1993 nissan altima gle running hot. Can anyone please help me fix it?

[lavishlife7]

Hi i have a 1993 nissan altima gle and it seems to be running hot. it started about a week ago (11/22/08) (current date 11/30/08) running hot no to long after i put some coolant in it but before i put the coolant in it, it was running just fine. my thermostat does not go pass normal temperature but it does move to the middle faster than it use to. when i touch my radiator hose it was all hard and hot unlike how it usually be fairly soft. my fans will not turn on unless i turn on my air condition. the smoke rises lightly but it is still noticable and it comes up from the right side of the hood (passenger side). i have had the car for 9 months and before i had got the car it had a problem with the thermostat but that was fixed then afterwards i bought the car. i gave as much details as i can think of so can anyone help me with my problem please??
thanks for the help. would any of this be expensive??

 

[DLEEB]

Hi,you say it seems to be running hot but the temp. gauge does not go past normal temp.?I would think that it is not running hot but I would check in to the smoke(steam) rising from the right side-that may be your tip-off.You said that you had to add coolant,you probably have a leak.It may be a leak from the water pump,a hose ,etc.If the leak is not obvious you may have to bring it to a garage to have the cooling system pressure tested.Also,check your owner's manual for refilling the cooling system-there may be a bleed(s) to open to get the air outof the system as you refill it.Hope this helps.

 

[Fitz]

Sounds like you have an air pocket in your cooling system. Have the system bled properly.