Hey, I'm new to this so i hope my questions dont sound too stupid. I have a sandrail with a 13b N/A engine in it. Im not sure what year the engine is, (i dont know how to tell) but i am pretty sure it is a four port. Anyways, firstly the radiator keeps guzzling fluid, i thought there might be a leak but i am pretty sure this is not the case as nothing seems to be leaking out from underneath it. I couldnt figure out what was happening till the last time i was driving pretty hard and steam just started pouring out of what looks like an overflow valve right next to the engine. This is connected to a large tube that runs from the radiator. There was so much steam it was hard to even see. Now this tends to happen whenever the engine gets hot. The other problem is that when i turn on the engine and the radiator, instantly the temp gauge is maxed out so somehow i think these are all related... Well i was wondering if this is something simple or more complicated? Any help would be much appreciated. I have pics if that will help too. Thanks.

 

sounds like a bad coolant seal to me. Do you see champagne bubbles in the radiator with the engine at idle?

 

yeah it did look like there were some bubbles, not too many though.

 

Sounds like the radiator was part of a system with an overflow tank, you need to plumb the overflow pipe into this and the other outlet from the tank into the bottom hose to the radiator. Aside from losing coolant, you're also allowing the water to boil by alleviating the pressure. The good news is it's a $10 fix.

 

I believe it is already set up this way. Two tubes come out of the radiator and are attached to the engine. One on the upper side and one on the lower. Maybe it is just something clogged. Also this probably has something to do that even when the engine is cold and the radiator and engine are turned on, the temp guage reads it is as hot as the guage goes.

 

I think I see what you mean, I missed where you said the overflow valve is on the engine not on the rad - if I'm right it should be a relatively small diameter like 8mm (5/16"?) if so it should be ducted to an overflow tank.

 

First, thanks for the help. Yeah, it is about that size but it is not connected to anything. There is no overflow tank in this system. Also, this is a recent problem. Would adding a tank help? Awhile ago there was a tube connected to this outlet that ran to the bottom of the buggy, (where the red arrow in the pic is) it just acted as a drainage i think. Now though it just seems to be steaming from the outlet. (Red arrow) Maybe the tube should go back on. Someone suggested it could be an o ring failure but im not sure.

 

Yeah you need the tank, but any old one will do, so long as it came from a pressuried system (ie. pressure cap). I got one off a VW polo and it's perfect, just stick a hose between your overflow there and the upper outlet on the tank, and the other tank outlet ducts back into the bottom rad hose somewhere. When you're positioning the tank make sure to have it as the highest point of your coolant system.



Having that tank in there will keep the coolant under pressure and stop it from boiling (the source of all your steam), which means it'll do a better job of cooling too. As for your guage it sounds faulty or something silly like having it wired the wrong way round. Doubtful it's a related problem IMO. HTH

 

Awesome, I will give it a try as soon as I can. Thanks a bunch for your help. I'll post the results.

 

I second the blown coolant seal. Having no overflow is not the best solution but you shouldnt have steam shooting out the pressure release ever.