Strange engine heating problem (new)

[dave6666]

Originally Posted by Bolt

...only 5 degrees.

Well, at Dave's house, that's the difference between cold beer and warm beer.

[Bolt]

I believe I found my problem

BAD THERMOSTAT


I am 98 percent sure. Gage does not go any higher than 195 degrees at idol with AC on and lights ON. I'll know for sure when I get this thing on the road in a few days.

This was a 180 degree thermostat and it was less than one year old. It was sticking and would not close all the way. (BAD SPRING) Nore open porperly. I tested it in a pot of boiling watter.



I thank all of you who posted here. You helped me tremendously thru this. It's funny to look back at what we thought was wrong. I was so convinced it was the fuel.

[Bolt]

Defective part. See how crooket it is. It's not closed and I'm holding it. It's cold. Also notice the high ware area.

[johnk]

Congrats. I thought I remembered posts about problems with aftermarket thermostats in Gen2 cars....

[dave6666]

Originally Posted by Bolt

I believe I found my problem

BAD THERMOSTAT


I am 98 percent sure. Gage does not go any higher than 195 degrees at idol with AC on and lights ON. I'll know for sure when I get this thing on the road in a few days.

This was a 180 degree thermostat and it was less than one year old. It was sticking and would not close all the way. (BAD SPRING) Nore open porperly. I tested it in a pot of boiling watter.



I thank all of you who posted here. You helped me tremendously thru this. It's funny to look back at what we thought was wrong. I was so convinced it was the fuel.

Originally Posted by Bolt

Defective part. See how crooket it is. It's not closed and I'm holding it. It's cold. Also notice the high ware area.

Next boys and girls, we'll work on Bolt's spelling skills.

[Bolt]

Originally Posted by dave6666

Next boys and girls, we'll work on Bolt's spelling skills.

If i'm going to lack a skill, I'm glad it's spellling

[Bolt]

Failed component

Pin would not slide, stuck in position.

[ViperTony]

Where did you purchase the 180 t-stat?

[Bolt]

Originally Posted by ViperTony

Where did you purchase the 180 t-stat?

It was a good reputable dealer and this is the first one he ever seen fail. It is a Weir-Stat brand. I’m going to cross section this component to analyze it. It appears the pin got sticky and would not slide. Possibility is to close of tolerance.

[Parisianviper]

I found this thread a little too late, but I had the exact same problem with the same Brand 180 thermostat (Weir Stat) installed less than a year before.
Result: stuck on the freeway with a overheating engine, 300 miles from home. When I say overheating, I mean in the red zone, with half the coolant flowing out the overflow bottle on the floor.
I also have a 2001 so I immediately thought of the waterpump problem: Wrong, it was a bad thermostat....