So I joined the world of DIY yesterday when i changed my radiator...

I have an overheating that started yesterday...

Background on the car its a 97 gle only performance mods so far is a under drive pulley...
Car has 204,xxx miles

I checked the car the other day and there was barely any coolant in there... The temp needle stayed at operating temp... I added coolant to the reseviour and began driving went about my day picking up a vafc or 00vi to be installed when about 12pm hit (driving since 8am) faint white smoke started (figured it was oil burning that might have spilled on the engine) and then about a half the temp needle shot up to hot..... I shut the car off .... Basically baby the car 3 miles down the road to my house...
I opened the hood and antifreeze was everywhere ... Looked at the radiator and there was a big pool at the bottom so I changed the radiator out by myself(thanks youtube) I put coolant back in the radiator and start it let the car without burping... Car got to operating temps and fans worked perfectly .... I tried to drive around my neighborhood and then the needle started to go hot input the car in neutral and the temp needle went down a little ... The temp never reached as high as the day before but still above normal... Car does run at operating temp when idling....

What's should I do next also checked the hoses for leaks but couldn't find any???? Is it my thermostat and /or water pump?? Also I have no heat coming through the vents anymore just air ...???

Help and sorry for typos I'm writing from an iPhone at work so auto type is killing me

 

"I put coolant back in the radiator and start it let the car without burping..."

I am pretty sure you just answered your own question... why did you not burp the coolant system? Does your heater blow hot heat? Most likely you have huge air pocket in the system...

 

LIke he said, you did it wrong. Coolant goes into a small radiator inside the dash and that's how you get heat. Well between that, all the hoses, and more than one thermostat you have so many places for air pockets. Park up a hill, or use jack stands, or jack up the front but do it right perhaps it'll fix your issue.

 

Ok so maybe I did it wrong but what do you mean jack the car and do it over? I posted for help or some type of instruction ... Thought thats what the forum for ? Help...

Anyways my heater is not blowing hot air at but all if anything it's cooler when I put the heater on 85.... And I didn't burp it cuz I didn't know it was my first DIY project so sorry if fudged up ...

So let's say I burped the car and I'm still getting the same problem what would be the next thing to look at?

 

And coolant goes in a small radiator in the dash?? I've never heard of this ? Was I supposed to pour in there? Where is this located

 

The 2nd radiator is your heater core and to get air out of your system you park it on a steep incline or jack it up as steep as possible~in the front, then open your radiator cap with a cool engine and start your car with the heater on high keep adding fluid until all the air is burped out.
You may need to repeat this process after driving a bit.

 

@fakiejfakerton thanks for the help man appreciate it... If the burping doesn't cure it would your next step be the thermostat then water pump?

 

Air in liquid will rise to the top. When you raise the front of the car, the radiator cap will be the highest point and water will want to escape to the top and out of the system. That's why you're supposed to run your heat on full blast and have the cap open while you warm the car up so all the thermostats open and allow the liquid to cycle and any air trapped will come out. The heater core(radiator small and in the dash) is part of the coolant system. Sorry for being so vague. Park on a hill with the front of the car facing up the hill, or jack the front of the car up in the air. Open the radiator cap, obviously when the car is cold, then start the engine, let it warm up and idle for 15-20 mins while you watch it. That should get your air out.

 

I'm sorry. I'm trying to help. But when you don't follow directions you can't blame me. And you keep asking what to do when you knew what to do and didn't follow it correctly. We are here to help so don't take advice as negative. No hard feelings just trying to help you. Sounds like your heater core radiator is not bleed all the way hence the low heat. No hot coolant is going in there because of air stuck in there.

 

My bad if it seemed like I snapped it wasn't like that but upon reading it .. It did sound kind of rude... I kind of just looked on YouTube how to change maxima radiator and just mimic the video... So I jumped into the project without knowing anything so that's my bad ...on another note you guyz have helped a lot I'm going to attempt to burp tomorrow n see how it goes .. I'll post with my results ... Thanks again and sorry for being an a**

 

All is well, hope it works for you.

 

Update I tried the burping procedure you guys told me to do ... I didn't see any
Bubbles rise but my heat is back and stronger lol... The car hasn't overheated yet but I haven't worked up the courage to take a test drive lol cuz I would to be stuck under the tampa sun lol

 

OK
Here is a very helpful hint: Buy yourself the burp funnel

You would thank me latter, physically replacing a radiator on those maximas is really not a big deal... simple strait forward procedure, you have a few brackets, 2 hose clamps a few bolts to transfer the fan assemblies and then disconnect the tranny lines if you have an automatic. Bleeding the coolant system on the other hand could be nightmare... get the funnel, open the radiator cap and fill the funnel half way with coolant and then sit back and wait for the system to burp itself... don't rush it take your time... it might take up to 30-40 min depending how much air you have in the system, usually I wait for the cooling fans to come on at least twice. Blast the heat on full fan speed and then wait for hot heat to come out of the vents. if no heat is present then run the rpms a few times to help the system push the air out... then turn off the car put the radiator cap back on full the coolant expansion tank to max and take the car for a drive...

 

^I personally wouldn't pay $40 for what is IMO, an over glorified funnel.
I've never had a problem with burping the coolant on a Maxima and I've used the angle method half a dozen times.

 

I got mine for $20 shipped some time ago... actually I would argue with on that one... makes burping the system really easy, no messy spills, and for the OP it would be the ideal solution since he is noob at doing that...

 

In my defense, the one you linked was $40 and I did say IMO.
Not arguing, just stating my opinion.

 

Well thanks for the help guys I used the incline method without the funnel to
Burp it.. Never saw any bubbles but he is working and the overheating stopped so I'm guessing I'm in the clear...

 

glad to hear! Slowly but surly you will get your Max where you want her. I'm starting to lose hope for mine. Been fighting for a while now trying to figure out my powerloss issue, which is becoming a loosing battle. Not only that but I gave the under body a good look over the other day and discovered some spots on the subframe that are starting to rust through. What really worries me is that there is a spot on both sides in the middle, (where the front meets the rear), that's rusted through. So ill be spending all summer now repairing rust and making sure the frame repairs are strong as well as hidden. Because if a mechanic can easily tell repairs were done to the frame and rockers it will be grounds for a failed inspection, no matter how strong and proper the repair is.

 

I would find a cheap one with good frame and swap all the parts over ... Would you end up spending the same amount treating rust as oppose to buying another and swapping ur mods?