[V6-12v] heater running cool !

[Clive Young]

Hi Tom

On Sunday I nearly got Frostbite in my hands but here are the results !

Car engine warmed up as expected with guage sitting just under 90. let it
idle for quite a while in the driveway .. air blowing lukewarm at best ..
but that would be being optimistic more like cool .. it was -12  C outside .
As predicted the engine got warmer while idling and the needle rose above
the 90 mark , just above 90 the fan comes on and cools it off to just below
90 again. So the engine temp sensor , guage, etc I would imagine are working
fine. I put my hands on the pipes running into the firewall feel very warm
but I can hold them without removing my hands ( remember my hands are
freezing by this point ). But I am not sure if that is because my hands were
nearly frozen solid. At other times I found it to hot to hold on to for any
long legnth of time , but not "scorching".
I tried bleeding the heater a little but just got a steady stream of coolant
, no air from the bleed nipple in the heater pipe.
 I took the glove compartment out and checked the mixer flap. I even
diconnected the cable and phisically jammed it closed with no difference.

 If I did have some type of blockage in the heater core is there any real
way to check it or flush it without draining the entire system ? I have new
Audi coolant in from the Spring and it was very expensive.  Besides I really
don't know what I can do if I get the the hoses off the top anyway ? I have
an air compressor but really don't know what to expect !

hmmmm.....
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Christiansen" <tomchr at ee.washington.edu>
To: "Clive Young" <cyoung1661 at rogers.com>
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 8:11 PM
Subject: Re: [V6-12v] heater running cool !


> At 02:48 PM 1/21/2005, you wrote:
> >I know what you mean Tom it is really odd. I may have a slow reacting
guage
> >as Lino says when his does it his temp guage drops from around 90C to 50
C ,
>
> That makes more sense. No heat in the water --> no heat in the car... It
> would have to be mighty cold for the temp to drop to 50 C, though. -
Unless
> the thermostat is stuck open.
>
> >and yes when I gun it it gets warmer.
>
> I'd guess: 1) air in the system or 2) not enough water pressure (either
due
> to restriction in the heater core or due to bad water pump).
>
> You could try flushing the heater core...
>
> >When I did the t belt I changed the
> >pump for sure, with the same results .. more research required !!!!
>
> Then it's probably not the pump... You did the thermostat as well I trust.
>
> Tom
>