Need Mechanical Help

[bryanlee38]

hey, yeah my car has overheated once, and I've refilled the water in the radiator. However i seriously require a mechanic who can help me out. Anyone can recommend me someone good and well price, or anyone here confident enough to just help me from past experience. Seriously need help. Only this problem with the car, so anyone who can help me out or direct me to a home mechanic would be great. thanks

bryanlee38

[jlnewton]

Dude, go see a radiator specialist and get your system flushed and pressure tested. It is very uncool to overheat an alloy head. Sorry I can't recommend anyone though, but it will be worth the money to ensure you don't overheat again or at least to know what the problem is. It could be much more costly otherwise.

[Genesis®]

try Charlie's Motor at the gabba... he specialize mostly on performance car... should be able to give you a diagnose on the spot.

GenesisR32

[dAVE]

go buy a pressure tester from autobarn.. we use them at work to check .. it takes about 5 mins.. and im sure they charge $100 or so to do it... bloody easy... also, if you put your system under pressure and there is a leak, u will see it piss out.

[MotoX]

overheating = bad, not only for the alloy head but also the turbo.

i hope it isnt anything too serious, like head gasket.

do you know if your water pump is moving?

do you have coolant in your radiator?

is your engine clutch fan working?

[bryanlee38]

yeah well. it didn overheat with like smoke going everywhere. i just saw the temp gauge pretty much at HOT. THen i open the radiator cap (after lettin it cool) and realise there was no coolant left. I've put tap water in there soo far, i want to make sure there is no leak b4 puttin coolant in there. I've done about 1000km's soo far to the coast and back twice, car temp has been normal. Should i just ignore the problem??? Or treat it seriously. that white box on the left side of the engine bay which the water goes too is half full. wat level should it be at? I dunno if the pump is working, engine clutch fan is working. i presume they r.

[Genesis®]

its strange that you have got no coolant left.. it could be your radiator is leaking or water pump is gone. You should always check your water/oil level at least once a week to make sure everything's fine.

here's a tip:

1) make sure that you flush out the tap water FIRST (unscrew radiator nut at the bottom of the car). You will have to mix the coolant with water into a pail... make sure that you get the right mixture. Too much or little coolant can be bad.

2) once ALL the water is flushed out, turn on the engine and let the car run for all 5 mins. During this time, continuously feed water into the radiator so that the rust is being flushed out by the running water.

3) lastly, kill the engine and screw the nut back on and fill up the radiator via the reservoir tank (white box). There should be an indicator on the tank, if not, about 3/4 full is enough. If you pour anymore, it would end up being spilled. When all this is done, turn on your engine and let the new mixture circular around the radiator. it MIGHT shoot all the way up to H for a while but give it a while to settle in.

it will cost you a fair bit if you get this done by a mechanic but I have done it lotsa times myself. It only takes 1/2hr and allows you to understand your car a little better too.

hope that this helps

GenesisR32

[bryanlee38]

Well i went into supercheap today to buy some coolant. he told me it there was nothing to worry about because:

i bought the car a month ago, the previous owner just had the car sitting for about about 4 months, not turning on nothing. So yeah he said dont worry about it. He gave me this coolant booster thing, small bottle - only 500ml. He said just drain a little water and pour the whole 500ml bottle into the radiator - i told him i'm only keeping my car for 6 months. he said that'll do. I havent been able to find the plug to release the water - still searching. If i just left the tap water in the radiator, how long before it acutally does any damage to radiator - rust?

[sir31]

bryanlee38 take your car to Rsd devil at moss street we use them at work to do all our radiator work.........

[bryanlee38]

true. yeah will do - how r they on prices btw? Sir31 IS UR SUB AND POD FILTER STILL FOR SALE - cuz i want! thanks

[Zer0]

I know a good import mechanic in Brisbane. He is working from home at the moment for a bit of money on the side and has excellent prices and service. If you want his details mail me. He used to do all the work on my R32 and R33 and can pressure test the system for you and find where it is leaking from.

Even if the car has been sitting for a while it should not leak coolant. Also tap water in the cooling system for an extended period is bad. Especially Brisbane water that is very heavy in minerals etc.

Anyway my email is ghenry22@pacific.net.au

You should get it checked out and fresh coolant put in. Cheaper to spend a few bucks now than blow a head gasket or something from it overheating.

[Genesis®]

tap water in radiator is very very baaaddddd.... it will induce rust in no time... get it flushed out asap

GenesisR32

[Guest terrance]

yep, listen to the first guy. i had a similar problem and consulted a specialist.

[4 Doorz]

hey, is adding heaps of coolant bad for your radiator?

Is it bad to add too much coolant? or just expensive?

[NismoGirl]

I seriously wouldn't listen to some guy at supercheap. Most of them are 16 year olds who've watched their dad's work on kingswoods when they were 2.

Just letting you know also about another mechanic, Gavin Woods, Auto Tech. He's an awesome mechanic who takes great pride in cars. He knows everything there is to know about skylines. I don't know about you, but I would rather take my pride and joy to someone who I can trust and I know they know what they are doing than some mechanic who goes "yeah... skyline hey *walks to grab instruction book off shelf*"