Rich Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 I was driving home this evening (90 legacy 2.2 liter), trip of about 14 miles. Got hot, so turned the heater off. AFter a few miles, I turned it back on, but just got cold air. I thought it was maybe a vacuum switch problem, but eventually, hot air came poruing out and I noticed the temp indicator was pegged! I was 1/2 mile from home, and by the time I got there, the temp was down to normal and both fans were running. Heater was acting normally. Upper rad hose was warm, but the radiator itself felt cold. (hard to tell since both fans running in 35 degree air from outside). I think the thermostat got stuck closed. I have never changed it since I have owned the car for 11 years. There were no leaks or steam around the head gaskets. Anyone think of anything else it may be other than thermostat? Thanks, Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Oh boy. Firstly, You're heater is like an extra radiator. By turniong it off, you DECREASED you're cooling capacity. You are supposed to turn it ON when you start to overheat. IS there still any coolant in the radiator? My guess is not. You possibly overheated from a bad headgasket. YOu won't be able to se it exteranlly. Fill up the radiator, drive it till warm, then watch the fluid level in the radiator overflow bottle. If you see bubble coming up into the bottle, you have a blown headgasket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Your symptoms can also be caused by an air bubble in the coolant. Previous poster was correct in terms of investigating cause. More info would help. Any recent work done on the cooling system; if the air wasn't properly purged it could cause the symptoms you're seeing. EJ22 engine is not prone to head gasket issues but it could certainly be a possibility. How many miles on the engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 How many miles on the engine? What he said. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quidam Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Hi, Change that thermostat. You got your money out of it:). Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 I have not had any work on the cooling system in many, many years. MAtter of fact, I havent even checked it. Today, I opened the radiator when cool and it did need some fluid - it wasnt at the top. Started car, ran it and filled till it would not take any more fluid. Put the cap on and drove about 15 minutes. No problems, plenty of heat. I will check the overflow bottle tomorrow and the radiator too to see what the levels are. IF I do not have further problems - I will flush the system on a warmer day. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Hope you get lucky with a good flush and new antifreeze to solve your problem. You might consider putting in a new thermostat, if the existing one is old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 12, 2008 Author Share Posted December 12, 2008 Well - wanted to wait and see if what I did fixed the problem and it appears to have solved it for me! I added more fluid to the radiator following setrights plan and I have had plenty of heat and no over-heating since. Thanks to all for the replies and to the board for helping me solve lots of problems over the years. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.