operating temperature

[sho'noff]

This first post on this forum, go ahead have fun. 1995 ford taurus sho automatic 3.2. the problem I am having is the temperature guage is tempermental and rarely in cold weather ever makes it even into thenormal zone on the gauge. I replaced the air filter earlier this year in the summer and it did better, got really hot a few times and now it is worse. Stuck thermostat?

 

[jimtash]

How's the temperature of the heat in the cabin? If it never gets hot during cold weather then the thermostat is stuck open. If the heat is fine, then suspect the sending unit to the gauge.

The thermostat on mine was stuck open one year during the winter and I put a piece of cardboard on half of the front of the radiator until I could replace it just to get heat in the cabin. Same thing that the big rigs do.

 

[rubydist]

the thermostat being stuck open is really something you need to fix. the pcm will run the engine in open loop up to 20 minutes after startup if the coolant temp is not up to normal, and that is richer mixture than you want - risking overheating and destroying cats, which can end up trashing the engine.

the good news is that changing the thermostat is not hard at all.

 

[sho'noff]

the check engine light hs been on for a long time. the code says stuck egr valve so I took it off and cleaned it. the light took longer to come on. I like the cardboard idea. just out of curiosity, the saturn l300 series engine seems to be similar as far as the intake manifold sits(and the thermostat is impossible to get to), how hard is it to take the thermostat off one of these? does the intake have to come off?

 

[jimtash]

No, it's pretty accessible. Follow the upper radiator hose to the engine. The aluminum pipe it connects to is where the thermostat is at. Two 10mm nuts and it's off.

Cardboard works as a temporary fix but make sure you replace the thermostat ASAP.

 

[sho'noff]

Above the transmission?

 

[msteiny]

Yes, just above the tranny.

 

[sho'noff]

how does it cost more for the o-ring gasket than for the thermostat. I just wanted to vent before I get down there so they don't call the police.

 

[sho'noff]

OK got it done and sea foamed the engine. the thermostat was stuck open and the engine took 3/4 of a can of sea foam. smoky smoky. thank you for your advice.

 

[msteiny]

Yes its costly, but cheaper than just leaving it alone and not doing anything. Your just getting started.

 

[sho'noff]

yes, it was stuck open. Now the temp gauge seems to go up a little high but not too much, maybe I should have run the garden hose through it.

 

[jayro]

Did you get all the air out of the system? Having an air pocket can cause the temp to go up.

 

[sho'noff]

well, yes I squeazed the hose a bunch of times and there seemed to have been a bunch of air in there.

 

[jimtash]

Keep an eye on the recovery tank. Something tells me you already know that though.

 

[rubydist]

what did you put in - 195 or 180? the 195 will cause the temp gauge to up toward the top before it opens. perfectly fine but sometimes a little un-nerving.

 

[sho'noff]

It was the stock temp one from autozone, and the gasket at O'reilley auto was a couple of dollars.

 

[msteiny]

Did it have a jiggle valve and did you put the valve at the 12 o'clock position?

 

[JRA2000TL]

what did you put in - 195 or 180? the 195 will cause the temp gauge to up toward the top before it opens. perfectly fine but sometimes a little un-nerving.

Ever since I swapped the thermostat in my 95, on REALLY HOT summer days in the 90s, that sucker creeps up to the L sometimes in NORMAL on the gauge. Freaked out a bit, but it never went higher and would always drop down a little below that. I think I put a 195 in it; that's why. Never saw any steam like the car was overheating, so I just left it alone.

 

[jimtash]

Ever since I swapped the thermostat in my 95, on REALLY HOT summer days in the 90s, that sucker creeps up to the L sometimes in NORMAL on the gauge. Freaked out a bit, but it never went higher and would always drop down a little below that. I think I put a 195 in it; that's why. Never saw any steam like the car was overheating, so I just left it alone.

The gauge needle on mine rests between the M and the A and the fan kicks on between the O and the R. I wouldn't expect any of these cars to be the same simply because of age.

 

[jayro]

well, yes I squeazed the hose a bunch of times and there seemed to have been a bunch of air in there.

Getting ALL the air out on these can be tough sometimes. Alot of people will jack the front up as high as they can while it is at operating temp and squeeze the top hose some more to ge the air out. I do mine with the car running also. Just a thought.

Flushing the coolant system could help too if you havent already done it.