Cooling System Problem

hard snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@b68g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Check timing, brakes, alignment, etc. There's many things that will cause a car to overheat that are not directly related to the cooling system.

It's more than a remote possibility that your 8-year-old radiator is clogged with deposits. New radiators aren't very expensive, and most are simple to install (but i'm not familiar with the 626). It's the next logical step.

Lanny Chambers wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@newsclstr02.news.prodigy.com:

I'd try cleaning it first, the OP said "Flushing the system" which, if it means what it usually does, won't remove much. Try a liquid cleaner and if that doesn't do it, drain, inspect and take to a radiator shop if it looks bad.

FWIW, a new OEM radiator cost me about $400 parts & labor recently at a dealership.

Did you pay that for a radiator for your Miata? Seems a little steep to me. NAPA has an aluminum and plastic radiotor similar to a factory original for around $150.

I agree once again with Lanny. My 20 year old Toyota truck was running warmer than normal, not overheating though, on hot days last summer. A new radiator did the trick. Cheap and easy to install in most cars. If you use hard water when flushing and filling, it will clog one over time.

FWIW, I paid $120 for an all-metal dual-core and installed it myself in under an hour, without even jacking up the car.

Add the labor and how close do you think you'll get to $400? Maybe close enough to just go with the dealer price, especially if you don't know of a trustworthy mechanic.

I had some floors to tile.