I went on a roadtrip last month in my Magna (read about it HERE (http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?p=422111#post422111)) and in short, we raped the radiator. We had the aircon going non stop for atleast 2 hours and we were going nice and slow along the city link in rush hour. So evidently it the car over heated and stalled (long story, read about it in my other thread linked above).
Its fine now, but if i ever run the aircon (i actually only use 'Ecno' which i'm guessing uses less power/fuel) for more than an hour the radiator cracks the ****s and over heats. The other day i accidently left it on for too long - The car was fine, but the temp gauge was very high. I pulled in to get fuel and decided to pop the hood and take a quick look.
The radiaitor overflow bottle was about half full of radiator fluid (it was green) and it was boiling to the point of violently bubbling. Radiator fluid was also leaking out from the radiaitor overflow bottle because of the steam going up through the exit hose and on to the ground.
The car needs a service and i'm guessing theres something seriously wrong with the radiator gasket or thermostat. I just wanna run it past you guys so i know vaguely what i'm talking about when talking to the mecanic.

you should service the radiator urself.ull save money (no labour costs). all u gotta do is go to supercheap and grab sum coolant and soft water(distilled water )and a new thermo that will fit ur model they should be able to tell ya. disconect ur lower radiator hose and drain the cooling system into a container. lots will drain about 11Lts. remove ur radiator and back flush it with the garden hose. re-instale it. then remove the water pump and take out the old thermo and swap with new one. then replace water pump and make sure the belt has 1 - 1.5 cm deflection, connect ur hose to radiator and fill 50/50 water to coolant and if ur cars efi press ur top radiator hose to take out any air pockets. run car for 2 mins then press top hose to make sure theres no air pockets left. then run ur car again to normal temp and that should solve most probs.just my 2 bob :)

If it only has problems when the air con is on you might want to get it checked or check the hoses first yourself. Otherwise smooth2's detailed instructions should do you fine.:)

If you have any particular problems with a tr cooling system pm me i might be able to help. Keep in mind im not gonna fix it for ya K.:)

When my 2nd gen was doing this I got myself a new radiator cap and put in a new thermostat.

Fixed the problems up instantly, perhaps you could try that?

Take it to a shop, you cant overlook heating problems by just doing a quick fix. Chances are your radiator is semi blocked and almost overheating every time you drive, and the aircon condensor and extra labour on the motor is tipping it over the edge.

if you take your radiator to a radiator shop they will flush it properly. They take the end tanks off and push a shaft down each capilari of the core and make it flow like new. Then they spray it black again and give it back about as good as new, for 80 dollars.

then do what smooth2 said, but you dont need demineralised water, just use tap water and 2 300ml tins of castrol rust inhibitor in it.

The overheating you are experiencing may not necessarily be the air con causing it but the increased load and hot air that the radiator is being forced to deal with along with the hotter days that you are having which require the use of the air con.

It sounds like you initialy have a blocked radiator / damaged radiator - first thing first lets find out if you have a damaged engine.

Check your radiator coolant level first thing cold in the morning.

(A) Is there any coolant in the top of the radiator tank or is it low\
(B) Is there any coolant in the overflow bottle -0 is it full or empty

Summary - low coolant in radiator and coolant in overflow bottle at same time - blown head gasket on engine

Summary - low coolant in radiator, NO coolant in overflow bottle means water leak from hose somewhere

Summary - radaitor full, NO coolant in overflow bottle - means again water leak from hoses somwhere.

Once you ascertain the condition of your cooling system as to any engien damage, if it appears you havn't blown a head gasket then get the radiator servced / recored at a local radiator place, and then start it all over again. Personally I recomend still getting the installation done at a proper mechanic as the mitsbishi vehicles can be tricky to bleed the air out and if you leave a air pocket in there you can cause an overheat again.

Ring around your local mechanics to see if they have a test kit for blown head gaskets. Its just a little jigger that goes where the rad cap goes and samples the gasses for combustion gasses, a bit like the old fashion breath testers.

If you have overheated it as bad as you said in the other thread (good story 2) you may have done more damage than you think. this test is pretty dam cheap and with tell you if you have a head gasket leak between the combustion chamber and the water galleries. :D

If alls ok then what TC or Smooth said. :D

Sounds like you have a blockage. you need to get the radiator flushed/cleaned professionally and at least remove and test the thermostat to make sure its ok.

Yeah i don't think i want to do it my self. It doesn't sound all that hard but like a few of you have said, i want it done professionally. It also needs a service (over a year now) so its due. I just wonder where to take it. I've had a lot of friends tell me 'go here, their the best' 'go there, they do it well'. But really, jsut coz they fixed their car doesn't mean they'll fix mine.
Do you think its really worth taking it to a Misubishi garage? They usually cost a fair bit more.

When my 2nd gen was doing this I got myself a new radiator cap and put in a new thermostat.

Fixed the problems up instantly, perhaps you could try that?





Spot on, cheap and easy.

Make sure the hoses dont have leaks and the reserve container dosent have a hole. Otherwise the above things should fix it.

I don't think the thermostat is the issue. The radiator eats up water like no tomorrow, and nothing is leaking. Atleast not when its cold.

Anyway i'm taking it somewhere, it needs a full service. Are the mitsu garages worth the extra money or what?