BrandonIX

Hey so i have had a few cooling issues with my Evo. Back a while ago, maybe 4 months ago, my Mishimoto full sized radiator that i in it blew a hole from a rock or something. I could drive for about 1 day until i needed to refill the radiator. So until i had funds i drove like this for about 1 month when i got my new Mishimoto Half sized radiator. I also replaced both radiator hoses and the turbo coolant hose. I ran without a radiator fan until i could get one for about 1 month. (My car was crashed and couldnt fit the stock fan behind the radiator). When i got my fan i installed it in the pull position on the back of the radiator, since it was a slim fan it fit.

Since i had to drive my car either low on coolant from the old radiator, or the new one without the fan, the car did get hot every once in a while. It did reach almost max on the temp gauge and i had to pull over in traffic and turn it off and wait. If i drove in the city i would have to turn it off at every stop light to help keeping it cool. It has gotten over 255 degrees maybe 5 times during these last few months. In which these times i had no control over.

As my car is now, my half radiator, new hoses, coolant, and radiator fan, it will still get hot at times. I can not sit in traffic for more than like 10 minutes on a hot day. Once i start moving on the freeway or anything about 40mph, the car is okay and runs at normal temp. I have bough a second radiator fan in which i havent got yet but i will install it on the front of the radiator.

My main question is that when i am just driving normally and its a little hot outside and i want to use the AC, the car will literally immediately get hot. I used a Snap-On scan tool to make sure it actually is getting hot. It will take about 20-40 seconds and it will heat up from about 210-220 up to 240-250. I can watch the temp gauge just walk its way up to the "H". When i turn off the AC it would cool down to 210-220 but it takes a couple minutes for the fan to do its work. I eventually ran the radiator fan to a switch so i can run it all the time if i need to but also it still is wired into the stock harness.

When my AC is on, it does seem blow a little cold air but i mean its not that cold. Im just better off to roll with all the windows down. With the car still getting hot without the AC, i know its not only AC related. I have noticed that every like 2 weeks the radiator is low on coolant and i need to refill. There are no leaks from my inspection on a lift.

Is it possible that from letting the car overheat over these last 4 months, there could be a small head gasket leak and its on its way out? Or the head got warped a little. There is no smoke and the oil is not milky. I did notice the oil seemed a little more filled than the max line but it could just be me. I did an oil change maybe 500 miles ago.

I need help with this issue.
1.) Help with why it might overheat much faster with AC
2.) How i can be loosing coolant
3.) Any setups with a Half sized Mishimoto and NOT overheat
4.) If i could have damaged the head gasket or head

Migsubishi

iTrader: (38)

1.) Help with why it might overheat much faster with AC

Answer - The ac creates heat lots of heat and will cause your engine to run hotter as your radiator will run hotter.

2.) How i can be loosing coolant

Answer - When your engine gets hot it boils the coolant and the relief in the rad cap will allow coolant to flow back into your overflow bottle and out the car if that gets full. The other scenario can be answered in your last question.

3.) Any setups with a Half sized Mishimoto and NOT overheat

My opinion and answer - I live in often 100* Florida and will tell you that I wouldn't run a half radiator on a car you still plan to run ac with. The only way I would attempt that is with a custom cbrd double thick half rad.

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...-radiator.html

Other than that I wouldn't do it, and I also suggest this fan if you can fit it!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009OBP5A6?pc_redir=T1


4.) If i could have damaged the head gasket or head

Answer - That could definitely be a possibility as many times as you have over heated it. It might be pushing coolant. Does the exhaust smell funny or look a little white? Also check your oil to see if it's milky, and coolant to see if there is oil in it. You can also pressurize your cylinders to see if any leaks into the water jackets or vise versa, they sell a pump set up to pressurize the coolant system too. Look into it.

Last time I ran into this on a car I just yanked the head and found the gasket was hurt. Replaced and all good again!

BrandonIX

Thanks for the reply. I will run a compression test and see if i can get a pressure tester as well. The exhaust is not smoking white and smells amazing haha. Maybe i should just get a full sized radiator before try the head gasket and if it doesn't fix it. Is there any chance it can be a thermostat issue?

Migsubishi

iTrader: (38)

Nah, if it was the thermostat it would over heat at 40 on the highway too. If the thermostat was stuck closed there would be no circulation between the block and radiator, if stuck open the car would never get to temperature. I would still replace it when you replace the radiator. Also check out that fan in the link I sent you.

BrandonIX

Okay thank you for the information. I did look at the link but is there a reason it is so expensive? The 2 fans i bought also have the same CFM but half the price? I will stick to the stock thermostat if i change it

BrandonIX

I was washing my car today and decided to take a look at what is going on with the engine. I took off the radiator cap and it was low on coolant. About 1 quart low and i just drove it yesterday. I started the car with the radiator cap off and it was pushing out the coolant. I then searched the forums for pushing coolant. Alot of people said it could be the radiator cap, head lift, head studs or head gasket. What is the most predictable. I had the car from 92k and its now at 107k and i never did a retorque on the studs and my radiator car isaybe 1 month old.

Migsubishi

iTrader: (38)

Does it start bubbling and spilling out when you first turn the car on or after it gets up to running temp?

BrandonIX

When i filled the radiator back up to normal level, i started the car because i was going to burp the system. If you start a car after filling the radiator some will get sucked in and you need to top it off while its running and burp it right. I have done this many times on my car since i have had to fill it quite a few times haha. But this time, i filled it with coolant and went to start the car and it just started overflowing out of the radiator (the cap was off) and no bubble were coming out. It just flowed out as if you were to squeeze a water bottle and it just slowly overflows. And this happened with the engine cold and wasn't started earlier that day.

kaj

iTrader: (60)

If it hasn't been said:

1. Burp the radiator properly
2. If bubbles never stop = head gasket.
3. Be sure your fan isn't wired backward.
4. Does the lower radiator hose get hot when the fans come on? If not, bad thermostat.
5. The OEM is the best radiator out there. Put another one in , if you could find one.
6. Half-sized radiator for daily driving in the heat? I dunno about that one.

BrandonIX

The fan is not backwards and when it kicks on, the lower hose it hot. It does not bubble out of the radiator. I was planning to get a new full sized radiator and see what problems do go away. My main concern is if these are symptoms of very early head gasket issues, i want to change that as priority 1. Now that it is getting hotter (Tacoma, WA) the half sized is more of an inconvenience, i agree on that one. i cant burp the radiator because once i start the car and turn on the heat to full blast, the coolant just gets pushed out the radiator. Im stumped on this haha

kaj

iTrader: (60)

I was thinking head gasket, which is why I asked about bubbles. No milky substance inside the radiator or oil caps?
Even a half radiator shouldn't overheat from daily driving, under normal circumstances.
If no air is in the system and head gasket is good that's just weird.

BrandonIX

The oil is at perfect level and smells completely like oil. No coolant contination in the oil. I did notice that in the coolant overflow there is like this paper kinda stuff. Like if you get toilet paper wet and it just crumbles up into tiny pieces, i see that in the overflow and very little of it is in the radiator. But there is no oil in the coolant either. This is a weird issue i agree haha

Migsubishi

iTrader: (38)

Can you post pics of the paper looking stuff in your coolant?

BrandonIX

This is the paper stuff in the overflow

Migsubishi

iTrader: (38)

That looks weird, although it might be the glar of the pic but it looks like you got traces of oil in your coolant.