Thread: Overheating sr20 plague

I can't figure out why my car keeps overheating. I've got a 93 sr20det in a 98 kouki and the thing just recently started overheating last week.

Just installed a brand new waterpump directly out of the box. Also replaced tstat (t stat is for a ka24de, but i'm told it works for sr20's) along with new coolant and redline water wetter in a koyo radiator and dual electric fans.

It runs normal temperature for about 5 minutes, then starts every so slightly getting hotter and hotter until the needle is reaching the 2nd dashmark on the HOT part of the dummy gauge.

what else would be causing this non sense?!

I'll be running the car without the thermostat tomorrow to see if its just faulty, but if its not what else would it be? the engine bay is hot so its not a faulty gauge.

Are there any bubbles forming in the radiator with the cap off? maybe a head ghasket issue?

Removing the thermostat is not a good idea, the thermostat controls the speed the coolant flows through the radiator, without it the coolant may pass through the radiator so fast the heat can't be disipated to the core also causing it to run hot.

first off is your temp sensor working? make sure its not the sensor because i had the same problem a while back. I kno i wasnt over heating because i had the radiator cap of and while my temp gauge red HOT i could still stick my finger inside the radiator and not get burned by the coolant... i replaced it and never had the problem again.. that or get aftermaket temp gauge...

nothing is going to cool your engine as well as the mechanical fan and shroud. A little electric fan is no match for what the mech fan can do.

radiator cap?

You have to swap out the single wire dash temp sensor that is supposed to go with that chassis , so get an S14 KA24DE dash temp sending unit, its the single spade pin connnector type. Also if your hoses are getting rock hard after only 5 minutes of running, like you can't squeeze the hose at all and there seems to be a lot of pressure built up, your headgasket might have a small leak.

my det devoleped an air bubble in the head....took a few trys to get it out but at this point i'm running nothing but water and i don't overheat at all(anti-freeze and water wetter going in this weekend tho...just didn't wanna pour anti-freeze in and watch it bubble out of the overflow)...now i know it's solved so in goes the $$.....haha

Well believe it or not, it was back to back faulty tstats. I guess anything is possible haha.

As far as the whole wiring thing...i doubt thats the case cause it just randomly started overheating last week. The heat was definitely there in the engine bay.

Might have also been an air bubble though...my buddy had this tool he got from work where you hook your compressor up to one end and turn your whole system into a vacuum by removing any excess air then place another hose with a filter into your expensive anti-freeze/water wetter you've drained 400 times with all the nasty crap the pulled off your block and it'll suck all the $$ back into your system air free!

Non the less, pulled tstat out for now. Car gauge runs right where its supposed to run. a little below mid point.

I ish un happy camper again