where is the thermostat and what does it do?
02-12-2005, 02:15 PM
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where is the thermostat and what does it do?
ok i changed my water pump and timing belt because the water pump was leakin and my temp gauge wasnt working. now the water pump isnt leakin but the gauge still doesnt work. so can a broken thermostat do this? car is a 91 standard hatch.
02-12-2005, 02:43 PM
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Is the temperature gauge sensor hooked up?
(the sensor for it is on the head below the distributor; note: the ECU uses another two temp sensors, one pretty close to the gauge sensor and the other on the back of the engine under the intake manifold, not the one for the gauge cluster)
Is the temperature gauge sensor working?
The thermostat restricts the water flow to the radiator until the engine has reached operating temperature. (follow the lower radiator hose from the radiator; it leads directly to the thermostat housing.)
A thermostat that has failed in the open position can cause the engine to run cold and basically never warm up.
Does the radiator get warm? (do you get heat when the heater is on?)
If not, try pinching the upper radiator hose with a padded spring clamp and allowing the engine to warm up, once warmed up remove clamp and check temp gauge.
_or_
Starting with a cold engine, open the hood, remove the radiator cap, start the engine. If you see coolant flowing when looking down into the radiator, your thermostat is probably stuck open.
(the sensor for it is on the head below the distributor; note: the ECU uses another two temp sensors, one pretty close to the gauge sensor and the other on the back of the engine under the intake manifold, not the one for the gauge cluster)
Is the temperature gauge sensor working?
The thermostat restricts the water flow to the radiator until the engine has reached operating temperature. (follow the lower radiator hose from the radiator; it leads directly to the thermostat housing.)
A thermostat that has failed in the open position can cause the engine to run cold and basically never warm up.
Does the radiator get warm? (do you get heat when the heater is on?)
If not, try pinching the upper radiator hose with a padded spring clamp and allowing the engine to warm up, once warmed up remove clamp and check temp gauge.
_or_
Starting with a cold engine, open the hood, remove the radiator cap, start the engine. If you see coolant flowing when looking down into the radiator, your thermostat is probably stuck open.
02-13-2005, 02:00 PM
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ok i just got some coolant and heres whats goin on. i start it and leave it on for a while. the heat and the upper radiator hose is warm. but the temp gauge and the lower is still cold. so i keep it on for about ten more minutes the whole engine is warm now and the temp gauge goes up to like 40% right below halfway mark. but the lower radiator hose is still cold. doenst this mean that the thermostat isnt opening? and this is a thermostat problem right?
02-13-2005, 04:45 PM
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02-13-2005, 05:07 PM
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yes the t-stat is the problem you also need to bleed the air out of the system. To bleed the air out there is a bleed valve next to the head at the upper radiator hose snout, Brake it loose about two turns then jack the car up on the passenger side about a foot off of the ground then add coolant until air and bubbles stop comming out of the bleed valve then close it let the car down and finnish toping the radiator off.