deadmonkey

I have a 92, 4-cylinder, manual transmission tempo, that I can't get to stop overheating. What I have done -- Flushed out the radiator to make sure there aren't any clogs (multiple times), changed the thermostat (and gasket) twice, replaced the hose that had a leak, made sure there aren't any more leaks, checked the fluid levels, checked to make sure that the fan is kicking on (it is). Am I forgetting something? That's about all the basic knowledge that I have about these things.

The car gets hot really quickly, too quickly. The water that should be cooling it down is getting hot really quickly. The fan is kicking on, but not until the temperature guage reads about two notches above the red zone. When I turn the heater on, which is normally supposed to help cool a car down, right?? it heats it up worse. I thought this was supposed to help cool it down. It used to be that it was drivable, for short distances, now I can't even drive it for more than two blocks before it is within a notch of hitting red and the check engine light comes on. I don't want to melt down the car, so I just have it parked right now, but I really need my car back! Any advice?

I read another post that sounded similar, but it sounded like that persons problem was the fan. I know my fan is kicking on. Like I said, it isn't kicking on until the car is already pretty hot though. Should the car even be running this hot?

Butchart

Sounds to me like you have a blockage between the radiator and the block, or between the block and the head. You can flush the radiator all you want but it won't solve the problem if its somewhere in the block. It would be a slim chance and none that you would get two defective thermostats in a row. Sometimes they will not open up. Check all your hoses for any blockages, that means all small hoses that carry coolant. Last item you might check is the water pump. The impeller fins could be rotted off and not circulating water. Good luck.

NickV

Replace the waterpump.