So my girls '89 she recently purchased for 400$ guess who thought she should buy it? Well anyway this car is basically my project but its not money...i enjoy working on cars and its for my girl to drive everyday so its all good. Well the project today was a coolant flush...The heater blows cold and the temp guage doesnt work so i decided this is a good idea. So i open the cap...lots of foam came out, like whiteish color. Coolant was green...amazingly. Oh and the car sat for over a year and half. I unbolt the 2 screws for the thermostat housing and low and behold...there is no thermostat! lol. So i put a 195* change the gasket and bolt it back together. Now i drain all the coolant flush the system. Well theres lots of this white cruddy junk built up in there...i got most of it out but not all of it. I fill it up drive it around and i got heat that works like new. So that was fixed. Im guessing without the thermostat the car was running WAY WAY to cool and wasnt actually warming itself up. Now for the temp guage...what could this be just the sensor? Or can this get more in depth.

Thanks, Steve

I just thought id share today's experiance with you guys

 

Im thinking sensor myself

let us know something

 

Oh i also meant to say...the fan runs all the time..with the key in the ON position or when the engine is actually running. I dont think its suppose to cause my car does not but i dunno about the 89s. Is this ghetto rigged to run all the time or is there a certain fan switch out there that keeps the fan on all the time?

 

its hacked. Track it down

 

i got 1 cut wire hanging down by the right side A-Arm...Oil pressure guage sometimes works and sometimes it doesnt though its been working for awhile now. i thought it was for that i dunno yet lol.

 

Oil pressure sender is usually by the distributor, those are known for going out. about $30

 

update:

Alright the wire hanging below went to the Coolant Temperature Guage that i found under the #1 cylinder underneath the exhaust header...Got a connector made to fit...and sure enough i have a temp guage now! BUT that stupid fan is still running all the time.

Ideas? A fan switch that goes bad...that would cause the fan not to work at all correct? Id like to buy a 195* fan switch for this car but if i put it in and the fan is still going to run all the time id rather not. Id like to fix the fan first then put a lower fan switch in. Could the fan running all the time have to do with the relay?

Car took awhile to warm up(duh) and seems to keep rising over 220 with the fan on was a little curious about that. The radiator is leaking its shot its been JB welded before and it leaking so that will be replaced in the short future for sure.

So ya thats about it...anyone got any opinions?

-Steve

 

nobody can help me?

 

If it has a fan switch it should be on the pass side head between 6 and 8. Single button head connector. The wire for that switches on the fans when grounded. Try and find the wire. If it's there and not hacked unplugging it should turn off the fan. If it does then bad switch.

 

sounds good ill try that, thank you

 

My old 89 was also rigged by a previous owner to have the fan on all the time. I ran a 180* thermostat and it never got above 200. Maybe give one a shot.

 

i have an 89 bird, and well its practically the same as a camaro as far as cooling goes...
the fans are originaly set to turn on at 225 degrees...
Since shes overheating, check to see if the air dam is intact, with out this the car will overheat all the time.
once you replace that radiator it should cool like it should, and while your there you should replace the hoses and clamps too. just my 2 cents

 

unpluged the fan switch and sure enough the fans went off...im ordering a new 200* fan kick on switch soon and new radiator is on the way

now...front end...speedo cable...brakes...it never ends lol.

 

The little white lumps floating around, white stuff around rad cap, foam ect. is a slow oil leak in possily a head gasket. Those white lumps are oil deposits. Same thing happened with my work van. If it will be daily driver time to think about a crate engine.