Thermagasket

[rfishing]

Remember, after i got the car back from having radiator rodded out, temp was only 219 when I saw coolant dripping out the overflow. With all the witnessing of overflowing from my engine, I assumed it was overflowing due to head gaskets again as it did previously. Is it possible, that what I observed dripping out the overflow was merely due to equalizing? After all the coolant was just drained and refilled.

Yesterday I drove pretty much the same path as before, and could not find any signs of spillage. Display temp seems to hold 207-214 with slow speed driving. At one point, when I parked car it was 223 degrees and no spillage. Is it possible the first day out of shop, I was seeing equalizing? Remember, I only added a pint of fluid next day. Since then, I have gone through tank of gas, and not added any more coolant.

I guess only way to tell is do the mountain drive.

[Ranger]

Assuming good head gaskets and no overheating, the only way it will "equalize" (so to speak) is if it was filled to the brim. As the coolant heats and expands, it will push the excess overboard.

Drive it up that mountain and don't baby it. Either it will make it or it will overheat but, either way, you need to know.

[donwon]

I drove my 89 Seville Adout 175 miles on the Interstate Friday evening.
The temp stayed from189 to 197 all the way till I got off, then in traffic it went to 206 then between 191 to 206 for about 10 miles till i got to where I was going.
Sat. morning I checked and and added about a half gallon of coolant, the radiator cap was lose fitting and would not tighten down the way I thought it should.
I ran it for a couple of cycles then saw coolant seeping out from under the cap.
I went and bought a new cap and put it on and the car ran fine cooled like it was made to.
Sunday evening I check the coolant and it is where it should be.
We load up and drive back home. Life is good.
When I get home the temp is at 212 which is still good.
I get the dog out of the car and let my wife carry her mother home.
When my wife gets home she says I aint gonna be happy with her.
Wife said temp went to 240 then back down to 226 then back up to 240 and back down to 212 then back to 208 when she pulled back in the yard.
On the interstate I drove between 70 and 95 mph and temp stayed between
189 and 197 both ways.
Monday I put about 1 quart of coolant back in and let it idle for about an hour and temp was between 186 and 197.
This morning I drove it about 2 miles and temp was at 256.
I stopped at a store and wandered around the store for about an hour then came back home.
When I got here temp was at 236.
I am about ready to part this thing out!!!

[zonie77]

That sounds like a fan problem. Is it a thermal clutch driven fan? Replace the fan clutch.

There is no easy way...if someone has a way please let me know...to reliabley test a fan clutch.

[peteski]

I think last clutch fan was used in 85 Eldo and Seville. Now they're all electric fans.

Peteski

[rfishing]

DonWon,

Sir this is really about Thermagasket, I know it has gotten way off track. You would have better chance of getting help if you started your own thread. Also, I will quote you:

"My problem started when I put the pellets in the radiator.
I even tried the K&w Block seal.
I guess something in the engine was stopped up and the flush got it uncloged.
No more running out the overflow for now.
I have some of the coolant tabs but I am afraid to put them in.
Is there anything else I can use.
Before I added the tabs I had some kind of silicone that is suppose to coat the inside of the block and it ran fine,but the heater only blew cool air.
Now I got heat."

If you ask me, I bet your radiator is clogged up, and needs to be rodded out, just like mine was. Find a pro and have them check it out. Mine was 25 percent clogged.

Update on my car, I washed it the other day, and drove to local stores a couple of times, thats all Ive done so far since last post. Error codes for suspension lead me to believe new shocks needed in front, yes they bounce over the speed bumps. I found a 95 sts like mine advertised for sale with blown head gasket 2000 dollars, runs good. Others of same year 94-95 selling for 4000-6000 running good, or so they say!

Thinking rebuilt engine is 5100 + installation + new struts = too much money!

[denscor]

Are you still lossing antifreeze and overheating? Was the radiator clogged causing it to overheat after the thermagasket?

[rfishing]

I have not lost anymore antifreeze, nor overheated while driving on flat, semi flat ground. Everything is absolutely normal in that regard. However, I have not taken the car for drive up mountain since doing radiator rod out. Just been busy with other stuff, I definetely will post on here soon as I do the mountain drive.

Mountain drive is the ultimate test.

[C170B]

dear rfishing

I am still curious about what gear you drive up the mountain are you in "D" or 3RD ?

There is a certain vagueness the owners manuals are written in and certain
practices can be ignored for about 80 to 100K miles.

