sclary18 Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 ok, so I was an idiot and decided to have some fun following my friends sentra through a non plowed parking lot today.. there was probably 4 or more inches of snow on the ground, and we were messing around for almost an hour.. i had the heat blastin at 90 degrees the entire time.. i was just cruizin most the time and kept the rpms below 2500.. then all of a sudden i noticed through my DIS that my coolant temp was at about 190.. i checked the oem guage and that was around there as well.. i left the lot and just drove down the street to cool it down to 145 in a few seconds.. went back in the lot and after a few minutes it was at about 220.. cooled it down again, and then drove in again.. it went up to 245 so i got the fuck out.. tried driving around for a bit and my engine just slowly got hotter and then at 250 my check guages light went on, i smelled coolant, and pulled over.. popped the hood and made sure the heat was still goin strong.. after a minute of lookin around under the hood it began to steam like hell but it did NOT smoke.. i couldn't find where it was comin from, just somewhere by the resevoir.. the check engine light soon turned on. i turned the engine off, and felt aroundand noticed the metal pipe below the resevoir was exremely hot, but the upper and lower coolant hoses were just warm and not that hot.. i also noticed that the overflow tube seemed wet and i think it was pooring outta there.. i still have about a centimeter above the hot line of coolant in there, and it only occasionaly pours and steems out at idle. i let the car sit outside for about 2 hours... when i got in the car. i turned the key to on and saw that both guages were at about 115. i started it, let it warm up to make sure.. and then drove down the street to my house.. about a minute later when i got home, it started climbing like hell to 250, but the DIS only went up about 20 degrees. i shut it off right away to make sure i dont damage anything else.. i have no idea what it is, or if my temperature guage is just fucked.. is there any way to test the guage? i read the other 3.1 overheating threads and im not sure still. let me know what you guys think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sclary18 Posted December 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 damn... could that affect my gas mileage? its been runnin around like 100-125 ever since i've had the car and also.. where is the thermostat located? i havent had a chance to look for it.. and do you think its safe to drive 3 miles to work? i dont think i can get a ride there.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joey b Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 wow, sounds like your stat was stuck open and is now stuck closed. Easy as cake. It is located (as you look from the front of the car) on the right of the engine. If you follow the upper radiator hose it will end at the housing. 2 bolts and it's changed. 10 bucks and Definately a good reason to get poor MPG if your car is running too cold. Driving 3 miles might be ok, but is obviously risky. If it is not stop and go you could probably make it without running too hot. A 3 mile cab would probably only cost 10 bucks and finding a ride home would probably be easier than vice-versa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sclary18 Posted December 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 alright cool, thanks alot for your help! do you think it could be anything more serious that snow could of done? (I hope not lol!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psych0matt Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 i blew up a hose one time i drove around town for like a half hour, then came home and parked, and after being inthe house for like 10 minutes i look outside and thought the neighbors were having a barbecue, but it was my car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 190 is a very normal temperature for the car to run at i forget when the fans actually turn on, but its not till the car is about on the brink of overheating. Â that said i'd still replace the thermostat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94CutlassSLCoupe Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 3100 Cutlasses usually run between 195 and 200 degrees in normal driving. The low speed on the fan kicks on at 215 and the high kicks on at 225, provided your temp stays under 230, its normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89GP_SE Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 could be possible that your cooling fan isnt working Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sclary18 Posted December 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 alright, so today i drove about a block down, came to a stop, hit the gas and the car completely shut off, and wouldn't start.. it was 20 degrees outside when this happened.. i let the car warm up for about 5 minutes, and the guage on the cluster said it was at about 125, but the DIS said it was at 25 degrees!?!? I tried starting it with my foot on the gas so many times that my battery died, i had my brother come and jump it, and it started after a couple seconds with my foot to the floor.. i drove it 1 block back home, and by the time i got it in the garage, my DIS read like 100, and my check guages light was on, and the temp on the cluster was at about 240-260.. anyways, im waitin for a ride to autozone, and im going to try out a new thermostat, i dont think its been replaced since 15 years ago lol... we'll see! thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94CutlassSLCoupe Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 well, if the sensor that the DIS runs on is not working properly (assuming its properly connected), then the electric fans will not turn on since they are both run by the PCM. On Non-OBD-II cars, the sensors for the computer an the gage are seperate. So you may have two seperate problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Ride Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 I had a problem where my car would die when it got warm, turned out to be the coolant sensor even though the gauge read fine. It kept telling the computer it was to hot. Check and clear your engine codes, you will have a code 14. (High Engine Temp) Coolant temp sensor is very cheap and located an inch below the theromstat. I'd replace them both while your at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 did you check you coolant level?  First pop the top of the thermostat off. I would bet that you see air under the thermostat, air created by running until you had lost all your coolant. My car has a slow leak somehere and I've seen air surround the underside of the Tstat a few times  The reason for the FALSE DIC/DIS reading is the sensor that turns on the fans and that tell the dis/dic the coolant temperature is located right under the thermostate on the 3.1. It is probably reading the temp of the air pocket.  