cles Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 1993 Grand Prix GTP, with a 3.4L. The only time the coolant temp get up to where it's supposed to be, is when it's idling for a long time, after being driven. I have cardboard in front of the radiator, and have changed the thermostat 2 times....and the engine temp gauge is still only a couple of neddle widths up from cold. What can I do to get the engine to run on the highway at the proper temp?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 Have you changed the coolant sensor that controls the guage? Sounds like that is bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfewtrail Posted January 2, 2004 Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 So it's not getting up to normal operating temps as it should? Have you verfied that the gauge is correct/felt of the motor to determine whether it's hot or not...anyways, sounds like a thermostat stuck open and it won't let your car fully heat up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cles Posted January 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 The only verification of the gauge I have is how much (little) heat it's blowing. Yes, it does sound like a stuck thermostat....but how many of these things do I have to change before I get a good one?? The ones I have replaced have not been stuck open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfewtrail Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 The only verification of the gauge I have is how much (little) heat it's blowing. Yes, it does sound like a stuck thermostat....but how many of these things do I have to change before I get a good one?? The ones I have replaced have not been stuck open. Got a ? for ya'. What brand t-stats are you using? When there wasn't anything available and I changed my stuck open t-stat in the autozone parking lot(I carry a 75 or so piece craftsman tool set in the trunk of whatever car I'm driving..I sometimes forget to throw it in whatever I'm driving though )...anyways, I used a autozone brand t-stat and I had about three in a row go bad, two stuck open, one stuck closed. They lasted about 5 or 6 days on average, I vowed never to use that shit again, right now I've been running 160* or 180* t-stats from hypertech(180 at the moment), I've had it in the car almost a year and have had no problems with it. I'm sure there are other cheaper brands for stock replacement t-stats that are better than the autozone shit I tried..but I've been running lower temp stats lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cles Posted January 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 I started with the expensive route...an AC Delco, and a Canadian Tire Failsafe. Don't imagine you know who Canadian Tire is...it's one of those hardware/household/sporting goods/automotive parts chains here in Canada (obviously). The failsafe is supposed to be their best tstat. After changing both of them, my car never did come up to temp. Which makes me wonder if it really is the tstat or not...but it acts exactly like a stuck open one would. I just bought a cheapo one that I'm going to try, just for the sake of trying something again. These are all 195° tstats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPaPooh Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 just a thought did you bleed the air out of the system each time you changed the t stat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excelsior Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 check to see wether the gauge is off or not....check heater.....not sure what else you can do im not the smartest tech person in the world Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cles Posted January 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 There's just the one bleed screw, by the t-stat, right?? If there's just the one, yes, I did bleed the system. If there's more, where are they?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcac Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 cles Did you resolve this problem? My 1995 Cutlass 3.4 L does the exact same thing: only gets to operating temperature after if it idles for 10 minutes, and even once operating temperature is reached I still do not get heat from the heater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slade901 Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 A common mistake is that the thermostat is placed the wrong way. The V shape or pointed part of the thermostat usually follows the hose going back to the radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THe_DeTAiL3R Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 cles Did you resolve this problem? My 1995 Cutlass 3.4 L does the exact same thing: only gets to operating temperature after if it idles for 10 minutes, and even once operating temperature is reached I still do not get heat from the heater. You might have bought a defective one. It happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcac Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 I plan to install a 195 degree thermostat next weekend. Actually, I think I'll get it flushed before I change the thermostat, because I'm the 2nd owner. it's got 63,000 miles on it, and I have no idea when the anti-freeze was changed/flushed, if ever. The car was parked over the winter. Now that it's being driven it's time to discover what "problems". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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