help with radiator plz!!!!

[CarsRGr8]

hey guys, i've had my 2nd hand 93 csi limited corolla for two months. but i'v always had a major problem with the radiator which i dont know wht the matter.

thing is the cars basically over heats even with the radiator fan on! the only way to cool it down is to turn on the heater in the car max. i've changed the thermostat and the radiator cap, but nth changes. the car the radiator has a small dent but otherwise nth seems to be leaking or broken...am considering changing the radiator but just not quite sure if it's the radiator's prob. any suggestions as to whats happening guys???

[CHA54]

what colour is the coolant? Red, green or brown....

If it's green or brown, take your car somewhere to have it's radiator serviced, the tubes are probably full of crud.

They remove the top and bottom tank and put a metal rod down each tube to clean them out, then re-assemble with new gaskets and pressure test, usually costs about $120-180.

Flush the cooling system properly then fill with Toyota LLC (Long life coolant), after all of that you shouldn't have any cooling prob's. I'll bet your radiator is at least 60% clogged.

[CarsRGr8]

well the coolant i add is naturally green....and they dun change color.....but it seems i just need to spend around 50 bks more and i can get a new radiator......seems more effiecient......lol......

[CHA54]

green coolant in a motor that was running the red toyota LLC = blocked water galleries.

Get a new radiator and flush the engine out properly.

[shaohaok]

DO IT

[CarsRGr8]

sorry... wht's "red toyota LLC"??

thanks ........ mmm seems i need to start saving up for a new radiator........gotta use heater in the mean time....."sigh"

[CHA54]

red toyota LLC is Toyota Long Life Coolant, which is coloured red. It's the best coolant you can use in your motor, it's really good stuff. Every toyota engine I've pulled apart which has been running toyota LLC has looked brand new inside, regardless of how many K's it's run. The motors which have had green coolant in them have had noticable scale buildup and corrosion in the water galleries, and you dont want to know what the engines which had a mix of both in them looked like.

[CarsRGr8]

ohhh....does that mean i'm stuck using the green coolant from now on??....like even if i buy a new radiator i cant switch to LLC or it'll mess the enigne up??.....i mean coz i dont know if the pervious ownere ever used the LLC...

[CHA54]

get your radiator cleaned, flush the engine with water until the water runs clear, then fill with Toyota LLC.

[Azza]

get your radiator cleaned, flush the engine with water until the water runs clear, then fill with Toyota LLC.

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Don't forget to reverse flush though, and run the hose in the bottom end of the radiator. Otherwise if flushing from the top, gravity with H2O does some nasty things to any crap caught inside the radiator, flushing it from the bottom helps dislodge anything...

[CHA54]

you dont flush the cooling system with the radiator connected... There's no point flushing all the crap through your freshly serviced radiator.

[Azza]

I was actually referring to flushing the radiator, not the cooling system. (Sorry, I should have made myself clearer)...