Expert: Roger J.M. Warrington - 5/12/2006

Question
99 malibu
Question   i have a 99 chev malibu that overheats and when it runs you can hear bubbling,popping or back pressure from the upper radiator hose. this is the second engine the first had a blown head gasket.Does this sound like nother blown head gasket? I had th radiator rodded out and anew thermostat installed. how do i check to see if the water pup is working?
Answer   Mike;
If you look into the rad. and you should see the water moving , and if you have no trouble with overheating or running hot than it should be just fine.. I would check all hoses and clamps and check the rad. cap . and keep the rad. full of coolent. it sounds as if you have some air in the system. check the fan belts too.  



My radiator doesn't have a cap only a cap on the coolant tank, so i cant see if the water is moving in the radiator. and the car does run hot and overheats.when i got the new thermostat installed i got the oil changed, and it doesnt seem like theres any water in the oil. what could be the problem?

what do you think of the product Steel Seal?

Answer
Mike;
 You had some one do the thermastad for you - I would check all the hoses and clamps and look to see if there is any water (coolent) dripping from under the engine - from the water pump. than I would try to have a psi. test done on the rad. this will tell you if you have any leaks, etc.  why would you think there was oil in the water- thats super bad. so you do not want that. I would try a 160 thermastat. what size did the guy put in ? might be to hot. go lower or take it out for the summer. .