TRIED SEVERAL FIXES

[WANTED]

this is starting to drive me crazy.

first sign of a problem, driving on roads 45mph plus. car starts to get hot then
drops back down fast. go ups fast , drops fast.

SO I INSTALLED NEW THERMASTAT

purged the system - car did not over heat but temps were constantly moving. as
a matter of fact i drove it to the track, ran 4 runs then drove home. on the way
to the track car ran at 190-195 on hwy then when getting off at exit it went to
225 then back to 190 and stayed close but not constant. i whole time i was racing
the car never really had a chance to get hot (above 195)

when i pulled in my driveway temp started climding over 225 and was not stopping.
next morning i repurged the system to see if it had air, which it did.

i have purged it several times since (always getting air then none) so i start
the car back up runs fine for about 5 minuts then starts to climb over 225 not
stopping.

now here's what i know

1) when the car goes to 225 and climbs the heater hose without the value gets
cold while the hose coming from the engine that passes the value STAYS RED HOT.

2) NO FLUIDS ARE LEAKING UNDERNEATH

3) it seems when i purge it lots of air comes out with very little change in
fluid level. (THIS IS STRANGE TO ME)

4) THE SURGE TANK WHICH IS THE ONE WITH THE RADIATER CAP NEVER SEEMS TO GET
VERY HOT. THE HOSE FROM THE WATER PUMP TO THE SURGE TANK DOES NOT SEEM VERY
HOT EITHER.

5) THERE ARE 2 RUBBER HOSES THAT COME FROM THE SURGE TANK THAT GO TO METAL TUBING. THE LOWER METAL TUBE GETS **, THE UPPER STAYS COLD.

6) WHEN THE CAR IS WARMING UP FROM A COLD START I CAN TELL WHEN THE THERMASTAT
OPENS AND SEE IT FROM THE TEMP GAUGE ( ALSO THE HOT AIR FROM HEATER COOLS DOWN
JUST A BIT WHEN THE TERMASTAT OPENS.

7) THE FANS ARE WORKING - LOW SPEED COMES ON AT ABOUT 210 THEN HIGH SPEED JUST
BEFORE 225

8) IT WILL GO THROUGH A COUPLE OF CYCLES OF COOLING DOWN FROM THE FANS BEFORE
IT FINALLY JUST STARTS CLIMBING PAST 225 AND NOT STOPPING.

9) THE RESERVE TANK IS FULL

10) CAR ONLY HAS 2200 MILES ON IT, FLUIDS ARE GOOD

11) I CHECKED THE OIL, NOT MILKY ( SO I DONT THINK ITS A HEAD GASKET )

FIRST QUESTION

IF I'M PURGING THE SYSTEM AND GETTING AIR OUT, WHY DOES THE FLUID STAY AT THE
SAME LEVEL. ( IS IT SUCKING AIR IN FOR SOME REASON ) THE SYSTEM IS HOLDING PRESSURE.

I ORDERED THE UPGRADE HOSES WITH THE FITTING ON THE TOP HOSE TO HELP BLEED THE
SYSTEM. IT SHOULD BE HERE FRIDAY. AND I ALSO ORDERED A NEW RADIATER CAP.

I'M REAL CLOSE TO THINKING IT MIGHT BE THE WATER PUMP. ( WILL A WATER PUMP WORK
THEN STOP WORKING THE START AGAIN AND IF SO WILL IT LET AIR BACK INTO THE SYSTEM )

***IT SEEMS LIKE THE WATER MIGHT JUST STOP MOVING THROUGH THE SYSTEM*** THATS WHY
I'M THINKING WATER PUMP.

HAS ANYONE HAD THIS HAPPEN TO THEM AND IF SO PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT I CAN DO
TO FIX IT.

I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP ME WITH THIS OR KNOW
OF SOMEONE THAT WOULD.

I CAN BE REACHED AT [email protected] or cell 443-807-0503

thanks for reading, tom

 

[BDZ1984]

my guess would have been to get the hoses with the air bleeder on them to help you get all the air out and replace the cap... other than that im stumped

 

[ledfoot]

the dreaded 2001 waterpump impeller could be rearing it's ugly head.

 

[ledfoot]

oops. you have a 2002.....sorry

 

[Joseph Dell]

Still could be the water pump.

