no cabin heat

[Stuart Dalton]

Still no cabin heat, and the engine started getting close to overheating also. Repairs so far: replaced thermostat; replaced radiator; flushed heater core; checked radiator fan and heater intake valve (both are working), checked for leaks in the rest of the cooling system and couldn't find any. I'm aware of the burping procedure and I've done it carefully every time I've drained the coolant. When I burp the system I get some normal bubbling and coolant getting sucked into the system at first, and then after 10 minutes or so a cycle will start like this: coolant pushes up to the top of the funnel to the point of overflowing, so I have to siphon some off, and then all at once the coolant gets sucked back into the system quickly so I have to add more to the funnel--that same cycle will continue about ever 2 or 3 minutes, so I'm adding coolant when it's sucked into the system but then it surges out again so I have to siphon some off, and overall I think there's no net gain in terms of coolant making its way into the system. So that's where I am now, and I still have no cabin heat. Any ideas?

[retepsnikrep]

Stop the burping procedure as soon as coolant stops going into the system from the funnel after just a couple of minutes at most and see what happens. A few tiny bubbles left is fine.

10 minutes seems excessive and the system will naturally try and spew coolant out later if you keep going for too long.

Looks like you have checked/changed everything relevant apart from the water pump.

Perhaps the impeler has seperated from the drive inside the pump or the fins on the impeler have broken or corroded away.

[Willie Williford]

Where are you located?

Willie

[talonmike]

Did you check the water pump?

[Stuart]

I live in New Jersey.

Since the coolant seemed to be moving well when I burped the system I assumed the water pump was working. The pump/belt are turning but I haven't taken the pump off to look at it. Could the strong suction, followed by coolant pushing back out that I described, be explained by a bad water pump?

thanks

[retepsnikrep]

Why have you got two usernames?

Re the pump you are running out of other options so it's one of the last things to check.

[Stuart]

I don't know how that happened. When I added my location to my profile, as requested, I guess I must have changed my username at the same time--didn't intend to.

[Willie Williford]

Stuart:
I hope you installed the thermostat in the right orientation. the small pin hole goes up, If I remember right. Yes it can be installed differently.

HTH
Willie

[Stuart]

it was a partially blown head gasket or some other small gap in the cylinder head, fixed it with Blue Devil