ALEX L

THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO AN EARLIER POST. MY '88 TURBO "S" CREEPS UP TO THE SECOND LINE ON THE TEMP GAUGE IF SITTING IN TRAFFIC. ONCE MOVING, THE NEEDLE SLOWLY GOES BACK TO JUST ABOVE THE FIRST LINE AFTER I GET TO SPEED. I BLED THE COOLANT TO TRY TO LET AIR OUT AND I ADDED MORE WATER TO TRY TO GET THE MIXTURE CLOSER TO 50-50 BUT THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. THIS PROBLEM IS NEW, IT NEVER RAN HOT NOT EVEN IN 100 DEGREE HEAT. WHITH THIS SAID I BELEIVE THE THERMOSTAT TO BE BAD, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IF SO,WHERE CAN I ORDER ONE ONLINE AND IS IT A JOB I CAN DO AT HOME? THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP....

ALEX- '88 SILVER ROSE TURBO "S"

Jason_86_951

Alex-
Its my belief that it is either or both:
Fan relay.
Thermostat.

My car is doing the same thing I just haven't had time to dig in yet. My fan used to kick on the driver's side at 1/4 mark then both at the 1/2 mark. Now it waits untill the 1/2 mark and kicks on both untill it drops to the 1/4 mark. It seems we both might have the same problem.

Any coolant gurus out there???

Riff

I am by no means a coolant guru, but here are my ideas. Alex, not to state the obvious, but did you bleed the coolant with the front raised and the heater on max with the fans on high???? Might still be some trapped air.

Another thing to mention, thermostats are either good or bad, no in between. They are just a valve that is either closed or open to direct coolant around the engine. Closed, I do not know if there is enough coolant circulating that your car wouldn't just over heat. Full open, and your car may not ever reach proper operating temps. I don't think the behavior you car has can be ascribed to a faulty thermostat.

Even after bleeding my cars system numerous times, I still had behavior like you mention. Turns out I had a pin-***** leak in my cooling system that allowed air to get into the system. Sealed the leak, bled the system and my car works just as before; temp comes up to the first mark and just stays there. You might want to look for any little leak that could introduce air into the system.

HTH

Lizard944

I'm with Riff on the thermostat, (they either work, or they don't). Nine times out of ten,they usually stick in the closed position, which will cause the vehicle to overheat. I also think it's trapped air. I had the same problem, and bled it the conventional way (open bleeder with engine running, and heater on). Got alot of sputtering and sizzleing out of the bleeder hole,but it was probably still inhaling air...like letting your foot off the brake pedal, before closing the bleed screw ! I did a little trick, years before seeing it posted on this list, and it involves basically doing CPR on your coolant tank. You can do this on a cool engine. With your engine off, remove the coolant cap and clean the filler neck well, because your lips are going to be placed on this. Next, open your bleed screw a couple turns and keep your wrench on it . Now pinch off your overflow hose and blow into the coolant tank with your lips sealing against the filler neck. Watch the bleeder screw until a steady stream of coolant is coming out, then quickly close it before you stop blowing.
OK , I'm ready for all of the jokes, but this really works. I also use "Water Wetter", and a 40% coolant,60% distilled water mix and my temp gauge rarely goes above horizontal. Hope this helps.
Bryon

adrial

I'm just wondering if my car is exhibiting normal behavior... I think it's running a little on the warm side when I compare it to the original posters statements.
There are 4 lines on the gauge. The bottom line, 2 middle lines and the red line up top. My car will run up 3/4 to the 3rd line when I'm letting the car "cool off" after driving it. I don't recall what the temp does when in traffic, because thats pretty rare around here. Typically it's between the 1st and 2nd lines...sometimes getting close to the 3rd line. The fans do run a good amount of the time after I shut off the car. I guess one of these days I'll pop the hood when the car is creeping towards the 3rd line and check if both fans are running.

MAS

Yes, I think it is normal. My 924S has done this from the day I bought it... and it never seems to be coming close to actually overheating. I've asked two Porsche mechanics about this (one at the dealer) and both said that this was normal for the cars.

Also, I have to wonder exactly how far the 3/4 mark really is. Because, when the fan kicks in, the temperature goes down to below the middle mark within a matter of seconds (and I mean seconds, usually under ten... sometimes less).

If you compare this to my 82 Mazda RX7's temp gauge... when my Mazda reads 3/4 on the temp gauge (which is rare), then it is definitely way hot... and like most cars, it will not cool down to normal temperatures in 7 or 8 seconds like the Porsche.

The fact that the Porsche cools so quickly could either mean that it has the most fantastic fan/rad combo in the world, or that the car is not running as hot as the temp gauge seems to indicate.

-MAS

-MAS