GrandPrix34 Posted May 24, 2003 Report Share Posted May 24, 2003 hey my g/f's 94 sunbird le is overheating alot. Her uncle replaced the upper radiator hose cuz it had a leak but he also disconnected the coolent tank for some reason. At first i thought it was the fan but the fan is working as it should so wat im thinking it could be is the thermostat. I was wondering if anyone could give me some help in replacing the thermo or just some advice as to wat the overheating prob could be. Thanks in advance for the help/support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJB Posted May 24, 2003 Report Share Posted May 24, 2003 What motor does it have? If its a 2.0, the thermostat is in the coolant filler neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandPrix34 Posted May 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2003 really? yeah its a inline 2.0 4banger... right now its under her car port cooling cuz we just drove it from her little bro's t-ball game to her house (maybe like 5 min away) and it was already overheating. How can i tell if a thermo is bad?? Wat if i removed the thermo all together and let the coolant run thru the radiator the whole time? By the way, i am gonna buy an aux electrical fan to put cuz those Sunbird's only have that miniture one around the airbox locatoin. on another note, i really like how the sunbird's airbox is setup. It has a tube running to the front of the radiator for air. Pretty cool factory cold air intake system! I am thinking of going to a bone yard and getting one and making a cold air intake for my 3.4DOHC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redfox340 Posted May 24, 2003 Report Share Posted May 24, 2003 really? yeah its a inline 2.0 4banger... right now its under her car port cooling cuz we just drove it from her little bro's t-ball game to her house (maybe like 5 min away) and it was already overheating. How can i tell if a thermo is bad?? Wat if i removed the thermo all together and let the coolant run thru the radiator the whole time? By the way, i am gonna buy an aux electrical fan to put cuz those Sunbird's only have that miniture one around the airbox locatoin. You can tell if a thermo is bad by if there's always air in the upper radiator hose or constantly running hot no matter what the time limit or diriving conditions. Change it, it's a basic ten dollar part, and a piece of cake install; you've got nothing to loose. However you could pull it. Running a "open" coolant system is not entirely a bad thing. Pros: * constant flow / heat exchange * less fuss with bleeding the system for air bubbles Cons: * It's gonna take more time to get heat from the heater core * you *may* run a little more rich untill the entire coolant system warms up * you may need to make your own non-thermostat gasket so coolant doesn't leak out - RedFox340 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJB Posted May 24, 2003 Report Share Posted May 24, 2003 Just pull the cap and you'll see a metal hoop type thing. Pull on that- its the thermostat (at the bottom of the hoop). Its a weird set up and I know about it because we replaced one on a Sunbird at work. If its overheating, theres a good chance the thermostat is bad. They only cost $10 and chances are the car needs one anyway. I put one in my S10 a few weeks ago and it seemed to stop overheating. I dont think that running the car without it is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandPrix34 Posted May 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2003 well i just found out that it doesnt have a thermo to begin wit!!! AND its still overheating so i am kinda stumped. I did wat you mentioned about opening the filler neck and nothing there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redfox340 Posted May 24, 2003 Report Share Posted May 24, 2003 well i just found out that it doesnt have a thermo to begin wit!!! AND its still overheating so i am kinda stumped. I did wat you mentioned about opening the filler neck and nothing there. Wait, if there coolant and no thermo... there's just no way. So, does coolant flow? In not, the water pump is not doing it's job. - RedFox340 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slade901 Posted May 25, 2003 Report Share Posted May 25, 2003 well i just found out that it doesnt have a thermo to begin wit!!! AND its still overheating so i am kinda stumped. I did wat you mentioned about opening the filler neck and nothing there. Wait, if there coolant and no thermo... there's just no way. So, does coolant flow? In not, the water pump is not doing it's job. - RedFox340 Yep, even though the water pump is not leaking, the impeler inside the water pump could have worn off and not able to pump the water fast as the way it should. BTW, GrandPrix34, have you flushed the cooling system? Not just replacing the coolant with a new one nor running water hose then putting a coolant. You need to use a coolant flush solution and run the engine with it and drain it and then put a new proper mixture of coolant/water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandPrix34 Posted May 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2003 well the water pump and the radiator hoses have been changed. Aside of that i recommended a flush to my g/f's mom and she said yes cuz we both noticed the filler neck was rusted or had rust...so im thinking somewere along the radiator there is some grime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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