radiator plug and overheating...

R

ronminiatures

Daily Driver
HI

My Fiat X1/9 is overheating and I removed the radiator plug to let the air out...I unscrewed to much and now the plug does not seam to be screwing back???? Now I got lots of air in there.... It is a aluminium flange with brass tread at the end, it goes in the radiator on a matching aluminium hole. I cant see the tread and it does not thread. I took real good care of doing it by hand to make sure I did not cross tread! Still do not know why overheating? oil is perfect after a 700miles trip. Started heating up half way in the trip. I had to have full heat on! Thanks

Ron
 
Finesse...

It can be tricky but I think if you keep trying, maybe with a mirror to see if you're trying square to the hole, you'll get it. Don't try to force it lest you cross-thread it, then you'll be pulling the radiator to fix that problem.

Next time, just loosen the screw enough to let air out but not so far it unscrews. If the car is hot and/or running, the coolant pressure should push any air out with the screw just loosened.
 
Here's a pic of what that part looks like on my '86 with the rad out of the car. Hope the pic helps a little :)
IMG_0352.jpg
 
Others have recommended jacking the back of the car up when bleeding out the system as well, but how high is the minimum height? Its it just to a height where the bleed valve is lower than the tank in the engine bay? Is the tail end on ramps high enough?
 
rad plug....more info

it does take a while to heat up, mainly when not goes fast, yesterday in trafic...it whent over the red.....The weather was hot!

Yes i do have a mirror and a light...and you are right I will have to get it down...another pain in the B..T.

The fan starts, the carb fan starts on and off when the car is not running. Sometimes I am just stoping and the fan is not on....after a couple of minute ...maybe it start. Is that the way it goes?

I am glad you find the plug hard...Its a pain ( i feel less retarded). I made a small allen key tool to get it in but....It seams the plug goes all the way to the aluminium, but the brass tread do not look "cross treaded"? I cant even see the brass female part. would it be good if I removed more prestone to check for sure? Here are some pictures.

I did a 700 miles trip and it started overheating half way, then I had the full heat ON all the time and it was a bit under the red. Now it seams worst after I had a mecanic do some exaust, change thermostat stuff.

When it over heats...all the time the overflow starts boiling and vomits prestone on the ground....


Thansk again and sorry for my bad english it is my second language.
Any comments welcome. Please!

Ron from Montreal
 
If the plug is not tight...

It will overheat. The system needs to be able hold pressure to work correctly. Also, the system needs to be bled of air to work properly.

Be careful about driving it this way, too many overheat episodes and you could end up with bigger problems.

Yes the carb fan is like that... capricious.
 
Robert found it!!

Robert found it!! The aluminium has broken from the rad... Maybe I will try some alumium epoxy putty? Robert said that it is most likely air traped for the overheating....He said bleed from the choke 3 or four times.... THANKS A LOT ROBERT :clap: . Thanks all

Ron from Montreal
:):):)
pictures here (I still do not know how to post pictures...)
http://www.fiatforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=81533&d=1283445936
http://www.fiatforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=81532&d=1283445936
 
Never found jacking to be necessary

Snarf77 said:
Others have recommended jacking the back of the car up when bleeding out the system as well, but how high is the minimum height? Its it just to a height where the bleed valve is lower than the tank in the engine bay? Is the tail end on ramps high enough?
Click to expand...

The bleed valve is already appreciably lower than the water level in the expansion tank. All I ever do to fill and bleed the system is to park the car on level ground, remove the cap on the expansion tank (this is critical - it will not bleed, and may even suck more air in if you don't remove the cap) while the engine is cold, and then crack the bleeder. When the bleeder is flowing water without any air, then there's no air left in the top of the rad, so you can close the bleeder, top off the expansion tank, and close it up.

Running the engine with the thermostat open will send all the air trapped anywhere in the system (except in the heater - you have to turn the heater on full to get circulation through it) to the radiator. So you have to repeat the process above a few times as more air makes it way to the radiator. But if after three days of daily bleeding interspersed with spirited driving you're still getting air... You have a leak.

I don't even bother with the flush tee any more. YMMV, I don't find it any easier.
 
I tip it,,

I park it so the left side front is up just a bit so the air can go to that end of the rad,,,( bleeder side)
 
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