What you are missing is @ 190 the radiator should be hot not cold. No circulation at all, only reason it isnt over heating is due to, I am assuming cause it is kinda circulating through the heater and the thermostat is opening and has to be some what flowing through the heater. I am changing the water pump. I am thinking the PLASTIC impeller has an issue.

 

Im having a hard time believing that the car isnt going into nuclear melt down mode pretty quick if you were driving it with no water pump. It isnt a common problem to lose a water pump unless you are at very high miles, before tearing into it for real i would at least try what ecaulk suggested.

Some people have had a **** fit getting all of the air out of this system even using the same method as staged.

First thing in the morning when its cool im gonna check for sure but im almost positive that my upper radiator hose doesn't start to get warm till over 200 on the first start

 

Make sure both fans are working and check your fan relays

 

Its not the upper rad hose that isnt getting hot its the lower. @ 190 the thermostat should be allowing warer to circulate from water pump to lower part of radiator. I have driven this thing for 15, 30 min and it goes to 190-200 and stays there. Pull in to drine and radiator is cold along with lower radiator hose coming from thermostat. That to me says water pump is not working right. If this had a air pocket it would keep getting hot fast. I only have 110k so i wouldnt think the water pump eaither but nothing else says what it is doing.

 

Some of this stuff may be different because I have an LNF but the upper radiator hose on the passenger side got hot Pat 187 and the lower one on the driver side didn't get hot till 198

 

195 is a little on the hot side for the lsj.

 

I agree!! Always ran @ 185 before

 

Well hooked up a cooling system pressure tester to the overflow tank and it wont build pressure???? No visible cracks and no fluid leaking? What maybe causing this?

 

Sean, I am fighting the same problems as you, recently installed a new LDK engine in my 09 and I have put several thousand miles on it since and I have problems with temp wanting to fluctuate from 198 to 230 and it depends if I am under light boost(hills) or not. When on level ground it seems to stabilize around 208. When the outside temp is warmer the engine runs cooler, when the outside temp is cooler the engine runs warmer, I have tried everything I can think of to purge engine from air and today I installed an inline radiator neck right where the upper radiator hose comes from the block, thinking I could get a better fill. I just ran the car and temp went to 240 with the radiator and lower radiator hose remaining cool, upper radiator hose is warm, I also put on a new radiator a couple weeks ago. I am thinking thermostat but I have a new engine and you said you tried that with no luck.

 

This didn't help

 

I was going to put a new radiator in it just to see if that would fix it, but if you just did this and no help. Guess I will save that money.... I am at a complete loss!!!!

 

I got me thermostat this evening, not sure if I will put it in yet, if I do I will drill a small hole at the top of it, I think we are somehow are air locked.

 

Well today I finally got it fixed. I drained the block via the water pump drain, pulled thermostat drilled 2 small I mean small holes in it, then filled the water neck through thermostat hole, reinstalled thermostat, filled the rest of the block through head reinstalled rad hose, radiator filled through upper hose, fill overflow reservoir, ran engine for 3 min @ 2500 rpm for 3 min idle for 30 sec the turned off, let it cool drive. I drove the car for 35-40 min not letting rpm get above 2500rpm. and never got above 180 while driving, at stop lights never abover 185 then dropped back down to 178. When I got home I let it idle till fans kicked on at 195 then dropped to 178, radiator got hot and built pressure. I am so damn glad this thing is finally good to go. Oh yeah for the fist 15 min I left the radiator cap loose the tightened for reset of drive.

 

Good to hear Sean ,Did you access your thermostat from the top or bottom, if from the top did you remove fuse box or anything else, did you remove hoses from thermostat housing? Post back after you have driven your car for a day or two.

 

On the LSJ's it is easiest to get to thermostat from the top. The first time was kinda a pain but after taking it out a few times i became a pro... Lol onr thing I did notice is mine didn't fall into place very well. I needed to use a screw driver to seat it, I didnt notice that till the last time. And I will let you know how it goes this week.

 

Installed new thermostat, drilled small hole and oriented it to the top, filled system and let run for about 30 minutes with reservoir cap off, squeezed on upper and lower radiator hoses then let cool down. Drove it to work and back today, 120 mile round trip, temp got up to 250 all time high, lower radiator hose still cool and radiator barely warm.

 

Did you happen to remove thermo from top? Not sure how the turbo engines are but only way to change on a lsj is from top. I filled water neck from thermo hole. Meaning filled up line going from thermostat housing to water pump, then filled head then radiator then overflow

 

Yes thermo from top, have to remove fuse box and ECM just to get a glimpse of thermo housing, how is you car doing?

 

She is doing well, today didnt go above 180, it was alittle cooler today but stayed cool. Only thing today I had it stumbled really bad when I got into boost the first time. After that was fine went to revlimiter. You have to have air still trapped. Some Where else in the system. The holes in the thermostat sound have taken care of that though. What size hole did you put in it? One thing you may try it take out the thermo and put in one that has the spring and all removed from it and install. Meaning gutt a old thermo and just use the upper portion of it. So there is no restriction. Ti see it the rad gets hot. Hope that makes since. I use to do that back in the day with my carb engines

 

I agree that there is probably still air in the system but where and how to get it out. I drilled a 7/64(.109) hole.

 

Dont do it to the one you delrilled holes in, do you have the old one still? How you do it is flip it over and cut the two side pieces that hold the spring and plunger to the main body. All you want is the top section so it looks like a big washer with out he guts. Cut the sides in this picture. And I drilled the hole on the outside silver ring not in the center

 

Still having problems, tried purging again and still no luck, car cools fine when engine is turning around 3K rpm's, makes me think a restriction or bad water pump on new engine.

 

Let me ask you this... when adding new coolant.... are you filling it as per the factory fill procedure? Water pump going bad are possible but not common on these cars.

 

I fill the block first, then radiator, then coolant tank which it self fills when I fill radiator, then I let the engine idle untill temp climbs to around 230 then shut it off and let it sit overnight with resevoir cap off. From what I have read temp should never climb that high before it drops. Coolant fans come on at 194. This is a new LDK engine but was having exact same problems with LNF after cracked block, replaced radiator and thermostat.

 

Try removing the line that goes to the coolant tank, and putting vacuum there. On the LNF that ends up being the point where air comes out unless its trapped behind the T-stat.