Bubbles in radiator f5a

[Jermaine]

take it to a mechanic lol

[ceej]

Colin....oil is normal....only overheats when in traffic, this is partly due to a new thermo fan switch, which Suzuki told me was an upgrade, but it is a different heat range to what I had in originally.

The fan doesn't come on until temp gauge is half way, then it only runs for about 3 seconds and shuts off, to me that's not long enough to do anything.

Apart from that there is no other symptoms, car runs as normal.

Thanx.....Greg.

I have just put a Davies, Craig adjustable thermal fan switch in the boy, You can pick em up for i think $50 from repco/supercheap etc. Whick is way less than a suzuki one (i got quoted something like $165 for an F8b one) All that you need to do is put the copper bulb in the top return radiator hose, run the copper to wherever is a close point for the bracket and the switch to mount, wire it into the existing wiring and adjust it to whatever temperature you need it for. Works a treat, comes in when i need it and cuts out when the job is done.

[Alto Boy]

UPDATE 2.......Took it to Suzisport this afternoon to get checked out.......their diagnosis is shit coolant in the radiator which just foams up.

So summary is this......no oil in water.....no water in oil.....no miss firing.....just the wrong thermal switch and shit ( Castrol Coolant Concentrate ) comes in a little can like the V drink.

Suggested remedy.......replace switch and use premix coolant and see if this resolves the problem.

I have to take their advice.....purely because they could have said yeah needs head gasket and charged me $200 - $300, but they suggested the above as first step to diagnose problem.

If you think this sounds plauseable, I'd love to hear your feed back.


Thanx......Greg.

[Trevor]

I had bubbles in my radiator, I checked the head tension first and it was not tensioned down enough. It has stopped the bubbles for now. This is only a temporary fix though , until engine transplant. Might help to check yours.

[hatch4play]

could be very plauseable!
Another scenaro is that the water pump is pulling in air and is cavitating (pulls in a bubble of water which hits the impeller and implodes into thousands of little bubbles hence your foam) if it is cavitation the oxygen in the bubbles will very quickly corrode away the aluminium of the head.
pretty easy to take the water pump off to check if it has pitting!

jimbo

[Alto Boy]

Jimbo and Trev....thanx for your input, I was hoping to pick up the Thermal switch today, but it did'nt arrive.

I was going to pull out the radiator tomorrow and fit the new switch, then refill with new coolant and take it for a run up the coast.

I 'll see if it arrives tomorrow, and keep you posted as to the final results.

Seeya......Greg.

[Colin]

if your removing the radiator get the garden hose and seal it into the bottom outlet using a rag turn it on full pressure and tap the radiator flatly on a hard surface and see how much shit you dislodge...

[Alto Boy]

Update 3

Today I drained all the old coolant out of the radiator and then ran the hose through it until the water was clear.....then refilled with Tectaloy 60.

I couldn't get an after market switch so I've left the genuine Suzuki one in and taken the car for a test drive and leaving it idle for 1/2 an hour.....no more over heating as yet, but still a tiny amount of white foam.

Does anyone else ever have this foam stuff in their radiator when temp has hit Normal ?

I have absolutely no Idea why this happening.....but no loss of water, no water in oil, no oil in water, no missfiring, no rough idle at start up, just everything normal plus white foam.

Could this be residue from a can of radiator flush about 7 months ago ?

Still searching for answers......coolant does feel a little soapy.....is this normal ?

Thanx..........Greg.

[pony-tail]

It is not "normal" but may not be a problem either .
It may be an early warning of bad things to come , but for now I would drive it around for a while (keeping a close eye on it ) and wait to see if any other symptoms occur or if it clears up - See if it uses water over time or if the coolant discolours (becomes dirty looking) you should know after 1000 or so Ks if it does I would suggest a compression test to see if there are any inconsistencies.

[hatch4play]

check the water pump, foam means air bubbles and air bubbles cause rapid corrosion, i would not be risking it, instead of ringing a mechanic ring a radiator shop as they probably have diagnosis's relating to coolant system and they will know what the foam is from as they specialise in coolant problems all day long !!


jimbo

[Alto Boy]

Hatch and everyone else thanx for your input.....this car had a brand new pump installed approx 5,000k's ago......what could cause a new pump to start blowing bubbles......because I think you are on the right path.

With the radiator cap off....if you rev the engine, it definitely creates more bubbles.

Any more explanations ?

Thanx.....Greg.

[stevan_istheman]

I'm gonna take a complete guess but maybe the engine is on the way out?
How many k's has it got on the clock now greg?
Because i think 120kph may shorten the lifespan of an F5A...

This could happen:
http://tamon.edave.net/gallery/v/member ... 7.JPG.html
http://tamon.edave.net/gallery/v/member ... 8.JPG.html

And that would just mess up your day.

[pony-tail]

I think the other guys are right about taking it to a cooling system "expert"
I used to be a mechanic (Mitsubishi variety) and this has me fudged .
If it is a cracked head the gas will be CO2 but if it is cavitation it will be O2.
When you dropped the coolant was there any corrosion visible where the hose came off ?
Is your cooling system pressurizing properly ?
Are you sure there are no bloked tubes in your radiator core ?
Does it foam up with just water and no coolant ?
If you rev the engine with the radiator cap off does it spit coolant out of the radiator ?
Can you do a compression test ? if so are the cylunders within 5 psi of each other ?
At the stated age of the waterpump - unless you have some very serious corrosion issues , I do not think the waterpump is to blame.

[Alto Boy]

Stevan and Ponytail......thanx for your thoughts......firstly, no corosion anywhere....water had no shit in it.....engine is low klm Jap import from All Jap Imports, it came with a 6 month 10,000 klm written guarantee.

Could this castrol coolant shit have eaten away at either the impeller or the head ?

I think the Radiator gas test will be top of the list, and I'll write a report on that as soon as I get time to take it there.

Thanx guys.......Seeya.....Greg.

[hatch4play]

nah the coolant won't corrode away anything by itself. but i have heard it is very bad to mix coolant colours!! like green coolant with red etc.

but take it somewhere to get checked and lets us all know.