When I'm driving, she usually stays about one click under the 195, but if I stop at a light, or whatever, she'll start climbing pretty quick. When I'm parked for more than like 2 minutes, she'll climb up to probably around 220. No good! Is this a coolant issue? I bought a new 180* thermostat but haven't installed it yet... Would that solve it? Also, I"m getting an EVAP code...don't know if the two would be related...
Big plans for the '04 Fire.
All I need are is Time (sigh...)Money(sigh...)Know-how (workin on it!)
Does it stop two bars after 195? If it stops there you're fine. The fan doesn't come on until it reaches that temp. It it keeps going up past 2 bars over 195, then you may be in trouble.
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We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...
Nope, a little higher. the fan definitely comes on. sometimes it stays on when the car is off
Big plans for the '04 Fire.
All I need are is Time (sigh...)Money(sigh...)Know-how (workin on it!)
bump! I need help!
Big plans for the '04 Fire.
All I need are is Time (sigh...)Money(sigh...)Know-how (workin on it!)
How many miles on your car, and is the coolant level?
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We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...
Are you sure that your coolant is full? Low coolant MAY cause this, so make sure! I would guess that this was probably the first thing you would look for though...
You haven't put another type of coolant in there other than Dexcool, have you? I've heard some horror stories about compatibility issues between Dexcool and older ethylene glycol coolants, causing gelling or plugging of passages in the rad. When driving, the water pump can probably force the coolant through these passages, but maybe at idle it can't do it. The only possible fix for this would be to try a reverse chemical flush on the system to try to clean it up. I would then switch to one of the "all makes all models" types of coolant which is probably less likely to cause it again. This is just a guess though...
It DOES sound like a coolant flow issue to me though. If it's running at proper temperature when driving, and your fan is coming on as expected, then there's not much else it can be. I wouldn't suspect the thermostat, or you would see the problem when driving too.
Another possibility is corrosion of the water pump impeller, diminishing its ability to flow the coolant. Again, this could be a result of a combination of coolant incompatibility (if mixing has been done) and high RPM operation. Unfortunately, not an easy check on the Eco.
Hope this gives you some more ideas to check out. Does the output from the heater seem normal? This will also typically diminish if coolant flow is affected.
John
John S wrote:Are you sure that your coolant is full? Low coolant MAY cause this, so make sure! I would guess that this was probably the first thing you would look for though...
You haven't put another type of coolant in there other than Dexcool, have you? I've heard some horror stories about compatibility issues between Dexcool and older ethylene glycol coolants, causing gelling or plugging of passages in the rad. When driving, the water pump can probably force the coolant through these passages, but maybe at idle it can't do it. The only possible fix for this would be to try a reverse chemical flush on the system to try to clean it up. I would then switch to one of the "all makes all models" types of coolant which is probably less likely to cause it again. This is just a guess though...
It DOES sound like a coolant flow issue to me though. If it's running at proper temperature when driving, and your fan is coming on as expected, then there's not much else it can be. I wouldn't suspect the thermostat, or you would see the problem when driving too.
Another possibility is corrosion of the water pump impeller, diminishing its ability to flow the coolant. Again, this could be a result of a combination of coolant incompatibility (if mixing has been done) and high RPM operation. Unfortunately, not an easy check on the Eco.
Hope this gives you some more ideas to check out. Does the output from the heater seem normal? This will also typically diminish if coolant flow is affected.
John
Awesome amount of help. I originally thought it was coolant...but then again i'm by NO means that familiar with the mechanics of it all...just know what i like.Just curious...I have one tube leaving my coolant tank that connects to nothing, just open air...is this bad?
I was thinking I should get the coolant flushed and see if that helps...
Car has 71,000 Miles on it.
The car actually DOES seem to be losing a little bit of heat from the heater...so I think you may have got it...
Big plans for the '04 Fire.
All I need are is Time (sigh...)Money(sigh...)Know-how (workin on it!)
that hose is supose to lead to nothing......... someone must have added a turbo coolant line, are the first owner?
The tube you see going to nothing on the tank is for pressure relief when the cap vents. If the pressure gets too high in the system, the cap will allow pressure (and coolant if it boils and the level is high enough) to escape from this line. Don't plug it! It should attach right near the cap at the top.
