i think this part is bad but i have no idea what its called so i cant price it... can someone tell me what its called???

its the black plastic thing on the passenger side near the altenator that kinda favors the egr valve but its black and plastic... THANKS!

 

That is your heater control valve. It sends hot water to the heater core for heat in the winter. Why do you think it is bad? What is your car doing?

 

well the car has been overheating and we already went through and replaced the head gaskets cuz we already knew they were bad and we already replaced the thermostat... the guy we bought the firebird from said he had just replaced the water pump and flushed the radiator... so i saw that there were water hoses going to the heater control valve so i hit it a couple of times and the temperature gauge went down... and also the heater doesnt always work

 

It could very well be bad then. It's pretty simple to replace. The local parts house should have one on hand.

 

thanks! so could the HCV be making the car over heat or do you think that was just a coincidence that the temp went down then because sometimes the temp will just randomly go down but then itll go back up

 

well, after 20 + years, the factory gage probably has lost some of it's accuracy. My 92 reads 220 to 230, but I shot the temp with and IR gun and it was 195 spot on, so that could also be your problem. If it was truly overheating, the water would be boiling out and steam everywhere,

 

bypass the heater core and ancillary connections and you'll know for sure.

 

How would i bypass it since there are 2 hoses on oneside and one on the other plus the vacuum line on the top