Thread: 1991 B13 SE-R overheating issues

i definitely would like to get a better gauge and sending unit.. the Koyo, no question is the better radiator... at first I kind of wanted to have the excuse to go out and buy one.. but seeing as I haven't bled the system yet.. it could be an easy fix, making the koyo more money then I'd really need to spend on this.. if bleeding the system doesn't do the trick, I will probably look into the water pump, and then the last thing I'll do is the koyo, seeing as it's the most expensive option.....

are there aftermarket sending units for the temp gauge that are more precise? or would i have to get both a new gauge and new sending unit?

lol.. i'm 5'6" and wear a size 8 shoe....

technical update:

Craig (grinch77) came over and showed me how easy it is to bleed the system, he got a little air out from the point on the firewall where you can bleed, and when he then went to bleed out the point on the thermostat housing, coolant began to immediately seep out.. which he says is a sign that we got it all out at the firewall bleed point..

we'll see how it goes from here.. It could be another week before I know if this fixes it becausei it only happens under certain conditions.. though I might go out in stop-n-go traffic just to see what happens....

Is it at all possible that your radiator is cracked, and that after the thermostat opens, the coolant rises to the level of the crack and seeps out?

You can't use an aftermarket gauge with the stock sending unit, and vice versa. Well, I'm sure you could use them, but why would you? The stock gauge doesn't give you numbers, and the stock sending unit doesn't give you the correct temperature range, IIRC. That's why you could get all the way up to 220 degrees before the gauge starts to rocket from the halfway position.

My shoes are bigger than yours

nah, I did a leak test Thursday with one of those pressure pump thingy's... it held for a while with that thing... and I don't ever have any signs of leaks, and when I take off the cap, i'm always full right up to the lip... i'm never having problems with losing coolant.



I figured as much, but didn't know all the details you just put on the table.. thanks!


heh, i'm really 6'3" and wear a size 13..

i wear a size 14...check youre water pump and or headgasket...prolly the latter of the two

the water pump doesn't have any signs of coolant coming out the weep hole.... or whatever you call that hole on the top.. and the coolant is green..

did you see where yesterday we found some air in the coolant when we bled it?

yeah, did it solve all the problems though? thats more so what i want to know

i won't know until I get in 95+ heat and some good old stop-n-go traffic.. the problem wasn't an "all the time" type of deal....

I bet its as simple as air in the coolant, or even a bad connection at the sender. At least those are 2 easy/free things to check.

An aftermarket gauge is great for seeing a real reading instead of the 3-setting (C, normal, H). But the time the OEM needle starts creeping up, you've already overheated.

Does it get "warm" while you're driving, or only when you're stationary?

If it does it while you're stationary, I'd change the T-stat, if its not a big deal for you to do.