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Hi Guys.

I have an 85 Leone sedan fwd and it has been running ok up until today.
I was on my way to a job interview on the gold coast (coming from Brisbane) today, cruizing down the highway when I noticed the car was overheating. I pulled into a servo and topped up the oil and water and though my problems would be over. But 5 minutes down the road it started overheating again. I then turned around and limped home by taking short trips and then pulling over to let the car cool down.
My first thought was that it might be the thermostat, so I took it out and took it for a test run, but the same thing happened.
I then thought it might be something to do with the heater (as I had been hearing gurgling sounds of late), so I bypassed it and then let the car idle and after about 10 minutes the temp gauge was up near the red again.
I thought that maybe I will flash the radiator tomorrow, but does a clogged radiator explain the suddenness of the problem?
What the best way to test the water pump?

Thanks guys

Hi mate, and welcome on your first post!
Could be radiator blockage as radiators tend to accumulate muck and might have blocked up quickly if a big bit of gunk started to move around. When you refit the radiator take care to eliminate any air pockets if you can.
Did power/driveability feel different? If so I would check the timing.
Someone else here would be in a better position to advise on water pumps.

i had a similar problem my second fan wasn't turning on so i just rewired the fans so it always comes on, haven't had a problem since.

Is the engine overheating? The gauge could be lying to you.
Don't chase your tail with everything else before you find you have a faulty temp sender.
When the gauge was up in the red, would you say the engine was abnormally hot?

Before I posted I searched and read all the other posts on the forum about overheating ea82s so have tried most things including the one to check the radiator by feeling the heat on different parts of it. It felt cooler at the bottom but not enough to suspect a blockage. But I will flush it in the morning anyway.
My car only has one fan and it is working, so no go there.
The car is definitely getting hot because I can hear the water bubbling when I turn the car off when really hot..
I think I will have to bite the bullet an see a mechanic

If you can hear the coolant boiling in the engine, it is most definately too hot.
Try not to drive it until you get it fixed.