ANSWERS: 1
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Your cooling system consists of a radiator, water pump, thermostat, fan, and hoses. You haven't mentioned the most likely problem: the thermostat. This is a temperature sensitive, spring loaded valve located in the engine where the upper radiator hose connects. When your coolant reaches a high enough temperature, the valve pops open and allows coolant to flow through your radiator. If the valve fails and does not open when is should, your engine will overheat. This valve (and gasket or O-ring) only costs about $10 at a parts store. It is also pretty easy to replace. With the engine cool, disconnect the upper radiator hose from the place where it is clamped to on the engine. Unbolt the metal hose fixture from the engine. Remove the old thermostat and replace it, including replacing the gasket (remove old gasket and install new using RTV or Permatex) or the O-ring (if your thermostat uses an O-ring instead of a gasket). Install everything back in place, top off your coolant as required, start the vehicle and let it run to warm up and see if this resolved your problem. If you're not loosing coolant, and you've replaced the thermostat and everything else you mentioned, then you may have a more severe problem. If you have a cracked head, then when the engine heats up, you may get coolant displaced by combustion gases leaking through the cracks in the head. This will cause the coolant resevoir to overflow as the engine coolant is displaced and pushed out of the radiator into the resevoir. An overheating engine could also cause excessive overflow from the radiator to the resevoir...but a cracked head could essentially blow significantly more out of your coolant system. One last thing: It IS possible that you may have a hose problem...it is extremely rare, but if you have old hoses, then the internals of one or more hoses may have rotted and expanded, restricting coolant flow. Usually hoses just get brittle and crack. But it does happen. Make sure your hoses are in good condition. If you replace the thermostat and your hoses are good and still have problems, then I suggest you take the car to a service technician and have it checked. Be sure to tell him all your symptoms and all the parts you've replaced.
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