I didn’t mean to come across as ignoring that. It’s a good idea, and it makes sense to do it (and I will), but I’ll likely still through a new one in since they’re cheap, and I don’t want the old one to become a problem (even if it’s not).
Also, if it does work in the boiling water, how am I supposed to know if I knocked it loss moving it around?
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Edit: Got it a new rad cap, and it seems to be holding temp better now. Moving on to other things.
Alright, I threw the old thermostat in boiling water and it opened as it should, but I went ahead and threw a new thermostat
I then did this. The coolant stayed down until the engine warmed up, then it fell when the thermostat opened. I then filled it back up while squeezing the rad hoses to work out the air bubbles from the thermostat job. At this point the engine is up to temp and the coolant started to rise.
I assume rising coolant can be normal as the water warms up, so I think I need to run that test again.
I did notice foam along the top of the coolant here and there, so them might be the brakes.
Oh, and I don’t think the rad cap is sealing. I put it on after the coolant was coming up, but the coolant went right around it, and out the overflow as if it wasn’t even there.
Can an engine over heat due to the system not pressurizing?
Oh (# 2), and the fan isn’t working (so that could be something. Though it’s impressive how quickly this engine get’s hot.
Rad fluid expands as it is heated. That is why there is an overflow tank, the excess heated fluid goes into the tank until the engine starts cooling, then the fluid is drawn back into the rad. Oldschool metal radiators had a 1-2" air space at the top of the tank. The expanding fluid would fill the air space.
Yes, the engine can overheat without pressure.
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