What color does the coolant in there appear to be? If it's original, it should be orange. If it looks more green, then somebody's been messing around. I would get it flushed properly as I previously mentioned and go from there.
The coolant level should be at least up to the MIN line on your reservoir. Sometimes you may have to wipe the outside clean to see it properly.
Keep us posted...
John
will check it tomorrow. will my local mechanic have dexcool? or is there something else he can use? I should probably take it to the local chevy dealer...
side note...
(John S)
You seem to know alot about those sort of workings in the car. I don't know what tranny I have, just that it's a 4 speed auto... Can I upgrade my tranny fluid to something more performance? I have a brand new bottle of some sort of Hurst Trick Shift someone gave me....good? bad? I have a BM Shiftplus but haven't installed it because I can't get to the wires...and now i'm afraid since i hear bad things....
Big plans for the '04 Fire.
All I need are is Time (sigh...)Money(sigh...)Know-how (workin on it!)
Dexcool is available at any auto parts store. When you get the system flushed, I'd have it switched to regular green stuff, the Dexcool likes to eat gaskets (if you've ever worked on a 3x00 V6 or 4.3 Vortec, you know what I mean).
And do NOT use any kind of "performance" tranny fluid in a computer-controlled trans (which is what a 4-speed auto is). It's designed for mechanical-shift transmissions (like, a 3-speed j-body auto, for example). What will happen if you do? I dunno, maybe nothing. Maybe your transmission blows up, though. It says specifically on the bottle "not for use in computer-controlled transmissions," so I'd go with that.
I've certainly heard lots about the "gasket eating issues" on the V6 engines that is commonly blamed on the coolant - but I'm not 100% sure that it is the main cause. I've heard that some re-design was done to the parts and gaskets around 2003, and the problems seem to have lessened since. Also, since it seems to focus mainly on a couple of models, I would suspect more of a design issue than the coolant. With GM now giving a 160,000km powertrain warranty on new vehicles, which are still using the Dexcool, I can't imagine it being TOO bad, or they would certainly change. Fortunately, I have yet to see it cause a problem with any of our 4 cylinder engines.
Like I mentioned before though - COMBINING dexcool with ethylene glycol based coolants can be BAD. If you can't find GM Dexcool (also sold by Texaco - Havoline Dexcool), there is a Prestone "long life" marketed as "dexcool compatible", or several different greenish versions that are supposed to be fine for "all makes, all models". These are also OAT (Organic Acid Technology) based coolants as far as I know, and should work fine without issues. If you want to change to something different, I've heard that G-05 coolants made by Xerex are very good.
I changed the dexcool with fresh stuff after 5 years/175,000km in my car, and the stuff that came out still looked like new. The system was still very clean inside also. I only had to add about 0.75 quarts to it over the whole time from new. In these cars the system is very well sealed, including the overflow tank, which seems to help prevent contamination and oxidation. The systems that seem to have shown problems have a vented tank, and they always seem to get covered in "crud" inside after a couple of years - especially with Dexcool. In these applications, I would probably switch to a G-05 coolant. Not an issue with our cars though.
I definitely agree with Brown Eye on not using any additives with the transmission. All automotive fluids are already made-up of a combination of base fluids and many additives. Playing "chemist" isn't often likely to have positive results. With your transmission, sticking with a name brand Dexron III is all you should need, if you're changing fluid and filter. If you're running it "hard", a fully synthetic fluid may help to reduce wear, but it's probably hard to prove for sure. I would just use regular stuff and change it at the proper intervals - or twice as often if it gets a lot of hard, or hot use. That way there's always a fresh filter in there too, to ensure proper flow rates.
Any modifications you do for more "performance" are likely to reduce component durability - so just expect to fix things a little more often if you want it to perform outside of its original design specifications. I've seen it written before that "cars don't die - people kill them." Although there are exceptions, I believe that often this is the case, especially with many of the modern designs out now.
John
P.S. - if you want to read more about automotive fluids than you likely ever thought possible - check out the forums on www.bobistheoilguy.com.
That's where I have learned a fair bit beyond what they taught us at school. Just remember that it is an open forum, and often you have to sift through a lot of dirt to find the gold.
