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way too much info, maybe (long) Posted by KenManiac [Email] (#392) [Profile/Gallery] (more from KenManiac) on Thu, 12 Jan 2006 16:48:58 In Reply to: Running Way Hot! help?, Jay9kt, Thu, 12 Jan 2006 15:05:46 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The first thing I would do is replace the thermostat with a dealer-purchased one (82° C recommended by most I've asked), flush the coolant (the hose that you remove from the end of the head to get the thermo in IIRC clamps perfectly to the end of a garden hose), change the reservoir cap (it should blow out the cap before it blows hoses) and fill with Mercedes antifreeze mix. It's more expensive than the green stuff, but from what I've read it is considerably more evolved (or more intelligently designed, as it were). The hole in the T-stat (with the rivet thingie in it) goes up top.
Then start the car and let it run until the fan comes on. If it comes on when the needle is a bit above horizontal, everything is cool with the fan. If it doesn't come on, there is a problem with the fan, the switch, the relay, or the wiring. (my car had a bad switch and a bad wire). Don't drive it until you are certain the fan works.
While it's warming up, squeeze the upper hose every once in a while. When it gets hot, the thermostat is open. This is good. Look at the temp gauge every once in a while too. A few minutes after the top hose gets hot, feel the radiator over by the lower hose, from top to bottom. If it's uniformly warm or hot, chances the radiator is not too plugged. If it's cold in spots, you may have pluggage. Don't drive it until you are certain the t-stat opens.
Then it's OK to drive it. When you have a cooling problem and you think it's fixed, at least test what you can before you drive it and possibly damage something else.
It is doubtful the fan will come on while you're driving unless you're in a hot climate. It should only come on when the car is stationary for a while or moving very slowly (crawling in traffic).
I doubt a bad mix of antifreeze would cause such problems, but I've never used Dex-cool.
A bad radiator usually starts to show itself at higher speeds, when the engine is working hard. I had a bad one that weighed close to 30 pounds because of all the crap in it. The car ran a bit warm over 60 mph; the tubes were almost totally plugged with white powdery funk.
I bet it's the stat, maybe also the cap. A cap is cheaper than 2 more hoses, so what the hey.
Good luck!
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