Overheating STILL Please help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The problem is, I can't find Sal Soda anymore...have even looked in the Dollar General Stores, where you can find some of the "old standbys".....think it was in the washing detergent area....

If anyone knows where a guy could get it, I'd sure like to know too!

The way you talk about it heating up so fast sounds like a Plymouth Voyager I have....it heated up real fast...had a cracked valve seat, letting the exhaust gasses into the coolant. If a gasket was leaking somehow, might be doing the same thing.

Hope this helps...
Art

To check for a blown head gasket you can remove one spark plug at the time or all four of them and then apply compressed air of at least 100 psi to the spark plug hole after the cylinder that you are testing has been set up with the piston at top dead center of the compression stroke and the transmission in fourth or high gear with the rear wheel securely blocked so it can't move and see if you can see air bubbling up in the radiator. Do this on each cylinder. If you can keep[ it on top dead center on each cylinder while testing and don't see significant bubbles it probably doesn't have a blown head gasket.

To check for a blown head gasket you can remove one spark plug at the time or all four of them and then apply compressed air of at least 100 psi to the spark plug hole after the cylinder that you are testing has been set up with the piston at top dead center of the compression stroke and the transmission in fourth or high gear with the rear wheel securely blocked so it can't move and see if you can see water bubbling up in the radiator. Do this on each cylinder. If you can keep[ it on top dead center on each cylinder while testing and don't see significant bubbles it probably doesn't have a blown head gasket.

While you could have a blocked block, I'd be more inclined to suspect a blown headgasket, which you didn't address as a possiblility. Check your engine compression..... .....Dell

I always crank untill the compression don't go any higher. If you cranked for 5 puffs, put 1 tablespoon of engine oil down the sparkie hole and crank again for 5 puffs. A good engine will increase about 5-10 psi.

A worn engine will increase about 20-30 psi. It will burn a lotta oil and foul sparkplugs and be hard to start. Wornout engines will also tend to run hot too. But this is not consistant with your reported radiator overheating, so I tend to discount this.

Make certain you do a good compression test, 5 puffs, dry then wet, all sparkies out so you're not cranking against other cylinder compression..... .....Dell

My son had a Mazda pickup and some yahoo told him his head gasket was blown, causing the engine to overheat. I came home to find him up to his elbows in engine parts, ended up finishing the r/r for him. Still overheated, even though it looked like it was getting good flow in the radiator. Took it to the radiator doctor and he found it only had 35% flow. Rodded it out, no more problems.