Help, car boiling

jenny188, Mar 14, 9:43am
2l Mitsubishi boils after turning it off. Radiator, hot both top and bottom. Top tank replace a year ago, system professionally flushed. Otherwise runs fine, within range on temp gauge on open road or around town. Still pulls like a schoolboy. No misses. Oil fine- clean. Positive suggestions welcome. 250 k's previous rebuild a while ago.

mugenb20b, Mar 14, 6:41pm
Start off by doing a TeeKay head check. Next, check thermostat, water pump and radiator fan operation.

kazbanz, Mar 14, 6:53pm
Jenny-FIRST suggestion. Find an alternative means of transport.
NO I'm not being a smart alec but if the water is boiling then likely the car is getting pretty hot a concequence of which is potentially lethal to the engine.-Ie expensive to you.stopping driving it till its sorted is the cheapest option
My thought would be first ensure the fans are working as first port of call then work through the stuff mugen suggests

intrade, Mar 14, 7:11pm
is your internal heater working hot when you turn it on at all! if not you might have a blokage or no waterpump impeller left.

pdc1, Mar 14, 8:03pm
Check the radiator cap first

attitudedesignz, Mar 14, 8:14pm
I had a twin cam Ford Sierra do exactly this about a month after i replaced the radiator, would boil out of over flow tank after i turned car off, turns out it had a huge air lock in it. Aparently there was a sequence to correctly bleed the cooling system that i didn't know about, it had something to do with top of radiator being lower than highest cooling gallery of head. Not saying this is your problem but worth checking.

evotime, Mar 14, 10:50pm
I'd agree with looking at the radiator cap 1st, if it is not holding pressure then it doesn't raise the boiling point of your coolant.

phillip.weston, Mar 14, 10:53pm
What kind of "2L Mitsubishi" do you have! You've just described something from the 1960s through to today.

Things to check:

- Radiator cap
- Thermostat opening properly
- Radiator fan switch operating correctly (usually located in the bottom of the radiator)
- Radiator fan itself
- Ignition timing is correct (too retarded leads to hotter temperatures)

petermcg, Mar 15, 1:39am
I think the sort of info we require here is the year and fuel type of vehicle. Then can you describe the symptoms more accurate,, like it it actually boiling when you stop, or is it just pressurising, or steaming, or whistleing, what does the temperature gauge say when you stop, and how much water does it take to get going again.

tigerflower, Mar 15, 5:59am
Ive got a simalar issue with my camry.Using bout a litre of water a week.Travelling bout 70 ks to wk and return.When I stop and turnoff engine,occaisonallyits boiling,temp gauge saying just over half.Have been told its a head gasket job.Has been presure tested and is losing presure but only small amount.Wot other checks can I do here.Have replaced thermostat,radiator cap.Rad flushed.Only running water in it till I get this prob solved.Saves wasting coolant which I know should be in it.Car had been parked up for couple years.

jenny188, Mar 15, 6:57am
Car is a 96 evo 4. The cap is correct pressure and like radiator service done 2 years ago. Current owner has had it for 2 years but only done about 20 k in it. Gauge working and it runs mid of it. I know these things are only an approximation, but it responds as expected. Could be driven all day but only overheats when switched off. It audibly boils and blows coolant out the overflow reservoir. May just have to do the bit by bit process of elimination. Sadly a replacement motor is cheaper than a total top rebuild, and because of make and model is a bit of a "punt". Not too many little old lady owners of 17 yr old Evo's. Thanks everyone.

tigra, Mar 16, 2:57am
Airlock

trade4us2, Mar 16, 3:47am
When it's cold, park it on a hill facing upwards. Fill with coolant with engine running. That should eliminate airlocks.