AAAAAaaahhhhhhh Thermostat nightmair!!

[Jono FD3]

Guys, I changed my thermostat yesterday as the car wouldn\'t warm up any more than 73c, changed the stat to what the local factors deemed the correct one & now it\'s even worse!!! the car just doesn\'t warm up at all. with in 2 mile it used to be up to 65c and now it\'s not even at 50c!! it now doesn\'t get any warmer than 58c :Grrr let the car stand for about 10 mins and it comes up to 85c, then drive away & with in 2 mile it\'s down to 70 and keeps on dropping!!!

Anyone sujest anything, alraeady checked the old stat that came out & it\'s all opperating properly: starts to open at about 75c & fully open at 82 (like it says stamped on to the ring), although the rubber is a little chipped in one part!

Could it be I\'m running too much anti frees in it as I know that drops the temps in the engine.

PLEASE HELP
Jono

[Kevin]

Thats really strange??....

I dont think its the fact your running too much anti-freeze as water is a better cooler than anti-freeze, hence in hotter place they run less anti-freeze and more water.

[Jono FD3]

Just blead the coolant system!!! there was a little bit of air in there but not an auful lot! so i\'ve made my own bleeding system now, filled it up & started the car with this fitted to the water filling point, Allowed the engine to get up to temp (fans cut in @ 86c) droped back to 80, then settled at 84. topped up the bleeder & turned it off to allow it to cool, slowley topping up the makeshift tank till it takes no more water!!

Then hopefully my jumping up & down session will be finished & won\'t return (but we shall see on that one tomorrow night!
Jono

[karl_tate]

very strange that when you changed the stat, that it went even lower in temps. sorry i carnt help any more as i dont know much about the cooling system.


i think there is a sticky for it which is a good read if you havent already seen it. may help you out.


report back with your findings tomorrow.

[ashc]

maybe the water level dropped below the temp sensor due to an airlock, and your level sensor is duff!!! :-p

[nikp]

Anyone sujest anything, alraeady checked the old stat that came out & it\'s all opperating properly: starts to open at about 75c & fully open at 82 (like it says stamped on to the ring), although the rubber is a little chipped in one part!

Sounds like you had a cool running stat as your old one. The standard ones are not meant to start opening until 80!

[davehg]

is the stat fitted in the correct orientation ie the little hole at the top as you look at it?

[Jono FD3]

The replacement didn\'t have a little hole dave, but the old one did ?

The stat that came out had 82 stamped on to it just like the new one (temp was only a guess to be honest as I was using an infared thermomiter on the metal on the stat while boiling the water on the hob

Jono

[nikp]

They\'re meant to have a little hole with a small metal \'tab\' in it. This hole is meant to sit at the top when fully installed.

[interloper393]

uv over engineered your engine setup bud lol... my last one had similar issues, took ages to heat up n sat at 70 all day long, unless u started driving hard, then 78... i put it down to the large greddy rad :S

[RemarkLima]

They\'re meant to have a little hole with a small metal \'tab\' in it. This hole is meant to sit at the top when fully installed.

It\'s a jiggle pins, supposed to help with cativation IIRC... Not all thermostats have them and all new thermostats I\'ve never seen have them...

I dunno ifit\'s just a JDM thing...

Edit to say: that\'s really weird indeed!!! I can\'t see how ever with a rad the size of the car it wouldn\'t get up to temp as no water is being passed through it... Have you still got the AST? And if you eliminated it did you just run a bypass or did you plug the old AST holes?

[Jono FD3]

The full cooling system is totaly stock..... rad, AST stat, housings etc. the only thing that has changed is the rad is now in a v mount & I have Stainless water pipes!!

Where about is the temp sensor??? is it on the front of the stat housing (black plastick thingy with single wire) or is it the one engine side with the multy plug??

Just thinking that if it\'s the one on the front the wire has been cut & re joined by the previouse owner and with me mooving things around the other day I have disturbed the conection which is resulting in a faulse reading??? As now it is only going up to 60c!!!

Jono

[ashc]

the one on the front (black plastick thingy with single wire) is the level sensor. Sometimes the wire corrodes and doesnt work. Mine nearly broke off when i changed my stat a year ago, so i re-soldered it and it has been ok with some heatshrink on it.

[nikp]

do you have a temp sensor in the rad pipes? if so, it\'ll show when the \'stat open. i.e. when it begins to show a temp is when the stat has started to open.

[Jono FD3]

No mate... I got rid in favour of oil temp when I fitted My apexi!! but the sensor is still in the top of the stat housing (alongside the cap)

Jono