> The rad's only about 14 month's old --- I'd hate to think it's hosed > so soon. Is there any way of testing it? > Radiator ought to be fine, unless you've been dumping in stop-leak or something. Time to sit back and think about the possible points of failure. Cooling as all about water flow. If the water doesn't flow, it doesn't get cooled fast enough. Water pump is worth casting a suspicious eye upon, since your belt broke. I don't know what condition the belt was in, but it seems like an awfully interesting coincidence. If the pump's dragging, not spinning fast enough due to a failing bearing, that would certainly reduce your water flow and could put enough strain on the belt to kill it. Your pump must be at least partly functional, though, as the addition of the heater brought the temperature down. If the belt hadn't failed, my suspicion would fall first on the thermostat. A bad thermostat will block flow through the radiator, but not the heater core (which is independent of the radiator circuit). I'm bettin' the fan switch and radiator are fine and the water just isn't getting up there. Might be worth trying a new thermostat first, as it's easier to do than change the water pump. |
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