Try bleeding in a different spot, either right at the heater hose (passenger side in front if the windshield) or upper radiator hose going into the thermostat housing. there _could_ be something inhibiting the flow, so i'd suggest going to autozone and doing their "loan-a-tool" for the "coolant system pressure tester". What people don't know about this tool is that it is simpy a pump that pressurizes the cooling system. so you can pressurize it (say.to 15-12lbs of pressure) and then VENT it from where-ever you like. this is a good way to bleed the system of air in case there is any you didn't get out. and it does it under pressure.

Make sure your HEAT is in the ON position when you do this!

Also, replace that waterpump... it is suspect.

JD

 

[Marc Lublin]

Sounds like the waterpump. Mine acted similarly when it was bad. Buy yourself the $15 gasked and pull the pump. Once out, hold the pulley mount and see if you can spin the plastic impeller. If it turns, it's bad. The waterpump is pretty easy to get out, so if it's not the pump you will have spent $15 and replaced your coolant, not a big deal.

 

[Mccarlin]

I had a very similar thing happen to me with my daily driver (not a viper). It ended up being a bad water pump that was turning on and off giving similar conditions that you are having as well.

 

[SylvanSRT]

there were '01 and '02s that have that problem it definetly sounds like the water pump issue you will need a new one and hopefully no other damage was done(prob not it it did not get really hot)

 

[HLN A55]

That is exactly what was going on with my '01 when my water pump went out-to the tee the same description. Try what Marc L said as an easy way to see if you need to replace it or not.

 

[WANTED]

well it does seem that you all are leaning towards the water pump as well. i
think changing the pump has to be easier then changing that thermastat, now that
was a job having to pull the intake to get to it.

i'm going to order a pump this morning, i'll update after the change.

thanks all for responding.

 

[gotV10]

reguardless of year, it sounds just like everything i experianced.....and mine was a combo of the water pump impeller, and timing chain cover gasket. my gasket was leaking at the top between the altanator and the thermostat. it was not leaving any coolant on the ground as the motor was making it evaporate too fast. after several months of searching for it, i noticed residue build up from the leak and evaporation. changed the bad gasket, replaced the water pump and it has run great ever since.

 

[Vic]

The day my water pump went bad, the coolant WOULD circulate if the RPMs weren't too high. But if I was revving through the gears, the temp would come up dangerously fast. I noticed this effect while at the track.

As the problem first began to rear its ugly head, the impeller would spin if the load wasn't too high, at low rpms, but the greater torque imposed on it by higher rpms would make it slip on the shaft, and the coolant would stop circulating. This is what it did when the impeller first started slipping. If I drove it any longer at high rpms, it probably would have failed completely.

Incredibly, the Viper tech at the track said he and his mechanics didn't know what was wrong, and they said they couldn't help me! The head mechanic was shaking his head in wonder at the "mysterious" problem! Sorry, buddy, can't help you, we just can't figure it out! (Its not like it was rocket science!) Maybe they didn't have a water pump with them, and just didn't want to look unprepared to support a Viper group outing. I don't know, but there must have been a reason why they couldn't see the obvious.

With no flat bed available, I nursed it home by short shifting, keeping the revs low, while a friend followed.

New water pump cured the problem.

 

[ViperJohn]

Damn Tom, this car has given you more problems than your previous three vipers combined!

Call me if you need any help.

 

[BLWNV10]

We recently did a customer car that was overheating. Same symptoms. The impeller had started slipping on the shaft of the water pump. He had tracked his and broken it.

 

[Saint_Spinner]

We recently did a customer car that was overheating. Same symptoms. The impeller had started slipping on the shaft of the water pump. He had tracked his and broken it.

Do you remember what model year the car was? What is it about the '01-'02 waterpumps that causes them to fail?

 

[Camfab]

As stupid as this sounds, it will be interesting to see if the additional drag caused by the impeller functioning at high RPM will affect your mile/hr. at the track. Was this your secret weapon.....Good Luck with Ranger!

 

[Knight Viper]

Tom, again let me know if there is anyway I can help or if you need my service manual. I'd be glad to help!

 

[ViperJohn]

As stupid as this sounds, it will be interesting to see if the additional drag caused by the impeller functioning at high RPM will affect your mile/hr. at the track. Was this your secret weapon.....Good Luck with Ranger!

That's funny, I said the same thing to him on the phone earlier today.