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Ok guys, boosted for well over a year and this has just started happening

The last 2 times i've turned the heat on (like heat/cool air control through the car vents) in my 01, the temp gauge shoots right up

Luckily the last 2 times i caught it just as it was getting past half way and pulled over in time

When I open the hood it looks like coolant sprayed all over the engine bay and drips from the bottom of the engine compartment

Luckily I have had coolant in my trunk both times, and after i let it cool down, fill it back up and continue on (without heat) its fine...wont go past 1/2 way no matter how hard i push it until i turn the temp dial to hot

Any suggestions?

Im thinking it is something to do with the line from the rad to the heater box inside the cab???

Thanks in advance

 
Rep Power: 511

I'm subscribing to this.. I'm having the same EXACT problem.. I'm going to go ahead and replace my head gasket anyways..

Is it blowing nothing but cold air?

 
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no she will blow cold and hot air

i was thinking head gasket as well but coolant flows through the block at all times and not only when the heat is on so i ruled that out

its not smoking at all either, and i know a blown head gasket would smoke white

 
Rep Power: 511

hmm.. that's interesting.. mine will blow nothing but cold air.. I found my coolant line that goes to my heater core and it was hot in one place, and 4 inches later it was cold.. I'm thinking I have some blockage so my friend told me to hook up a garden hose and backflush the system, then flush my coolant system with fresh mixed coolant..

 
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i just checked this again in my driveway and turned on the heater and it blew out luke warm air....nothing like it should on such a warm day

and it did NOT overheat

so i think you may have a point

this HAS to have something to do with the line going into the heater core but i dont understand why there was coolant all over my engine bay and leaking out my car unless there is a pressure valve to release coolant in the case of a blockage?

did you also have coolant leak all out on you?

 
Rep Power: 511

I let my sister use my car when I was deployed, and she said the temp gauge would start to rise in stop and go traffic in the middle of summer in Vegas. I was also running one fan instead of two behind my radiator.. The shop that tuned my car felt the need to remove my A/C condenser fan and call me up AFTER I leave the place to tell me.. and they didn't even stick it in the trunk..

Anyways, there would only be coolant when my car heated up like a ****.. The most I'd let it get before turning my car off (in traffic) would be just below 3/4 of the way up.. But yea, I had coolant vomit (lol) that looked like it spewed from the overflow.. My guess is that since **** expands when it gets hot, the coolant expanded enough to exceed the overflow capacity and blow it out. Whenever my overflow reservoir would be kinda high, I'd slowly open the radiator cap to bleed off the excess pressure and it'd go back down..

Another thing that contributed to my overheating problems was my Mugen radiator cap.. I swapped it out with my OEM one and only had the overheat problems with the heater..

 
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I can TELL you the answer. Guess what... you have a head gasket issue. The combustion gases get burned and the pressures in your cylinder are high enough to seep into your water jackets. Thats why you have air bubbles in your cooling system and your resevoir overflows. And also thats why you overheat like a b1atch and have your heater blowing cold air. Remember you overzealous boosted freeks, don't turn your boost too high unless your timing is PROPERLY and ADEQUATLY retarded. I'm seeing a general trend that our heads warp and our gaskets can't handle anything too crazy.
Eventually your coolant issue gets worse over time untill you have to added coolant EVERY DAY, LIKE ME.

 
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well, thanks for the reply

as for the engine, as of tonight i think she ate too much coolant and has a nasty sound to her after i got on it a bit to merge onto the highway

so time to put in a used engine and sell my kit

im just glad to know that i may not have to replace my heater core which i thought was the problem

 
Rep Power: 0

never mind, just blew a few wastegate gaskets

 
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Good! Would hate to hear about a fellow turbo'd D17 giving up his kit! ARP that bitch, put a new HG on it and call it a day.

 
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haha i have the studs, h/g and valve cover gasket sitting in a drawer in my garage

time owns me...anyway thanks for all the help boys!

 
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You know, if you're really easy on the throttle, you won't have nearly as many bubbles and coolant losses. I'm driving sooooo light right now until transformerguy finishes his swap so that i can get his engine. From 1qt a day of coolant losses to 1/4 that. Just ease up, no boost, and you'll be ok for a while if you don't have time for the HG yet