overheating 164

["estorhok" <estorhok@domain.elided>]

To help eliminate possible sources of a overheating- here's some symptoms of
a stuck open thermostat:

1) overheats sitting still (Fred mentioned this before, and I never believed
it until I saw it on my own 164)  This may be vehicle dependent- I'm not
sure.

2) takes FOREVER to get up to operating temp- it should be close in 1-2 min
at room temp, maybe up to 5 when its REALLY cold.  My wife told me the car
never got hot in her 15 min drive to work in the winter.

3) temp seems to follow external temps- hotter on hot days, cooler on cool
days.

4) if, after 20 min of running on a highway, the temp never exceeds the
opening temp of the thermostat (which I *think* is about 175 F)

After changing the T-stat, everything went away, including the running hot
when sitting still.  I, too, do not think that 230F is hot.  250 is.  But if
it only gets up to 230, I doubt that anything will break (on a MODERN
engine).

Hopefully this will allow you to eliminate the t-stat as your problem...

Eric Storhok
Ann Arbor, MI

p.s.  having a stuck closed t-stat is easy- VERY hot coolant temp, and dead
cold radiator.  Had this happen on a Mazda once- drive 30 miles using the
internal heater as the radiator... not cool. (great pun, if I do say so
myself)

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