NOTE: These are details, skip ahead if you just want to read my questions

So I'm still trying to make sure everything is working at it should on my car w/the various new cooling system components I've installed. The list of recently installed parts includes a new fail-safe thermostat, water pump, 2-core aluminum radiator, and a heater core. Also new lower/upper hoses.

I tried running the car about a week ago, and it was about 55 degrees out or so. The temp guage hit about 220, and quickly cooled back down to 180-ish when the fan kicked on. However, there didn't seem to be any surge of hot coolant/pressure in the upper radiator hose that I could feel throughout it, so I was a bit worried. That, and the heater air in the car had barely warmed up at all.

This morning, it was about 44 degrees out or so. Decided to top off the radiator once more (it isn't leaking), and run the car again. This time, the temp guage barely started going up at all, even after nearly 10 min or running or so (just idling). However, this time, the heater air managed to get a bit warmer than last time. Feeling around, the heater hoses warmed up somewhat, and the radiator hoses not that much. The radiator cap was a bit warm. During running, the fan never came on, but the idle dropped down as though it was starting to get closer to operating temp.

My questions are as following..

- Does it sound like everything is working correctly?
- Is it possible for a failsafe t-stat to be bad from the get-go?
- How long should the car take to warm up to operating temp?
- Is there a good chance I need to bleed/flush the system? if so, how?

Also, while changing my heater core, I broke a couple small chunks of plastic off of the vent duct, but hooked everything back together as it should be, and just duct taped any holes. But air seems to barely blow out of the vents now (even with the fan on full blast). What else would cause this problem?

Lots of questions, and thanks for any answers!

 

What was your procedure for filling it?

 

I am having a little hot issue also. my question is what radiator cap should I use on my 89 RS? Thanks

 

Flight ... everything sounds right to me. If you are running a 180 stat, you'll not ever get alot of warm air from the heater. And a 160 stat = no heat at all.

camarosrock1989 ... 16lb standard radiator cap

 

Thank you newbie

 

Alright, so I decided to fire up the car again today...and I'm still a bit confounded, but I'm starting to think the newer thermostat in it might be a dud. I'll try to summarize the details a bit more briefly this time!

- Radiator/side tank reservoir still full from last time (no bubbles or any weird stuff)
- Ran it for about 5-10 min (just idling and a few small revs)
- Started it with the radiator cap off to add more coolant if needed, but it stayed full (even when pressing hoses to burp it)
- The lower radiator hose gets hot, as well as all of the heater hoses
- The upper radiator does NOT get hot like the other hoses do
- The temp gauge did not climb much at all, maybe to like 150-160 degrees or so.
- Fans did not come on.
- Tailpipes blow a bit of blue-ish smoke when running (no coolant smells, but a strong gas smell, so I think it's running rich)
- The system does hold pressure (*splash!* when the radiator cap was removed after running)
- Air in car gets hot with heater on
- No milky oil or anything that would indicate a bad head gasket

The system seems to have enough coolant in it, so I'm beginning to suspect that the thermostat isn't opening (it gets hot near the housing, but the hose stays cool). If so, I guess the "failsafe" has already failed, lol

Also, since the fans on these cars are electronically controlled, is their activation controlled by the coolant temp sensor/temp gauge, or it's own switch? Just curious, because I'm also starting to wonder if either the temp gauge is already acting up again, or if the 2-core radiator I put in is just that awesome

 

Fan runs off the fan switch, located in pass side head between #6 & #8 spark plug. It may be the case where you just didn't get hot enough yet for the fan to run - stock fan switch doesn't make fan run until head temp reaches 220.

And as such, maybe the stat just didn't open yet either. A "failsafe" stat has holes in it thatallow some coolant flow through, regardless of the temp. There isn't anything special between the way the pintle/spring functions as opposed to any standard stat. You can take any stat, and drill a few 1/8 in holes in the edges, and now you've made your own "failsafe" stat. They just charge you extra for the fancy name and the hole(s) being predrilled.

 

No, a failsafe stat has a wax pellet that melts at 260 degrees. If the coolant temperature ever reaches that, the pellet melts and the thermostat becomes permanently open. Bypass holes around the edge don't have anything to do with it.

 

Where do you buy a "failsafe" thermostat? I like the peace of mind.

 

Any parts store.

As far as peace-of-mind, it'll only ever save you if your overheating problem is a stuck thermostat, which it almost never is.