90 SC won't reach operating temp

pete 90 5spd

Registered User
My 90SC will not warm up even after driving for a few hours. The temp guage barely reaches the line after the blue area.

I have been smelling coolant burning and have been adding coolant for about a month. It seems like there is a leak in the radiator. It has a new water pump, new thermostat, but the heater core needs replacing. I have the heater hoses bypassed.

The car just passed NYS emissions and seems to be running ok, but not perfect. It has been using more gas than usual and doesn't seem to have that jump we all are used to.

My check engine light is on intermittedly, but I do not have a scanner.

Maybe I have a faulty guage or the coolant temp sensor is shot? I am grasping at straws, as I really don't have much experience with these cars.

Before I pay someone to help me, can anyone give me some leads in the right direction? I would greatly appreciate it.

FYI, the car has 133,000 miles on it, and the motor has never been apart.

Pete
 
hmm..well...

I would ask if you have heat but you bypassed the heater core. Well just FYI..my car has 125,000 miles on it. It started by blowing cold air out of the heater. After that..I saw a coolant lost...kept filling it up...then one day..poof...there goes the head gaskets. So now there gone and I would suspect thats whats wrong with yours. I wouldn't recommend driving it IF its your head gaskets failing. I to replaced my thermastat cause I thought that was my trouble AND I have a brand new water pump. So that would be my guess. I could be wrong tho. One thing my car didn't do was turn the check engine light on. So i dont' know. Another factor woudl be your ar has never been apart and neither has mine. I would be leaning towards HG but lets see what other people think first.
 
If your HG's were gone you wouldnt have a problem reach oper temp. You'd have a problem keeping it there. When mine blew the thing was redlined and it was blowing white/blue smoke and shaking really bad. I would lean towards the sending unit. If it hasn't been running rough I would try it first. If it's throwing a check engine light you probably should go get a reader (they are like 25$ at walmart). A HG blown shouldnt throw the light. Sounds more like an eletrical problem. Check it out and see what you come up with.
 
You might also look at the coolant level,or air in the system.I would recommend that you check out the possibility that you might have an air pocket.When i changed my thermostat i had an air pocket,i called my Mechanic and he advised me to try and get the front end elevated( park on a hill nose up)so that the rad cap is higher than the black tube where the thermostat is.I then removed the rad cap and started the car and let it get hot enough to open the thermostat then turn on the heater and when the coolant level drops fill it up and wait.Usually you will see air come out and you can get the rad filled up properly.
 
Thanks for the replies, gentlemen.

After I changed the fuel filter, power seemed to improve, but efficiency clearly improved. I took a road trip to Maryland and back this weekend, 530 total miles. I drove 490 miles (all highway) on a single tank before refueling.

She is really running smooth again, and I think it is the air problem or the bad sending unit.


Thanks again,

Pete
 
Back
Top