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No heat, dashboard thermometer wont get above 100


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Posted

1994 GTP, noticed that it wasnt heating up as fast the other day. It still blows slightly warm air, but not enough to be like "Damn this is warm" but enough to keep me from shivering. My big concern is that the temperature gauge wont get above 100, that cant be good. It doesnt help that its been down to the single digits lately but this has been bothering me. Coolant levels are fine, no leaks of any sort. I replaced the thermostat a little over a year ago. Any advice?

Posted

new thermostat stuck open perhaps? thats the first thing I would think

X2.

 

Make sure your radiator is topped off as well. Another surefire way to spot a thermostat that's stuck open is to block off half of the radiator with a piece of cardboard and see if it warms up sooner. If it doesn't change a thing, then your stat most definitely is stuck open...

Posted

new thermostat stuck open perhaps? thats the first thing I would think

X2.

 

Make sure your radiator is topped off as well. Another surefire way to spot a thermostat that's stuck open is to block off half of the radiator with a piece of cardboard and see if it warms up sooner. If it doesn't change a thing, then your stat most definitely is stuck open...

 

 

What do you mean block off half the radiator with a piece of cardboard?

Posted

shove a piece of cardboard in front of the rad to keep it from cooling efficiently

Posted

shove a piece of cardboard in front of the rad to keep it from cooling efficiently

Bingo! Sandwich it between the grille and the front of the evaporator core. Cut the piece of cardboard to fit between the upper and lower radiator core supports...
Posted

Do we have the fan power source disconnected while taking this action? :rolleyes:

Yeah, it's called turning off the car... :rolleyes:

Posted

Do we have the fan power source disconnected while taking this action? :rolleyes:

Why would you need to disconnect the power to the fans? The fans are on the engine side of the radiator :rolleyes: ...
Posted

So driving around with a piece of cardboard blocking off your radiator is cool? What if it overheats and your stuck on the side of the road with a cracked engine block? Would that still be the thermostat? you should be able to just take it out and boil it.

Posted

So driving around with a piece of cardboard blocking off your radiator is cool? What if it overheats and your stuck on the side of the road with a cracked engine block? Would that still be the thermostat? you should be able to just take it out and boil it.

The idea here is so stop the cold air from keeping the engine cool. He lives in Michigan, and im pretty sure its like 20-30 degrees there right now. it will take a car longer to warm up in that weather, so blocking off part of the radiator will keep the cold outside air from cooling the engine. If this doesnt help, then the thermostat is stuck open. If it does help, its just the weather wreaking its unholy cold havoc.

Oh and one who does this should be watching the temp guage anyway to see if its working or not, so im sure they would be smart enought to stop and remove the cardboard if it begins to overheat.

Posted

The only way it'll overheat is if you block off the entire surface of the radiator. I said to only block off half of it. If you want to go through the hassle of removing the t-stat, even if you find out it's still good, then by all means. All I'm saying is that blocking off the radiator is a quick and easy way to verify that it is, indeed the stat before you get your hands dirty.

 

You must not live in a cold climate, GIANT MOTH :lol: . Up here in Minnesota, you're pretty much born with the "cardboard over the radiator in the winter" instinct. :lol:

 

Oh and one who does this should be watching the temp guage anyway to see if its working or not, so im sure they would be smart enought to stop and remove the cardboard if it begins to overheat.

Damn skippy! If you can't even figure that out, then you shouldn't be working on your own car!!!
Posted

Hey listen I know all about freezing my nuts off and playing with cars. Who doesn't want to get their hands dirty while under the hood in the freezing cold? Them heat lamps work well as well as a bottle of permafrost. And I cannot tell you how many times going inside for those pass around moments really paid off. I totally give cardboard credit though. It helps keep the ground dry and from snow and ice getting in your pants.I'm not too sure about what your doing with it otherwise but if that's a sure sign then I guess that would be a sure indication that you need a hotter stat. :willynilly:

Posted

Another surefire way to spot a thermostat that's stuck open is to block off half of the radiator with a piece of cardboard and see if it warms up sooner. If it doesn't change a thing, then your stat most definitely is stuck open...

 

I do that on my honda....except block it off all the way....i have a new t-stat, WP, and A-freeze...and it still never get fully hot....

 

....dang small motors...

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