radiator

[Litoflipboi]

i was looking under my hood and noticed that my upper radiator hose was bulging(is that the right word?) and i was like oh well, ill replace it wen i have time...a week went by, i still havnt done it..now after having my car checked by my mechanic friend..he pointed out to me that my radiator was leaking on the upper part..i filled up the radiator and the overflow tank and drove my car mildy for a week ,.(everytime the overflow tank goes to low i just add more fluid)....i bought one of those radiator stop leak (bar's leak to be exact) put it in my radiator...i dont know if it worked or not..i just did a flush n fill a month ago...my temperature gauge stays in the middle..no overheating(yet?)...thermostat is fairly new...i plan on replacing the radiator and hoses..also the thermostat...my question is,. am i on the right track on fixing this problem,...im tired of this car having problems one after another...i still got some emissions issues i have to deal with..any ideas/help would be appreciated... :x



http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/somthinboutme03/radiator.jpg this where the coolant is leaking...
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o120/somthinboutme03/upperhose.jpg this were the the hoses where bulging...not on this pic tho

[Kalamidad]

http://blaise.us/emots/x.gif

[4-G-rim]

If you hose is "bulging" its probably due to old age and coolant not flowing correctly through the system. Did you notice your coolant temps rising on your gauge cluster?

Assuming that you have more than 50,000 miles on your car...your cooling system is probably or was due for some TLC. Your radiator is already leaking..soo its best that you replace it. When you replace your radiator you might as well replace the following:

-Radiator
-Upper Hose
-Lower Hose
-Thermostat

Now since you put some of that "Stop Leak" stuff into your cooling system...I STRONGLY suggest you run a radiator/cooling system flush. That stop leak stuff will leave thick deposits within your cooling system and reduce its efficiency. That stuff is ONLY a temporary fix. Get a cooling system flush and following the directions. When you fill your system again with coolant...I strongly suggest buying the premix 50/50 coolant. If you do buy the regular non mixed coolant.....you would have to do the 50/50 mix yourself which is basically 50% coolant 50% water, but I would use distilled water. Using regular water usually had mineral deposits which will promote coolant system rust through time.

This should fix your problem..BUT if you are still over heating you probably need to replace your water pump to which you might as well replace your timing belt too. Also check if your coolant temp sensor is working correctly too. If all those are replaced and still having the same problem you COULD have a failing head gasket.

[bronxbombr]

Couldnt have said it any better G-Rim

[Litoflipboi]

thanks guys,.. problem fixed...