tompalushock

I have a non turbo 83 gl wagon, when i am driving the idle is fine, right around 1000, but if i get stuck in traffic, the temp goes up, and the fan come on. That is where the problem seems to be. It seems like it will not idle at all, and i have to keep a foot on the gas to keep it running. Are there any similar stories out there? and if so, are there any easy rememdies to fix it? I use regular unleaded gas, but maybe a carb cleaner additive will do the trick? i appreciate any comments or opinions on the matter, thanx !

I have the dial turned to heat[orange], put on the defroster or heater, and i hear the fan[also the a/c compressor kicks on], but cold air is blowing out of the vents, except for the lower ones by my legs, the air is warmer, but not hot, any body have any ideas or suggestions? It seems like all my hoses are connected, but i did not check the one near the passenger side[could this be the problem? Any suggestions, please reply thank you!!

Not that it is killing me, but my heat seems not be working all of a sudden, and i have no idea why. When i slide the lever from ac , to heat or defrost, and turn on the fan, my air conditioner will still go on, even though i have the dial turned all the way into the orange zone[which i imagine is hot, since the blue is cold] cool air will come out of the vents, but the vents on the floor seem to be blowing a little warm. Does any body have a clue[since i seem not to] why this would be happening.? a switch maybe, fuse? any ideas or suggestions would be greatly aprreciated!!

oK, just noticed a noise coming from the water pump area, like someone is taking a wrench to it every couple of seconds. But as i look at the temp gauge, there is no change, so at least that seems all right. My question is, the waterpump, has it seen it 's last days, and should i look for any other clues, before i dispose of this one? my car is an 83 gl wagon, non turbo, any advice would be aprreciated. thanx alot!!

The opinion of the majority, gave me the impression, that putting my thermostat back in my 83 gl is the way to go. So with a new radiator, is the 180 or 190, or possibly 200, the one to choose. I have a 180 i just purchased about a month ago. My question is, when reinstalling it, does it matter , which way the thermostat is positioned in the water outlet? I know which side is up and down, i am just not sure if that little hole, which has plug goes on top , or on the bottom. If someone has a picture that would be a great help. Thank you!

I live in Florida, it barely gets below 50, let alone 60, so i really have no use for a heater, even though it still works. The car does get up to operating temperature, since i do have electric fans, it just seems to take longer, i thought that was a good thing?

with a new radiator installed, i removed the thermostat, will this create a problem down the line, or is it ok to keep it out?

Too bad you are not in Pennsylvania. Harry's u pull it in Hazleton has a zillion subies, just ready for the pickins!

I just replaced my radiator , and let me tell you all, it is the best investment i have made since i owned the car. It seems to take forever for the gauge to get to the halfway point[it used to take about 10 minutes]. In the process , i removed the thermostat, since i live in Florida, cabin heat is not a big concern to me. So is that ok, or i am asking for trouble somewhere down the line?

I think i understand that, so as long as that wire[which had a screw fastened to it is touching somekind of metal i should be ok? i wedged the end in a small gap near where the fan hooks to the radiator, that should work ok, maybe?

I have an 83 gl wagon, and i just put a new radiator in from radiators.com, and it seems to work just fine. My question is, there is a black ground wire that goes from the top of the chassis to a screw on top of the old radiator[it is located on the passenger side just above the main fan]. My question is, the new radiator does not seem to have a hole cut out for this screw to go into. My old rad had a metal panel on top, which the radiator mounted to,and also a hole for this screw. Is this important to have grounded, and if it is, can i just ground it to any type of screw, there seems to be one on the chassis near it, but not on on the rad. I hope i am making sense, all my fans seems to be working correctly, i just have no idea what this ground is for, or if it is important for my car to function properly. Thanx All!!

is it easy to find the coolant lines? What area are they in?

So if that is the case, is it fatal, or can it be fixed kind of easily?

Okay, just got back with my 83 wagon from Jersey, 3300 miles. I spoke earlier of overheating, which was really not a problem on the way home[i cleaned rad, backflushed, and put a new upper hose on] It still ran a little hot though, and i noticed today, little bubbles in the coolant. I revved it up, and it foamed up, but i still have them. I just ordered a new radiator today, but can it be something else. I noticed a little coolant drip around the cross member section[near the oil pan gasket] is that something i should get checked out, before i put the new radiator in, or will this stop that from leaking. I really don't understand why coolant would be dripping from that area? Can someone help?

Well i drove my gl wagon over 3300 miles from st.pete to jersey and back, and i made it, but, i am still overheating a little bit, and i also notice when i fill up my home made resevoir tank, it is bone dry after a few hours of driving. So my question is, if i am gonna invest in a new radiator, what type should i get, and where is the best place to get one? I remember reading about the "double row alluminum", but i did not remember the dealer, or the price, can some one please give me some suggestions?