Drive in mtns or tow small trailer w/o going by the book and GM sells some parts. This probably has no part in your problems however it is a factor for some.

I admit to not thoroughly reading the Owners Manual in detail and you can see some other owners post "What are GM tablets?"

I hope that Thermagasket works out to be a benefit for you after the other little cooling system details are completed.

[rfishing]

Although this is steep incline, I leave the car in drive "D", as this is freeway speeds of 70mph usually for most cars. Another car I had 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 8 cylinder 4.7 liter would downshift automatically when going up the steepest part of the mountain pass at 75mph. 94 Cadillac Seville STS never down shifted once that I know of anyway.

[rfishing]

Yesterday drove car for 30 minutes local driving engine temps were normal. I had opportunity to hit a steep uphill 1 mile long area at up to 80mph. Temp went up to 214 and near top as I let up on gas, it began decreasing to 207. I pulled over a block later and checked overflow hose was wet. This morning I checked and sure enough, coolant level was below baffle plate, I only had to add one pint to fill 1 inch above the plate. Basically problem has worsened to point of pressure building up to relief radiator cap before temp gets high?

Other than blown head gasket, I do not know of anything else at that low of temperature that would cause the radiator cap to lift and expell coolant. So I am going to claim it is blown head gasket. Anyone want to dispell my theory, please explain why.

My work up on 94 Seville STS with 97,000 miles is:

- Head Gaskets replaced 1 year / 16k miles ago, now same overheating and coolant loss on steep hills / mountain slopes with temps hitting 255 has come back. Temps stay normal 200-210 on flat grounds. Dealer timeserted all head bolts, replaced radiator, water pump, overflow tank, thermostat, and the repair worked for about 8 months.

Since overheating / coolant loss started up again:

- Tested positive for combustion gases in coolant (block test) 2 times, third time and most recent test was negative. Keep in mind this test is only good for the moment in time it is being conducted. In theory, my engine would probably fail the test if it were performed while driving up hill.

- Installed New Thermostat
- New Radiator Cap tested to 15 psi
- Rodded out new radiator was found to be 25% clogged
- New Water Pump belt on 1 year old Water Pump
- Flushed many times
- Heater works front and back interior, drivers side foot only room temp
- Fans both tested good and with proper start temps. When engine reaches 225 fan comes on, and cools engine down to 210 before going off.
- Water pump belt tensioner may or may not be weak?
- engine seems to run fine, mechanic did not detect a miss.
- no steam in tail pipe
- no water in oil
- there is oil puddling on back side of engine in valley, I wiped it dry, and after going up mountain incline the oil showed up again. No oil or anything on garage floor ever.

In summary, 3 vehicles with blown head gaskets were tested with thermogasket. In 2 of the 3 cars it worked. Mine is basically same as when we started. RXauto.com / Thermogasket has fully refunded the money I paid. They are a good company, and have provided great tech support both over phone and email.

[Ranger]

You could avoid all the parts and labor if you'd just do a cylinder pressure test, not to mention a quick and definitive answer. That said, it does seem to point toward head gaskets.

[rfishing]

Hi Ranger,

Problem is, when I went there they were telling me, Radiator is clogged and tstat is probably bad, and the head gasket cannot be bad due to negative block test. Of course afterwards it still loses coolant, and temp still goes up. So now they tell me, must be head gaskets, that they are only leaking under load. They want me to go find another engine on my own. End of story.

I found a retired mechanic, but he wont touch norstar head gaskets, and cost of installing another engine is more than car is worth. I have another car, so this one will be used only for grocery store visits, and other local stuff. In a few more months, I may put it up for sale as "mechanic special" or something or like that, and get a better second car.

This is my wifes car, and I would do anything to make her happy. She really loves this car, but since I met her this car has been an unreliable nuisance and extra expense to maintain.

[Ranger]

This thread has gone on for so damned long that I forgot all the events but, weren't the head gaskets changed once? Were they not Timeserted? Is it past warranty?

[rfishing]

Originally Posted by Ranger

This thread has gone on for so damned long that I forgot all the events but, weren't the head gaskets changed once? Were they not Timeserted? Is it past warranty?

I pretty much sumarized everything 2 messages ago. Yes out of warranty, Yes timeserted. Im going to say this thread is over, test completed.

For future questions regarding my car, I will start another message.

Everyone read 2 messages back and see the results. If you have advice for me, please send private message.