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temp problems

K

kalley

New CEG'er
Joined
Mar 6, 2004
Messages
13
Location
IL
I have a weird temperature problem. When my car reaches operating temp,
I turn on the heat and the temp gauge drops almost by 1/2. I don’t understand this??
With the heat off, the temp gauge reads where it always has. If I run with the air on
(So the fan is on to cool it) to see if thermostat appears to be working ok the gauge seems to run at the normal range until I turn on the heat then the gauge drops? Oh BTW the Reservoir is full
The heat seems to reflect the drop in the gauge also.
Any Ideas to help me out??
 
That is a strange one, but if the heater gets cold there is not enough coolant in the system. Yet you say the reservoir is full. That might imply a stuck T-stat, but it is not overheating...... You are not playing the game correctly here !

I would open the cap on the radiator and check the fluid level in stead of relying on the reservoir level. Then I'd look at it again with the heater open and see if it was lower.

just thinking out loud........ my 2 cents

Merry Christmas
 
kalley said:
I have a weird temperature problem. When my car reaches operating temp,
I turn on the heat and the temp gauge drops almost by 1/2. I don’t understand this???
Click to expand...
It's cold in Illinois now. The heat comes from the heater coil which uses the heat from the coolant. I suggest you flush the coolant. When was the last time it was done?
 
flush

flush

about 20000 ago, was going to have it done next week anyway.
I tried something diff the last experiment
I took the cap off, it got up to temp (a good 1/3 of the gauge) turned on the heat, and the needle fell all the way to the bottom then slowly crept up to almost the 1/4 mark.
Also it's been in the 40's here
still confused as always
 
Underheating

Underheating

A weak thermostat will cause the temp drop. Drain system, flush, replace thermostat with proper temp setting, refill and enjoy the heat. Merry Christmas. Dan
 
Dan the rug man said:
A weak thermostat will cause the temp drop. Drain system, flush, replace thermostat with proper temp setting, refill and enjoy the heat. Merry Christmas. Dan
Click to expand...

I agree.

The heater core is another radiator. When you use the heater, you are adding radiator capacity. If the thermostat tends to stay open too long or doesn't close properly you will have trouble keeping the engine up to proper temperature.

You may also discover that the heater works better with a good thermostat as well.
 
I forgot to mention that you may want to invest in a new radiator / resivore (sp?) cap. The system relies on proper pressure with in the system for proper operation. A weak cap may allow coolant to leak and overheating, not exactly your issue. Also if you are going through all the trouble of a cooling system check up the extra few bucks will not make that much difference. My original feeling is that the thermostat is weak.
My partner has a 98 v6 ranger. He was having the exact issue. I had him get the cooling system serviced including the thermostat. Problem was cured. The bonus was an increase in mileage due to the engine running at the correct temp.
Good luck. Dan
 
Last edited:
check the water pump, mine was doing a simular deal temp drop, low heat, the cone in the housing had come loose and was eating the impeler, replaced the housing and the pump problem fixed.
 
fixed??

fixed??

replaced thermostat, a piece of rubber was in the spring? causing it not to close, now where did the rubber come from??
 
kalley said:
replaced thermostat, a piece of rubber was in the spring? causing it not to close, now where did the rubber come from??
Click to expand...
If it is round, then it is probably the rubber gasket for the thermostat.
 
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