Fuel ratios are metered off the sensor's output mentioned above and the wrong ratio will make an engine run like puke.  I would put in a new coolant temp sensor, new thermostat and nice new green antifreeze.  When I refill a 3.1 I make sure coolant is starting to flow out of the thermostat p0rt before I screw it tight. (like 1/4 inch on both bolts from sealed)  gotit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sclary18 Posted December 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 well, heres an update: I replaced the thermostat which wasn't stuck, replaced the coolant temperature sensor which looked fine, and just discovered a tiny ass leak right by the overflow tube coming from the coolant resevoir. Its on the steel tube that goes to the heater core, right where the piece of metal is welded to it. I tried tac welding it shut twice, and it still leaks. Went over to Murrays, and ordered the pipe for $30 with my friends discount. The coolant I thought I was seeing in the resevoir, turned out to be a layer of dirt on the inside. I tried running hot water through the whole resevoir but i cant get it clean.. any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 CLR or Vinegar in the reservoir to fluch it out. probabaly lime based deposits actually. Â Â get that line fixed and get some good antifreeze back in there, bleed the system, and all should be ok. Â Â When i bleed a 3.1 myself, I make sure the coolant is just starting to overflow from the Tstat port before I buckle the Tstat down. Â Â Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sclary18 Posted December 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 what is clr? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 'Calcium, Lime, Rust'. It'a household acidic chemical. fill the reservior, let it sit for a while and see if it eats the crap out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Next time you fill your system with anti-freeze, make sure you mis it with distilled water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Any kind of bathroom/kitchen cleaner should help cleaning the reserviour. Take it off and if you got some sort of brush scrub it from the inside. I don't have any CLR but I'd like to know how well that works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 But it's running waaaaaayyyyy too cool at 145. That isn't good for it. would somebody please explain why running cold is BAD? i know the torque convertor wont lock up until the coolant is at 100 but i dont see a reason to keep it above 100 for any other reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990lumina Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 But it's running waaaaaayyyyy too cool at 145. That isn't good for it. would somebody please explain why running cold is BAD? i know the torque convertor wont lock up until the coolant is at 100 but i dont see a reason to keep it above 100 for any other reason. Â All the metal parts expand when they are warm/hot...if you run to cold things aren't expanded to where they should be which isn't good. Plus, a lot of enignes have iron parts mated to aluminum parts, which expand at a different rate. Â It's just not good to run a motor too cool. Plus, in winter, you'll get shitty heat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006  All the metal parts expand when they are warm/hot...if you run to cold things aren't expanded to where they should be which isn't good. Plus, a lot of enignes have iron parts mated to aluminum parts, which expand at a different rate.  It's just not good to run a motor too cool. Plus, in winter, you'll get shitty heat  i know metal expands when warm/hot but i read about 125 in the winter doing 55 and 140 in the summer at 55. always been that way and its still ticking at 150,000 miles and counting only problem i can HEAR is a loose rocker, can't hear rod knock or piston slap.  so according to what you're saying my El Camino(which doesn't have a thermostat) shouldn't live as long as if i had one in it? if it did have a thermostat i probably would have blown both head gaskets when i got stuck in Chicago traffic and the needle climbed to 210+... killed my starter because of the headers, but i replaced that within two hours(had to remove(suprise)from the passenger header back to the muffler just to get the starter off) compared to risking the engine because the gaskets pop and the coolant and oil spill out the side of the heads. i think i'll keep it running nice and cold with no thermostat even when my Monte breaks down during the winter and i have to wear a coat designed for the siberian winter just to stay conscious while driving.  plus i've (accidentally) touched the heads and block on more than a few cars and they felt a hell of a lot hotter than what the temp. gauage read, and i'm sure the guage wasn't wrong, but i think it measures the wrong area to use for telling if all the metal is now within tolerance due to expansion. what temperature does gas go up to while still in the combustion chamber, 1300*? it shouldn't take long for that heat to transfer but the temp guage doesn't seem to notice that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcherolis Posted December 7, 2006 Report Share Posted December 7, 2006 Had same problem, put in another electrical temp gage to check it out. put the sending unit for the new gage in the hole for the bleed screw nearest the water pump. got 190. changed out the sending unit on oem location and temp on the dash still pegs in 5 min. going to change out the ecm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcherolis Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Update, Changed ecm, no help. went to my now favorite NAPA jobber. He checked engine and radiator with heat gun. Got temp no higher than 185 f, with gage on dash pegged. he said to change gage sending unit, going to ground, I did just that yesterday, ta da it works. note temp sending unit for gage is the one on the back corner of the rear head, single lead. tough to get to. hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sclary18 Posted December 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 thats good you got it fixed, my car runs good now, but no more burnouts with the slow stock junk 3.1.. I'm scared... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted May 29, 2007 Report Share Posted May 29, 2007 BUMP My 3.1 vert is doing the exact same thing, what exactly did you have to do to repair this issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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