Cooling system issues

[KL31]

Hi, long time reader first time registering and posting!

I have been maintaining and now driving my wife's kizashi for the last 6 years here in Australia.

Last year I had a weird issue (after a small pin hole in one of the cooling hoses). Cut the hose back a little where it frayed and topped up with coolant.

Since then I noticed the hose was collapsed after shutting the engine off and checking in the morning. Ended up deciding it was the radiator cap. Changed it and a month later the problem reoccured with the overflow tank also letting coolant out from its upper vent. Then I checked the cap and it had fell apart. Purchased a different cap and worked without issue for almost a year.

Now it's happened again with overflow tank and upper hose contracting.

I have just changed the thermostat and the old one looks fine. Seems like it hasn't solved anything.

I might need to buy an OEM radiator cap. But can it be the water pump? How would I test that? I ran the car for 10 minutes today and the heater didn't feel hot. But it was just idling. Lower radiator hose still feels cold. I squeezed it and it did sound like it was pushing water up the radiator. But still unsure a out the water pump.

Not sure what to try?

Thanks I advance for any answers. BTW it has 250,000kms on it. Never actually ever ran out of coolant or ever over heated. I'm pretty good at always checking on that stuff .

[old tech]

I would recommend first checking for hydrocarbons in the cooling system. You could probably do this just by sniffing the coolant reserve bottle and if there’s a sharp smell to it that almost hurts your nose then you probably have a head gasket not sealing well. Does this car happen to be at 2010? This model year has extra troubles with the possibility of blocks cracking and warping. Anyway, next I would do is make sure to get all the air out of the system . There is a bleeder fitting where the intake manifold bolts up (cap with a hose clamp) that you can use . Most don’t know it’s there. Did the jiggle valve on the new thermostat head straight up? I do not think that there’s any possibility of a pump causing your problem. As for the top radiator hose sucking shut your problem has to be either cap or coolant reserve passage clogging.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KL31]

Thanks Old tech,

Yes it is a 2010. No smell of petrol in the coolant. Oil and coolant both respectively have always and still look perfect.

I'll check that bleeder valve! Yes thermostat bleeder hole was facing upwards.

[KL31]

Is the bleeder fitting near the intake manifold's fuel rail? I can see a hose clamped, blocked off fitting there. But no idea if that's the one you're taking about? Wish I could easily attach pictures here.

[old tech]

thats it