Does running a car with coolant generally have lower temps than a car that just rins water?
somewhat, the coolant just raises the boiling point of the water so it doesnt boil away.
Ok, reason I was asking was yesterday, I blew a hole in my radiator, and today, I got a replacement, put a new 180* thermostat (formerly had a 195*) and refilled it with water and prestone superflush to clean the cooling system. Now, my car is running a lot hotter, and the fan is kicking on at a higher temp as well, I was thinking maybe after I flushed it and refilled it with coolant, that my temps would drop back to normal.
are you sure you put the thermostat in right? Did you drive it while it had the hole in your radiator-did it run dry is what im askin really?
Nah, didn't run it dry, plenty of water came out when I swapped radiators.
Just double-checked the t-stat - it's good.
my guess would be the temp. sensor is bad. is the water pump pumping, if so, i would say the sensor is failing.
Yep, water pump is pumping, after I filled it up and ran it for a while, I let it cool down and checked the fluid level, reservoir tank was almost empty, so I refilled it.
I do want to add, that when I check my temp gauge while driving, it's usually on the interstate (where I do most of my driving) and I figure that with the cool(er) air rushing in, it will definitly run at a lower temp. I haven't run on the interstae since I swapped, just warmed it up driving around here, and let it idle in the driveway.
Sounds like an air pocket to me .
You can try loosening a hose at the highest point in the system (not the upper radiator hose ), and letting any air burp out .
maybe the radiator wasnt totally full then? I use some stuff called "water wetter" in my coolant. It comes in a clear bottle, like 12oz and is red. Runs about 15 degrees cooler.
Does the 4.6 have the bolt to take out whenever you flush the radiator in the manifold like the 3.8s possibly something your heater hoses connect 2
I'm gonna run it with the cap off foe a little bit, see what happens.
I've thought about the water wetter, hell it even lookd cool LOL
As far as the bolt, I'll have to check on that.
it should have something to that effect to prevent any chances of an air pocket. That water wetter does work. not a bad investment
Cool, I think the air may be the problem, just drove around again for a little while and the needle was all over the place, jumping around every minute or so. Gonna try to purge as much air as I can and tomorrow when I switch back to coolant I'm gonna add some water wetter.
If the 4.6 has the same as the 3.8, it'll be the deal in the attached pics ...
It needs to be taken off when you refill the system to prevent air entering the system, as replied with earlier.
If that doesnt fix ya, check the coolant sensor connection, mine did that once and i had a bad connection there, it wasnt corroded or anything, but i took the connector of and closed the tip just a wee bit so it was a tighter connection on there, and that fixed it. but its probly air in the system.
It also could be that since I put the water/super cleaner mix, it may have actually cleaned the temp sensor off, and now it' actually reading the correct temps.
Did some checking through the haynes for a sending unit check.
1)if the gauge reads hot shortly after cranking up, remove the connector and check the guage, if it reads drops or the light goes out, replace the sending unit.
2)If the gauge fails to indicate after a few minutes, shut off the engine, disconnect wire at the sending unit and connect a jumper wire to ground on the engine. Turn the ignition on without starting, if the gauge reads hot, replace the sending unit.
3)If the gauge still does not work, the gauge may be faulty or the circuit may be open.
That was straight from the Haynes manual. Maybe that will help out a little bit.
does it have the clip on connector or just the slide on connector, do you know what i mean by that?
It has got the clips on the side, they aren't broken. ( If thats what you were gonna ask). I just went out and looked, it's fully connected.
not quite, i was thinking if it was a slide on connector it might be a loose connection to it, like mine had, but that one wont have that problem
Ahh, gotcha.
reviewed this thread three times fully.
Your saying the electric fan is coming on more often which would tell me you are getting hotter.
You have not mentioned coolant over flowing or any coolant noises after you turn off the engine.
running a lower temp t-stat means it will open and close at that temp.
The time it takes for a 195 to open would be the same amount of time the non flowing coolant would have to drop in temp.
Im thining put the 195 in.
you can test the temp sensor with a lighter and an ohm meter. I would scotch bright the end off , test it bone cold for x resistance then heat it up and measure to see if the resistance decreases.
from my DIY link..................meant for fox bodies but concept is probably the same for the 4.6.
ECT sensor test feeds the computer
Resistance test pin to pin of the sensor (this is a variable resister proportional to temperature including outside air temp if the motor is cold)
at 50degF=58K ohms
at 65degF=40K ohms
at 180degF=3.6K ohms
at 220degF=1.8K ohms
next clean the end of the sensor with scotch brite ect and retest
if high temps persist, replace coolant temp sensor and ECT as a matched set.
if that does not work, start looking at your coolant system parts.
----------------------
ACT sensor test ,,,feeds the computer
Resistance test pin to pin of the sensor (this is a variable resister proportional to temperature including outside air temp if the motor is cold)
at 50degF=58K ohms
at 65degF=40K ohms
at 180degF=3.6K ohms
at 220degF=1.8K ohms
=============================
What would this indicate?
both instances would be verificable indications that there is an "actual" overheating event taking place. Coupled with the guage indications, its just another thing you would use to confirm the system is really overheating and not just a false indication due to a bad temp sensor or cluster problem with the IVR.