krisdooman

Hey Guys,
I hay a 2002 TL S. Has 179k on it. I will try to make this short but this issue and how it came to be need to be explained so i can try and get this car buttoned up.

Last year i hit a really big deer head on going 45. I tripped it more or less with the bumper and he leaned in to the grille causing the core support to fol up. Needless to say the Rad, Lights, AC condenser, Power Steering Cooling Lines, and lots of blown fuses.. were toast. I cut out the new whole core support and welded a new one in. Replaced all of the above. I also have done the Timing Bel and Water Pump since then. Runs great! Now i have this wierd cooling issue as noted below.




Keep in mind the car does not have new Rad fans yet. Since it's still cool here in WI i have yet to order them. I didn't need them for winter that is for sure.

Cooling issue:
When i drove to work the other day the upper Rad hose blew off. Thought i cooked the engine by the time i got to a place i could stop. I was in nasty traffic and there just was no where to pull over. Thankfully after it cooled. It wa fine. Had the cooling system pressure checked. It's fine. Mechanic says it's not the heads or anything. I think the old spring clamp i re -used were failing. and the top one just doesn't have the correct tenstion anymore. The car doesn't overheat now. but it goes right to half way on temp and stays there on the highway/in town and some times dips slightly like you would expect but never goes past half. The hoses just seem real stretched after i drive to work. Rad is hot. Lower hose is warm not hot. But the thing that i noticed was that the new Rd cap seems to work. BUT coolent NEVER goes in to the burp tank. Even when that Rad hose blew. Nothing in the tank. It should have been overflowing in to the overflow or "burp" tank. The hoses are not an issue connectivity isn't an issue. So what's is the deal? Heat works fine. Keep in mind the Rad is aftermarket and so is the Cap.

Also, Where does the cooling fan timer or switch live. Since i hit the dear i should probably replace it. I ordered new fans for A/C and Rad, Is there a good way to test and make sure they work? Can anyone outline how those fans work and when they are suposed to kick on?

Thanks,

I knows that's is a wall of text but... i need help.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

See you have a new rad, but many years ago had a Jeep GC Limited V-8 that would blow the upper radiator off after maybe 3 or 4 miles of driving. Pinned the hose with a screw and clamp, and it still blew off. Cap was fine, mechanics fine, so replaced rad and it never happened again. In fact, sold the Jeep to my son in law and he drove it until it was totaled when he hit a deer at 320,000 miles.

Kris9884

With a whole new system installed, it could be anything. I would start with the simple things like replacing the thermostat, using a pipe cleaner and clean the inside of the nipple and make sure its a clear passage to the burp tank. Could just be air in the system too, let the car idle and reach full operating temp with the cap off and the heater turned on full blast. Top it off as needed.