Non-Jeep Problem

[Quik8slvr]

even jeeps sometimes baffle me but get this....



Im driving my sisters 94 Nissan Sentra, the problem is that the temp guage appears to be broken, after the car has run for 30-35 min it is barely registering about "Cold" so it would just appear to be a broken gauge right? well this is where it gets confusing, if you go to turn the heat on, even after the car is warm, and the engine is hot to the touch, there is no heat, it just blows cold air....really confused the **** out of me, if anybody out there has an idea how to fix it i'd appriciate it.



Damn rice burners, everyone should just drive a jeep [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [addsig]

[erhild]

Is it out of coolant???



With no water on the sensor, it might not report a high temperature... Thus, you get the cool/cold reading... Also, there would be no coolant flowing thru the heater core, giving you a cold air heater...



Just a thought...[addsig]

[west747]

try purging your heater....sometimes air can get in there which blocks the rad jucie from reaching the heater core.[addsig]

[Quik8slvr]

the coolant levels are fine, not sure exactly what purging the heater means[addsig]

[BigBlackJeep]

-There should be a port or screw on the radiator hoses at some point. This will allow you to open up the hoses and clear out any air that is in there. Just make sure ou do it with the motor running so that there is pressure behind the air pocket if there is one. Just make sure you open the valve SLOWLY so that coolant doesn't end up everywhere. I will ask some of my import friends and see what they have to say. Hope that works, if not I will try and see what I can find out...



-The world would be much better place if everyone drove either a Jeep or a V8, or both [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] -[addsig]

[Quik8slvr]

ok, so if i let the car run, and ease open this screw i should tighten it again as soon as fluid comes spitting out right?



Well i'm headin up to Pittsburgh for the game on sunday tomorrow, i'll have to look into it when i get back on monday...go steelers! [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [addsig]

[vavs]

Quik8slvr,

It sounds like a bad thermostat to me. I'm not a technician or anything but if the heater wont get hot and the guage reads cold it's probably the thermostat. Hope my input helps.



Vavs [addsig]

[Quik8slvr]

if it were the thermostat, how hard/expensive is that to replace? would i be able to do it with my limited mechanical knowledge and a hayes manual? or better to take it to a professional?[addsig]

[BigBlackJeep]

Yup, as soon as fluid starts spurting out tighten it back up, this way you will have some fluid there, enough hopefully to send any if not all the air through the system and be full of fluid.



Unless your car has two thermostats, I doubt it could be it. If the thermostat does not open, then the same coolant stays inside the motor which would overheat it very quickly. Since your coolant gauge reads off of the coolant in the engine, it would show it heating up unless, like you first thought that it could be a faulty gauge. This is a tough one for sure. Thermostats are usually not that expensive, but i am judging on domestic prices, not imports. But yes, changing a thermostat is usually only a few bolts to get to and could probably be done with a small tool set and a haynes manual should be able to get you through it.



Just a thought on the wild side, did you try setting the air intake on the heater controls to fresh? I had a friends whose Mazda wouldn't heat up, switched it to 'fresh' air and got slightly warmer air. Can't remember what was wrong though, only that it helped some. Worth a shot...



Good luck, feel free to ask any more questions and hope we can help further...



-Why does Japan make their cars so difficult to work on?-[addsig]

[Quik8slvr]

actually when the vent is set on recirrculate the air is slightly warmer, when its on fresh its icy cold...i'm going to check out the thermostat and check for fluid in the hoses after i get back from the game on monday, if i had the car hooked up to a computer would there be an engine code for a faulty thermostat?[addsig]

[idrthrbfishing]

It sounds like a bad thermostat to me also, They generally are easy to replace on newer vehicals, but due to age the aluminuim housing tends to get brittle (learned the hard way when I was a honda mech) on some engines, this said be prepared to TAKE YOUR TIME. and dont force anytrhing, also repolace all hoses and coolants at the same time. a computer will not find a bad thermostat but may tell you you overheated. good luck [addsig]

[dingus]

sounds like a thermostat to me too...



just to clarify, a broken thermostat doesn't automatically mean 'overheat!'... it can get stuck in the "open" position too, which would make the car NOT warm up...



thermostats cost about 12 bucks for a decent one, and it took me about a half hour to put mine it. (the final time i put it in, i probably spent several hours trying things; first i didn't have a gasket so i put it together without one... what a mess!) lol [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]



-nate[addsig]

[BigBlackJeep]

I stand corrected, a thermostat can get stuck in the open position, but after 30-35 minutes the engine should have warmed up all the coolant in the system enough to move the needle even if it is just slightly.



Like I said before, when you take out the old thermostat, check it and see if it works. It will only take a few minutes and if it is working properly, you know you a problem other than just the thermostat. Hopefully it is just a thermostat which is an easy and usually cheap fix. Good luck and reply back what the problem was that finally fixed it.



Also be sure and buy the gaskets too, they are cheap and will save having to do it all again if the old ones leak... I have learned this lesson before...

[addsig]

[304FORme]

Steelers??? Go skins, beat Dallas.

Ok so its not a jeep, the thermostat, if it is the prob. might be burried a little in the engine, you will find it at the end of a radiator hose, under an aluminum housing.



To test it,

1) see if it is open, (you will be able to see through the middle of it)

2) closed is the norm position, so if its closed then your thermostat is not the problem.

3) REMEMBER its orientation. They are designed to flow in one direction, so put it back in the way it came out.( I know that that sounded juvenile but hey, i've seen it done)



p.s. even if its closed, learn yourself a thing or two while you have it out.

a) get a pot of water and start to boil it

b) drop the thermostat into the water and watch it open as the water comes close to a boil.

c) pull it out of the water and watch it close up.

its pretty cool and itll help you to understand your engine opperations better. [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [addsig]

[vavs]

I am fairly mechanical and it didn't take me long to change my thermostat. I did it one evening. I hope that is all it is, because it is an easy fix. Good luck.

Vavs[addsig]

[Quik8slvr]

thanks for the help everyone...got to see a great game and came back only to find out that the car was working normally again, perhaps the thermostat got stuck in the open position and then un-stuck itself...the needle would move up slightly when it wasnt working, but still not into "warm" temp's....if it starts acting up again i'll go ahead and swap a new thermostat in[addsig]

[idrthrbfishing]

I would change the thermostat asap if it stuck open this time it may stick closed next with the cold weather you got lucky with it sticking open, lighting don't strick twice as they say [img]modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [addsig]