hey sorry but i dont have time to search for this. im in GA and i NEED to have this solved b4 i make my 500 mile hike back home on monday or tuesday. heres the prob....

ok car was over heating awhile ago.. had thermo replaced within this last month then it was all good. well today i was teachin someone how to drive a stick and it started to get hot. well i went to check the fluids but didnt wait long enough so the coolant burst out so i let the car sit, opened the cap, started it, coolant wasnt fillin up to the neck so i poured some water in.. then i drove it and it got VERY HOT even in 5th gear goin 50-60 mph. then itd cool down a little but once i came to a stop and then started to go agin it jumped up to hot. WTF is it?!?!? i NEED help ASAP. im goin to try to get it pressure tested tomorrow, but how will i be abel to tell if its a bad radiator? and does anyone have one for sale? how much would i be lookin at if its the radiator? would the pressure test be able to detect a clogged line?

**had system flushed when i had the thermo replaced about 3-4 weeks ago but now the mixture will be off since i added water but could it be a bad thermo again i hope??

I was about to start an overheating thread myself when I saw your post. I just overheated for the first time ever a few hours ago. I floored it up to 5k getting onto the highway as I sometimes do, thought nothing of it, but five minutes later I smelled something and noticed my temp gauge was at hot. Oh crap! Pulled over, waited until it cooled, repeating the process two more times. Then it finally stayed cool with heat at max and AC on. I hope I didn't damage my engine. Coolant was fine, oil was on the low side but fine. My new alternator and PSP belts were both a little loose though, they seem to have stretched, and if it was slipping I didn't hear it, it's a "quiet" belt. So maybe my problem was the water pump not pumping.

Your problem sounds radiator related to me. What kind of flush did you get done? Was the old fluid rusty? If the "flush" was really just a drain and refill or poorly-done it could result in sediment clogging up the cooling passages. Your water pump could also be bad.

does your fan working?

If it's getting hot you probably might see a litle steam coming from a leak, maybe?

the flush was a complete cooling system flush for winter since i live in OH. fans work and seem to come on at a normal time b4 the gauge ever moves. im thinkin radiator too bc it should not get hot by just teachin someone how to drive lol. but how costly is this gion to be? and where can i get a radiator (cheaper one)

just got off the phone with my mechanic back in OH and he said could be possible cylinder head?? i hope to god its not.

It's not your head, your mechanic is a moron.

You probably either have...

1. A clogged radiator (Did you flush and BACK flush? Was water moving throughout the entire system when you were done?)

2. A bad water pump. (Usually leaks)

3. a clogged line or water passage.

im a retard when it comes to parts and numbers so what is the EXACT parts and numbers ill need if i have to get a new radiator? i looked on the sticky in the DIY but i want to make sure. bc i went to radiator.com and they said for a brand new one shipped to me it is 137 TOTAL. so i want to make sure they got the right one.

So how much overheating can your engine take? Everyone here jokes that there are three temp settings, the hot one being "You just killed your engine."

it can go up without any engine-ending damage, you just better catch it QUICK.

are you pouring rad fluid right into the rad, or in the resevoir? pour it in the rad, because you know when you have enough in. it is pre-mixed right?

i bet you just dont have enough fluid in there.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>2. A bad water pump. (Usually leaks)</div>

I learned that the hard way. yes, i'd check that first before anything. it's usually cheaper to replace that than anything else.

do you see a rad fluid puddle in your parking space?