Continued Overheating Problems

[artpeck]

Ok, flushed the radiator. Burped it. Filled with the proper volume of fluid. Still climbs into the red on the gauge as it heats up. Tested voltage and the stabilizer is fine.

On the off chance I felt the bottom radiator hose and it was cool despite the gauge reading very high. Not being a cooling system expert but using a little common sense should I assume this means the thermostat is bad and not opening? The radiator has worked fine and is fairly new. The thermostat and water pump were replaced fairly recently and all worked fine. Coincident with flushing the heater core, replacing the heater valve and adjusting the tappets this started. Thoughts appreciated.

[albersj51]

Could the issue be your gauge? If its the t-stat, you can pull it and boil it to see if it works.

[artpeck]

It could be. But the fact that it happened right after I did this work makes me wonder and I am always suspicious of coincidence. That and the cold hose on the bottom says that water isn't flowing between the engine and the radiator right?

[bkreutz]

You might try re-burping it (is that a word?) with the front of the vehicle raised up (jackstands or a hill). Air pockets can be a real bit**, I got tired of dealing with them at the dealership and started using a vacuum fill system. (some cars are almost impossible without the vacuum assist method)
I'm of the same mind as you regarding coincidences. (though they do happen)

[cousindave]

Speaking of coincidence, I did the same thing and am also having similar overheating issues!! One month and still can not figure it out.

[artpeck]

Let me know if you figure it out. I will do the same. Tomorrow I will pop the thermostat out and either cross that off the list or find it doesn't work. My fault for trying to do more than one thing at once and thereby not knowing what caused it in the first place.