Thanks to all those that offered suggestions on my cooling system
troubleshoot.

I am happy to say that after replacing the thermostat things began to
behave normally, so it appears that it was a stuck thermostat after
all.  So far so good as I was able to put an hr of hwy speed driving on
the car after changing the thermostat and it has behaved consistently ..!!

-john

John Goubeaux wrote:
> Thanks guys,
>
> I have to say, when I am not fixated on the prospect of major engine
> work, I actually am enjoying the trbl shooting aspect of all this (:
>
> So after dbl checking all connections, cleaning the coolant deposits at
> the sensor and pulling and checking the plugs I did the following:
>
> Ran the engine at idle and 2000 rpms till it warmed up.
> pulled the radiator bleeder
> watched the temp needle
>
> Initially there was little to no pressure at the radiator
> when the engine warmed up it had a bit more pressure but not much, and
> coolant was never even warm up front.
> the fan never came on, this is odd to me as it always did
>
> Eventually the temp gauge went to the top and finally the lite began to
> blink
> the reservoir did begin to pressurize and the gurgling and bubbling
> sound began (obvious bubbles where the large hose comes into the top of
> the tank)
> never did the coolant at the radiator get warm nor the fan come on.
>
> The plugs on the rh side did have a suspiciously cleaner look, though
> they are pretty new so ?
>
> I wonder if it is a leaky head gasket if the pressure build up could
> inhibit the thermostat from opening ?
> meaning i might have two problems, one minor and the other well, more
> involved ?
>
> So I guess I should replace the thermostat ( any easy item to deal with)
> and see if this changes things?
>
> -john
>
> Miguel Pacheco wrote:
>> John, you don't mention if the radiator cooling fan is coming on. If
>> things are getting that hot, you should hear the fan come on low
>> speed,then high. If you pull the radiator bleeder like Benny suggested
>> (simple things first like David Vickery suggested,) I bet you will
>> not get
>> hot coolant. So, from how I read things here, unless your rad fan is
>> out,
>> your thermostat is stuck closed. You can just go in and pull it out,
>> without putting another one in there, for the sake of troubleshooting,
>> replace the thermostat housing cap and do another test run. If the fans
>> come on and you are getting hot liquid to the rad, then presto! Damn, I
>> hope for your sake that this is it. Good luck. Miguel
>>