therckid

Ok today when i got out to my car i started it and it took a little effort, took longer then normal..

plus when i hit the throttle it took longer to feel it, once it warmed up it was ok but until a minute was over the revs seemed delayed a bit.

my outside temperature guage said 19 degrees and its normally 4-5 degrees off, cause when it says 34 the wndshield is normally ice so....


Is it time i switch to 5W30 oil? or is there another problem?




shane

sellmanb

Yes you should switch to 5w30, but that isnt your problem. When the engine is that cold then the car is just going to be hard to start, it will take a lot more fuel to get started. Hopefully your coolant temperature sensor is up to spec and working properly so you wont be much effected.

Also in the cold weather, it is very hard on the battery with the temperature.

I would consider switching over to 5w30, and not worrying about it otherwise. Best of luck.

therckid

well i have a 120* thermostat, the lowest i could get, the fans are hard wired, the engine is meant to be cool....

i guess it might of been the battery iunno, but i will chnage it with 5w30 next time and see if there is any improvement, otherwise, i'll just change it back...

but is this common, should i worry or what?

sellmanb

D'oh.

Okay, I mean to say this in the nicest way possible so dont take it as a insult please.

You NEED the car to run ATLEAST 200-220 degrees at all times. The block needs to be that hot in order to combust the fuel properly. You will run way rich all the time if you dont.

Have the fans wired back properly. Get a 190 degree t-stat. You will need to put that back to specs. Frankly I'm amazed that the car goes to closed loop at all.

It's a common misconception that the cooler a engine runs the longer it lasts and the smoother it will run.

Stekman

Sure it's common. It's also common for people to learn how to trouble shoot their own problems instead of pissing and moaning about every last issue they can't resolve, which for you, seems to cover everything from this, to probably rotating your own tires.

Shane, learn how to search. Get some books. Heaven forbid you actually learn something for once.

I'd post something useful, but anyone who runs a 120° thermostat and actually think it does good on an EFI system, I doubt it's going to sink in.

therckid

ok heres the problem on the thermostat, the car used to be a long distance beater for my step-dad, he used to drive from east coast of florida to mississippi every weekend and back.

So he had a 120* thermo put in.... and one day he decided to pull a bolt out and it brok in the hole and had to be drilled out, ever since then now the thermostat housing if even touched hill start to leak fluid, he said for me to never tocuh it cause it took them hours to get it to seal...

other then that the fans are hard wired,but the engine temp sensor is always at 190-220, so the engine is just fine...

Stekman

They invented RTV sealant for a reason. Don't tell me you don't know what that is. You know, same gunk you used to fill in holes in your spoiler.

sellmanb

a thermostat housing - 20 dollars
a 190 degree thermostat - 5 dollars
having your engine work properly - priceless

good mastercard commercial if i dont say so myself

Slow2.8

lol, hell ya, priceless
these threads are great lol makes me laugh every time...

sellmanb

Shane, I invite you to IM me any time you want to talk and dream up stuff for the 3rd gens... before you post it on here. Maybe I can help you without having people cut your head off. My AIM s/n is F86Offspring

bulletboy29

I don't see how it could ever get to that temp with the fans hard wired and a 120* thermostat!

sellmanb

me neither bullet, unless his timing is waaaay off.

I think your temperature gauge is off actually.

therckid

it does if i need to take a pic i will but it'll get to 235 somtimes too... mayube even 240 but i get scared then....

Thewre is RTV silicone on there now and its relaly weird but it didn't like top seal way back then, i'd need an entire intake manifold so.... i'll just keep what i got...

Stekman

While you're taking pictures, take a picture of this 400 block, the 454 Pro-Streeted Camaro and the numerous other thigns.

therckid

hmmmm 400 sbc is at my friends house since my rents dnt let me have stuff here, 454 bbc camaro is in florida, and i'm in missouri, kinda hard bro....

bulletboy29

That's not good.

nsimmons

My car will bottom out the temp gauge if i leave my fan turned on, if your car still runs hot and even almost over heats with that stat and your fans wired then something is seriously wrong. That stat maybe be stuck almost closed.

Rip the damn thing out and replace it. If you cant fix a leaking stat housing how are you going to fix your car after you pull the engine out and break everything.

How come your car has a daily problem? You know its ok to tinker with things you dont understand as long as you remember how to undo what youve done. ****ing it up then asking for help doesnt count.

RB83L69

I'd suggest un-hacking your cooling system, put it back like it came, until you understand better how it's supposed to work. Put the right thermostat back in it, put the fan wiring back like it belongs, put the right weight of oil in it, etc. etc. etc.

It's an indicator of lack of experience, in more ways than one, to set a car up to run that cool in a place where the temp goes down near zero for a good bit of the year. You're not in South Florida any more.

235 or 240° is not a problem. The factory fan switch doesn't even turn the fan on, until the temp reaches a little over 230°. In other words, the engine doesn't need cooling, in the factory's eyes (not that they would know what they're doing or anything about these cars or stuff like that.... ), until it reaches that point. In yet other words, 235° IS NOT overheating. It is totally normal and correct.

So, put it back like it belongs, with the right thermostat and wiring and all that; fix the bolt, which means drill it out and Heli-Coil it; and let it work the way it's supposed to. Believe it or not, you don't yet know more than the factory does about how a car is supposed to work.

THEGENERAL

Ok heres the deal shane it gets cold in the midwest so stop posting about every little thing that you come across that has to do with cold weather..................

As for the oil, change it to 5w30, as for the thermostat i bet you dont have a 120 degree stat in there if it is getting that warm with direct fans

You probably dont know for sure what stat is even in the car do you ?

As for this thread why is it even here?

Would someone please this mess ...

Storms Of War

Shane, are you an automotive hypochondriac?

VILeninDM

I know I shouldn't contribute to this mess, but Shane, is that 120 in fahrenheit, celcius or kelvin?

and what does thermostat have to do with starting in cold weather? As you are turning the key, the temperature of your coolant is 19 +/- 4 to 5 degrees (you need a new window thermometer. I suggest the one with a remote radio transmitter sensor).

I will admit, than now when I see these posts I have to look inside just for ___s and giggles. But seriously, Shane has one good thing going for him, he is young and he has a 3rd gen. And just for not going to the other side and asking on some other board which way the fart cannon is supposed to face to make more power, I will give him some credit (not much though). Other than that, you really need to put down the screwdriver (or any tool you may be holding) and just start reading. This board is free, car magazines (hotrod, CHP, car craft...) are about $1/month.

People on this board are always willing to help, but as you may have noticed when certain level of ignorance has been reached, you will stop receiving any kind of constructive advice. Unfortunately, my friend, you've been reaching that level in about 50% of your posts.

[I would also seriously consider IM'ing sellmanb if I were you before he changes his mind]