random overheating

[earlingy]

So my 87 n/a will just randomly overheat sometimes. Whenever it does, the coolant reservoir is completely full and overflowing. Then once it cools down the radiator is low. And all the time when I drive it, when it's cold before it gets going, i hear bubbling in the dash and the low coolant light is on. I've burped the system multiple times, and replaced the thermostat, and it never does it right after that, but it's kind of random...so I am never sure if that fixed it or what. Even if I completely fill the reservoir, when I first start it up the low coolant light comes on. I replaced the thermostat with the lower 180deg one, there was a 192 or something also...
Any ideas?

 

[CRE]

Any ideas?

Yup, but you're not going to like them...

Start with testing the radiator cap and then thoroughly inspect the coolant system for leaks. If those checkout fine it's time to start looking for signs of a blown head gasket.

Any smoke when the car is running? If so, what color?

 

[earlingy]

Yup, but you're not going to like them...

Start with testing the radiator cap and then thoroughly inspect the coolant system for leaks. If those checkout fine it's time to start looking for signs of a blown head gasket.

Any smoke when the car is running? If so, what color?

Alright, I replaced the radiator cap, and again, it hasn't done it since...I recently replaced the upper radiator hose, but it has done it since then... I can't find any other leaks in the coolant system, but it's never low on coolant which is the only reason I don't suspect BHG.
It's almost as if I have a leak somewhere that no coolant gets out, but air gets in...is that possible? how could I diagnose/find that?
I definitely have some blue oil smoke when I start it up, usually smokes a bit until I get it warmed up...but I already know i'm burning oil since I have to top it off =P

 

[earlingy]

Here we go...more specific symptoms now. After driving for a long time (like a road trip), if I then stop at a red light and sit there idling for like 5 minutes, when I start moving again, it will overheat. I turn the car off for a couple hours, come back, and it's fine. And if after that long drive, I just turn the car off, it's fine also. Any ideas?
I take him on trips on the weekends and he always poops out on me just as I'm getting home, after I get off the highway he overheats...he's sitting at a waffle house down the street from me now... =/

 

[CRE]

Do you have the radiator fan shroud in place? Have you inspected the fan clutch?

 

[88_7mge]

Here we go...more specific symptoms now. After driving for a long time (like a road trip), if I then stop at a red light and sit there idling for like 5 minutes, when I start moving again, it will overheat. I turn the car off for a couple hours, come back, and it's fine. And if after that long drive, I just turn the car off, it's fine also. Any ideas?
I take him on trips on the weekends and he always poops out on me just as I'm getting home, after I get off the highway he overheats...he's sitting at a waffle house down the street from me now... =/

my suggestion is to have the radiator rodded out, or replace it with an aluminum 2 or 3 row radiator. I used to have cooling system issues with mine, turns out the radiator was pretty scaled up on the inside and many of the tubes in the radiator were to plugged for it to flow properly. I uprgraded to the megan racing aluminum 3core radiator and havent had any problems with overheating since.