I replaced the hg, waterpump and timing belt. I blew the last hg due to the car overheating. It was doing the same thing with the hoses before I replaced everything . I started the car and the hoses were very high pressure. wtf? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif could it be the radiator?

How old is the hose? Do you still have your stock heater? Does it work? Does your radiator appear to be clean inside?

I have no idea how old the heater core is, and the heat doesn't really work. How can I be sure this is the problem and what can I do to fix it?

If your thermostat as stuck closed you might have these problems. It's cheap, I'd replace it and see if anything changes. You could also test it by putting it in a pan of boiling water to see if it opens.

did you have the head checked for cracks & resurfaced while you had it off? how old is your rad cap? the cap is the systems pressure regulator.

^^^ Try a new radiator cap first.

Quoting usethe4ce:
I started the car and the hoses were very high pressure.



Cylinder compression is leaking into the cooling system... your hoses don't blow because of the relief valve on the radiator cap... is your coolant reserve overflowing/gurgling?

I would suggest that remove your head (from the engine, that is) and have it and the block checked

There are more than a few ways that compression can leak into the coolant... you must have these things checked if the HG did not fix your problem

Also, rely on the advice + expertise of a seasoned DSM-er before making the decision to re-assemble - it saves much time and heartache

I already replace the hg and had the head resurfaced at the machine shop. Next, the tad. Cap OS new. Next the thermostat is out of the car. The water pump is new. Could it be the heater core?

Compression is fine and I did everything right thanks to u guys dsmtuner and vfaq.

I still think that combustion gasses is getting into the cooling system. I would be doing a leak-down test. What did the compression test come back with across the board? If the engine was over-heated bad previously I wouldn't be surprised if the head was cracked.

the head is fine...resurfaced and fine...can a bad heater core cause overheating?

Scratch my thoughts about the heater core. I was going down a path that doesn't make any sense, sorry.

Usethe4ce, you didn't answer my question about the condition of your radiator.

If the radiator cap is NOT opening and the cap is good, the system pressure is fine. At that point the swelling is only due to the hose that is bad and swelling excessively.

If the hoses are good and the t-stat good I would assume you are still leaking through your HG like people have said. However I don't remember if you ever did a gas detection check like many others suggested. I also don't know if you properly checked the block for flatness. You can have a flat cylinder head, and a warped block causing the same leak to come back.

Nm

DID YOU REPLACE YOUR RADIATOR HOSES?

WHAT IS THE CONDITION OF YOUR RADIATOR?

were the valves, cams, valve stems etc all pulled out and the head pressure tested and soaked in dye? If not then how can you say the head is 'fine' when all the tests haven't been performed? Do you even know how warped the head was and how much needed to be taken off? Mitsubishi heads are known to warp, go soft or crack when over-heated badly. The fact that the radiator hoses are pressurizing points to combustion chamber gasses getting into the cooling system. Either your head is stuffed or your block is stuffed - it has to be one of them.

I second the "combustion gases -> coolant system" theory... let the engine cool to atmosphere, then take the rad. cap off... start the engine and see if coolant/bubbles/air blows out the top of the radiator... a good cooling system should only build pressure as the engine warms up, not as soon as you start it...

resurfacing a bad head or block won't solve a combustion leak (crack)

please get these things checked if nothing superficial solves your problem

ok so I cold started the galant this morning and indeed it started bubbling in the clean radiator this morning. I guess I'm after the cause of my previous problem that caused the hg to burn through on cylinder 4. What do find out what the problem is from here. I guess this is going to end up with me pulling the head again. What a pain. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

barnes if you are referring to the two hoses from the radiator they are in good condition. the radiator is clean.

Quoting usethe4ce:
I guess this is going to end up with me pulling the head again. What a pain. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif



hang in there! It's always more of a pain to have to redo something, but hey, we live and learn!

After you pull the head, take some pics for us, and have the head checked for cracks

crap phone pic...droid 8 mega pixel camera...click to enlarge.