Help... my car is overheating

[ddmcse]

you need to have the head checked to see if it's warped .also check the block for smoothness
you shouldn't just replace the gasket .
going with a metal hg is not cheap and is really for someone who wants to go mental with boost
a stock gasket doesn't need the surface as smooth as a metal gasket . the stock gasket material is more forgiving of the block and head surface
condition
http://www.ddmcse.com/turbo/bhg_2003.htm

here is a shot of a metal headgasket
http://www.ddmcse.com/turbo/images/mhg.JPG

tearing apart the head is really not as hard as you may think
just takes time, not really any special tools need a torque wrench

i used this guide when i did my 1st one ,, but i didn't go through the effort of preparing the block which is why I got to do it again.
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedwa...y/1636/bhg.html

[mrnickleye]

Why, you ask, won't radiator sealer work on the 7M BHG problem.??

Because the "usual" BHG starts out as a tiny hole from a combustion chamber (usually #6 cyl) to a water passage.

The enormous pressure during combustion pushes the gasses 'into' the cooling system. This then builds up too much pressure and causes coolant to eventually over flow into the recovery bottle.

The sealant only works when the coolant is trying to leak 'out of' the cooling system to atmosphere. It plugs the hole.

[mrnickleye]

Gasses get into the heater core due to a BHG.

Air gets into the heater core when the coolant level is allowed to drop in it. I suppose you could pinch the 2 heater hoses before you open the system, to prevent the coolant from coming out.

But I don't recommend this with old hoses, as it may cause them to leak later.

Also, the dangly thing on the thermostat can be snipped off before you put it into place. This will allow air to 'more easily' escape from the engine, and into the radiator, where it eventually will be pushed out into the coolant recovery bottle.

And....even opening up that hole by drilling it to 1/4" will NOT effect the operation of the thermostat, as it will still open and close normally, to allow the flow of coolant.

When your system is up to temp, the thermostat is wide open anyway.

Remember, the 7m motor (with a standard pump) does not flow much coolant at idle. AND...the fan does not draw much air at idle. I read many threads where the fellow says it gets hot at the stop light. Thats why I use an electric fan here in the desert.

I am mostly driving in town, with the A/C on, so I want lots of air thru the radiator at all those stops.