More often than not, what is perceived as water not circulating is not seeing the water in motion when the radiator cap is removed. On some radiators, you'll never actually see the water in motion. But on most, if it's not in motion, the thermostat hasn't opened yet.
If the radiator is full of coolant and the temperature gauge climbs very high, accompanied by other more reliable evidence of engine overheating like pinging (guages and their sending units can go bad) and steam coming out of the radiator eventually, or the radiator is cold but the engine is hot, it's usually a "stuck" thermostat, or one that isn't opening.
Personally, if I suspect this, I remove it, note the temperature at which it's supposed to open, put it in a pan of cold water with a meat or candy thermometer, put it all on the stove and bring the temperature up until you phycially see the thermostat open. Look at the thermometer. Right temp? It's a good thermostat but make sure it doesn't go in backwards or it'll be reluctant to open. If it's opening at a much higher temperature or not opening at all, replace it.
Three more reasons water might not circulate and I'm just throwing them out here because though they're pretty intuitive, they're still technicall reasons water might not circulate:
1. The water pump isn't being turned by the accessory belt.
2. There isn't enough water in it. Typically if your temperature gauge goes up and you turn on the heater and get only cold air, you're low on coolant.
3. The engine isn't running.
check the thermostat and/or water pump. also, the radiator could be plugged.
i am guessing, you mean circulating thru engine and radiator.if this is the problem, check the thermostat then check water pump.
If the engine is warmed up, the thermostat has opened and coolant is circulating, the pump is pumping.
Failed thermostat.
When a water pump fails in a vehicle, the water stops circulating and the engine will not be cooled. Therefore it will get hot and overheat.
Why is the water not circulating in my 1995 C1500 Chevy truck?
Engine is Hot, Coolant is not HOThere engine is hot means above the engine operating temperature, Coolant is not hot means coolant in the radiator is not hot and the coolant is below or withing the operating temperature.i think there is no water blow out from the radiator cap if you have this problem then the following will not apply to your case.* water is not circulating through the radiator, either half of the pumped water is circulating through the radiator or another half circulates through the engine block because of thermostat. so please check the engine thermostat for proper function.
I'm not a mechanic / technician but : - low engine coolant - engine thermostat stuck closed - water pump not circulating - engine cooling fan not working properly - restricted radiator
Doubtful !... The antifreeze is added to the radiator - to keep the water above freezing point. There is no way of the engine knowing how much antifreeze is circulating.
Check for functioning water pump - no water circulating inside the engine can cause an overheat condition. Check the water thermostat - a closed valve (defective) will not allow hot water to circulate out of the engine into the radiator which cools it before returning it to the engine block. Do a compression test. It may have "tuliped" some valves from overheating.
Circulating water in a standing water ecosystem can affect the ecosystem. This is because it can change the PH of the water killing the existing organisms.
The source of heat for the system is water/coolant from the radiator circulating through a heater core under the dash. Without the engine running and water circulating, there won't be any heat in the passenger compartment. There is residual heat after turning the engine off, but that won't last long. If the blower fan does not shut off, the resistor has failed.