Thanks kapps ill re-bleed the system from the t-stat housing and see if that hopefully solves it. Unfortunately I don't have a scan tool but if all else fails a leak down hopefully will determine a blown gasket. And as far as vendors for the aluminum tank you can get them at promini or out motoring to name a few.

 

And my mini is my daily so I had no choice but to buy the oem tank from the dealership for $140!!!! I def will upgrade down the road

 

http://www.livermoreperformance.com/mini_tanks.html

 

Awesome thanks!

 

NC TRACKRAT has got it right. Too high a level in the reservoir tank will make it puke coolent. Do not overfill this, it will cause problems.
Steve


[QUOTE=NC TRACKRAT;Have found that it's important to keep the level in the reservoir only about 1 inch off the bottom. Having it too full will just aggrevate the problem.

 

+1
Do not overfill....overfilled tank = big mess...they leak out the top..and the seam will start to leak...
The aftermarket tanks are nice....but at almost $200 (With cap) get kinda $$ to replace a OEM item that seems to last about 4 years.....if not overfilled.

 

Ok so one simple solution to bleeding this damn system is: if you have access to a pressure tester do as normal and pressurize the cooling system but only go to about 3-5 pounds. Remove t-stat bleed screw and wait and stand back this method avoids having to run the engine to build pressure and high temps! Worked like a charm! I had a massive air pocket in the system. Just make sure your filling the tank as needed. The reason being is that if there is enough air in the system around the water pump it will not circulate coolant whatsoever. The water pump literally has nothing to force through the engine and is just free spinning churning up nothing but hot air. I'm guessing that's the reason we keep getting normal readings on the gauges. Hope this helps everyone.

 

Ok guys I need some help :( car is still overheating but only when a/c is on! System is completely out of air pockets, both fan speeds kick on. Low speed has anywhere between 8-9 volts and high speed has 12 volts being supplied. All fuses and relays are fine, i disconnected power steering fan just in case and still overheats. Voltage did change on low speed once I disconnected p/s fan to 11-12 volts. It starts to over heat after around 15-20 minutes of driving. I had the car running yesterday with no a/c for around the same amount of of time and had no issues. A/c blows cold and I have no idea when it was last serviced. Is there anything else I should try before venturing into the a/c system? Mind you I don't have a garage I'm doing most of my troubleshooting in my covered parking :( the only other thing I can/will do is a leak down to see if its a blown gasket but even still wouldn't it overheat no matter if the a/c is on or off?