Overcooling?

1254 Views 16 Replies 9 Participants Last post by pizzaboy, Dec 7, 2005

pizzaboy

Discussion Starter · Nov 19, 2005

Recently, a cold blast came through Houston and since then, my fuel economy is suffering. I'm getting 2-3mpg less than before. One thing I notice is that the coolant temperature doesn't increase quickly or has trouble maintaining operating temperature on the highway. Sometimes it'll dip down to the lower tic mark on the temperature gauge or barely below it. There's a 7 mile stretch of highway between work and my apartment. Even if I let the engine idle for a minute or two in the parking lot, the car won't reach operating temperature until I exit! Now, I'm wondering if the cooling system is working TOO good. I'm running about a 60% water/40% antifreeze mix with Redline Water Wetter. It handled the summer heat well. No, I am NOT running the heater most of the time. It does reach "normal" temperature in city traffic with the stopping at red lights. Oh, by "cold blast", I mean 40s here. I know that hot for some of you up north.

So, is this totally normal or not?

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shabby

· #2 · Nov 19, 2005

Check the thermostat.

cbilmer

· #3 · Nov 19, 2005

My mileage always seems to drop in the winter. Letting the car warm up will hurt mileage. I find that the car seems to run richer in the cold apposed to the heat, maybe its just me though.

The car gains all sorts of snot though when its 40 below! :O Four Wheel Peel!

2quickturbo66

· #4 · Nov 19, 2005

i have an electric fan with a toggle switch and on cold days when I forget to turn off my fan the temp will drop about 30% but nothing to really worry about.

Stormbird

· #5 · Nov 19, 2005

At least on the 2Gs the ECU uses a more rich fuel map if below a certain temperature. I think its 205F or 195F, I forget which. I run into the same issue every winter in AZ. Car runs fine or a little warm in the Summer with the spal fan and fluidyne radiator and then runs a bit on the cool side November through April and gets worse mileage. Jeff O. at Dsmchips.com can explain it to you in detail.

pizzaboy

Discussion Starter · #6 · Nov 30, 2005

I was able to get the temp to drop below the lower tic mark by cranking the heater and doing 55 on the way to my parent's house. It's a 5 mile trip. By the third mile, it was already low. THe gauge was at the 1/2 mark when I started. That was just to see if I could get it to do that. On my way back to my apartment from the house. The temp never got into the operating range. It's a 12 mile trip and it was 40 degrees outside. I was doing 55-70 the whole time. It finally got there when I pulled off to a red light and sat for a minute. This is without the heater on. Also, the heater air isn't very hot.

Around town, it stays in the operating range without a problem and never gets above the 1/2 mark. The fan kicks on then. It never even got above the 1/2 mark during the summer!

So, should I flush the cooling system and use a 50/50 mix instead of my current diluted mix with Water Wetter? Is my thermostat sticking some? The temperature seems well regualted when it's warm. I just have trouble keeping the heat in. BTW, at what temp doing the ECU go into closed-loop mode?

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Stormbird

· #7 · Nov 30, 2005

Easier thing might be to block off part of the radiator to restrict flow through it or to unplug maybe the AC fan.

91Bluebird

· #8 · Nov 30, 2005

Change the thermostat.

HIDDEN_SUN_GST

· #9 · Dec 3, 2005

I Had The Same Problem Could Not Get The Temp Up To Operating Range. I Was Driving On Hwy And It Seamed Exremely Cold. I Was Thinking Maybe Wrong Coolant Ratio, Or Cuz I Removed Left Vent Cover From Bumbper?? Or Just Flat Out A Mechanical Problem... Any Ideas Btw Please No Comments On Caps. I Already Know

i1nk83

· #10 · Dec 3, 2005

a simple solution has been stated 3 or 4 times already. simply change the therostat. if for some reason it does not fix your problem you can come back and say: this is what i replaced and it still does it.same thing happened to our 1g beater, changed the therostat and its all good now.

1G-TalonES

· #11 · Dec 3, 2005

Yes I agree with everyone else, you gotta change the Thermostat.

91Bluebird

· #12 · Dec 3, 2005

i1nk83 said:
a simple solution has been stated 3 or 4 times already. simply change the therostat. if for some reason it does not fix your problem you can come back and say: this is what i replaced and it still does it.same thing happened to our 1g beater, changed the therostat and its all good now.

Thank you!!! I was starting to wonder howw many times I'd have to say REPLACE T-STAT before my head would explode

IF changing one is too much trouble I'd seriously recommend selling the DSM right now before a REAL problem occurs.

shabby

· #13 · Dec 4, 2005

91-Bluebird said:
IF changing one is too much trouble I'd seriously recommend selling the DSM right now before a REAL problem occurs.

You mean like when the o2 sensor dies?

pizzaboy

Discussion Starter · #14 · Dec 4, 2005

91-Bluebird said:
Thank you!!! I was starting to wonder howw many times I'd have to say REPLACE T-STAT before my head would explode IF changing one is too much trouble I'd seriously recommend selling the DSM right now before a REAL problem occurs.

Is that directed towards me?

pizzaboy

Discussion Starter · #15 · Dec 6, 2005

OK, it WAS the thermostat. The old one was stuck wide open. The difference was immediate. I was very suprised how quickly it warmed up. It even maintained a slightly higher running temperature. I was afraid the would be difficult like it is on the Saturn. The thermostat on there is down by the bottom of the radiator. Nope, this was cake. I didn't even have to disconnect the water hoses. I just took off the two 12mm bolts holding in the thermostat housing, swapped the thermostat, replaced the gasket, and that was it! It was only $10 total and a few minutes of my time.

shabby

· #16 · Dec 6, 2005

I assume you topped up the coolant?

pizzaboy

Discussion Starter · #17 · Dec 7, 2005

After I let it run and went for a short drive, I checked the coolant bottle level. It was a bit low so I filled it to the "full" line with some 50/50.

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