ckappler Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 Ok, minds out of the gutter! I am going to put the 185 t-stat in but before I do, I have a question. My 88 DL wagon gets on the highway (regardless of temp outside) and runs right up to just before the red line and then drops to 1/2 way on the gauge. I assume that means the 'stat is opening. Anyway, it then rises slowly to a bit below the red area and stays about there. Does not overheat but I am nervous about it running that high. I have stoped the car to make sure it is not about to overheat. HERE is my question: When I grab the hose going into the t-stat it still feels hard even though I know the t-stat is open because of the afore mentioned drop of the gauge. Should it be that hard? My experience is that when the 'stat is open and coolant is flowing it should be easy to comrpess the hose. Let me know what you think. Thanks. -Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik litchy Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 pressure and flow are not the same thing. there is a reason the radaitor cap is spring loaded, it keeps the system at a even pressure even as it warms up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 It could mean that your radiator is clogged. Feel the bottom of it when your running hot, if its cold, thats your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckappler Posted May 10, 2005 Author Share Posted May 10, 2005 I did flush the rad and it seems to be all good. Temp is steady throughout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steveman09 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Sounds like your gadge is lying to you. Try hooking up another temp gadge and compare results. You could have some corosion in the wiring to the stock temp gadge somwhere causing false readings. I had this problem with my GL-10 when I first got it running, cleaning the contact of corosion at the temp probe in the engine thermostat housing fixed my problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckappler Posted May 10, 2005 Author Share Posted May 10, 2005 I think the gauge is ok. I left the rad cap off and ran the car and it went up in to the red. t-sat did not open I guess. Should it open with the cap off? Now I am confused. It just boiled out of the radiator. Is it possible that the car could run just below the redline for a long time w/o the stat opening at all? Should I try taking it out all together? Sorry for all the questions but I have tried all the "normal" fixes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KStretch55 Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 Change the stat. If the problem persists, pull the radiator and carefully uncrimp the clamp off the inlet tank (passenger side). With the radiator cap on, run a garden hose to the outlet fitting and wrap duct tape around it for a rough seal (Red Green would be proud, eh!). Turn on the water and see how many tubes have little or no flow out the side that you removed the tank from. Wanna bet there's a bunch of them blocked? Then, take a stiff wire and work it through each tube. I used .040" safety wire and a guitar string. Sometimes I had to go 1/2" at a time with a pair of pliers to grip the wire and lightly tapping till it broke through the crud. But, it worked. Once you've got it pretty well cleaned and good flow through all the tubes, clean the mating surfaces of the tank and radiator. Carefully pull the gasket out of the radiator and make sure it's not broken or cracked. Carefully put a light coat of RTV on it then put it back in the channel. Put the tank back on and carefully recrimp the clamp. Let it cure for at least 12 hours. Put the radiator back in and fill it with water, or the anti-freeze/water you took out of it. If you have a cooling system pressure/leak checker, use it. Otherwise, start it up and check for leaks. Once you've got everything sealed up, get a bottle of cooling system cleaner and follow the directions on it. Then flush the system and refill with a fresh 50/50 mix. I bet this fixes your problem. Can't guarantee that you'll always get a good seal when putting the tank back on, but if it does you save a bundle of cash. If it doesn't, you would have had to replace it or take it to a shop to be cleaned and they would do the same thing anyway. It works, I've done it. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckappler Posted May 10, 2005 Author Share Posted May 10, 2005 Sounds good. I will try that and let you know. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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