help me! running too hot

bigpoppa822

Registered User
So I've seen that the normal thing around here is for the temp gauge to be in between the O and the R, but mine is almost all the way up to H, even at idle once it's warmed up. I just finshed putting a new motor in (drove it to work today :) )and even though I'm still doing break-in, these cooling woes are starting to bother me. Is there anything I can do to lower coolant temps? I was thinking about water wetter, but wanted to know what you guys thought. As for temperature-increasing mods, I do have a 10% overdrive pulley on an early model blower that's been home ported and it also has GTP rotors, but it's slipping like crazy and only making 8 pounds of boost because I don't have my MP springs in yet (I do have the right belt for it on). Help! I don't have the expertise you guys do. (17 year old SC owner here)
 
Water wetter works, cuts say maybe 10 deg.
Backwash A/C condenser (probably filled with bugs and dirt)
Add Tranny cooler(2), do a forum 'search' for designs.
Don't run A/C, as condenser blows hot air in radiator.
Of course new radiator. (say Griffen)
Drive on shady side of the street.:rolleyes:
Do a forum 'search' for other ideas
 
1-How about your thermostat?
2-I know you said the fan is good, but does it turn on when it should?
3-Did you bleed the air out of your system when you refilled it with coolant?
4-You are right to be concerned about the temperature on your car. Overheating these motors can cause havoc on the heads, headgaskets, and if enough water gets in the motor you can wipe out the bottom end or bend things with a version of hydro lock.

Good Luck:)
 
1-How about your thermostat?
2-I know you said the fan is good, but does it turn on when it should?
3-Did you bleed the air out of your system when you refilled it with coolant?
4-You are right to be concerned about the temperature on your car. Overheating these motors can cause havoc on the heads, headgaskets, and if enough water gets in the motor you can wipe out the bottom end or bend things with a version of hydro lock.

Good Luck:)

Haven't checked the t-stat, should I just replace it? Fan comes on when it should, AC doesn't have a charge in it so its always off, I bled out the air with that bleed valve on the top of the motor three times, and my father (mechanic) said I should probably replace the radiator cap, but can the cap actually make a difference?
And the front air dam is on, the car is complete.
 
What year is your SC......

It might be something simple like a bad relay in the IRCM.....

Can you tell which speed your fan is running......

Unplug the connector to the ECT sensor that is located right behind the blower tentioner.....

This will cause the low speed to come on and you will get a CEL.....

If that brings your engine temp down to an acceptable level, somewhere between the O and R, then there are other repairs you can do to make the fan operate and keep you engine cool.....
 
when the new motor was intsalled was everything new ?

maybe the t-stat is old ?

did u flush the radiator at all ?

do what Big-E said. if that ECT isnt reading the coolant temp right, its not gonna do what it should.
 
1990 sc Temp gauge not working

I have a 90 sc and the temp gauge does not work, how can i fix this. If anyone out there cn help me out that would be great.
 
I have a 90 sc and the temp gauge does not work, how can i fix this. If anyone out there cn help me out that would be great.

replace the coolant temp sensor thats behind the acc belt tensioner. u'll see what im talkin about. its cheap too.


yay !! finally 1,000 posts !!
 
Bringing this one back from the dead!

Idled my car for about a half hour today, couldn't drive it yet (unregistered).

The car now has working A/C, and the fan comes on high when it's on.

However, with the A/C off and the engine warm, the fan does not turn on.

Do I need a new IRCM or is there a cheaper fix, as in relays, sensors, etc.?
 
You need to get aftermarket temp gauge the console one is junk,
well against the majority of people here, i just put a fan switch in so i control it,how do yo know the fan needs to kick on while idlin? it may not need to
 
You need to get aftermarket temp gauge the console one is junk,
well against the majority of people here, i just put a fan switch in so i control it,how do yo know the fan needs to kick on while idlin? it may not need to

I have an autometer temp gauge, it's just not hooked up yet. I want everything to work and be like a stock car, so I don't want to wire the fan on a switch, either. The stock gauge read around the R and M in NORM with the car idling in my driveway, it got hot enough underhood (with the hood open the whole time) where even the fenders were too hot to touch. If the fan isn't on when it's that hot, I'm thinking something is wrong but I'm not sure.
 
Bringing this one back from the dead!

Idled my car for about a half hour today, couldn't drive it yet (unregistered).

The car now has working A/C, and the fan comes on high when it's on.

However, with the A/C off and the engine warm, the fan does not turn on.

Do I need a new IRCM or is there a cheaper fix, as in relays, sensors, etc.?
Its not likely the IRCM as thats what triggers the fan when the A/C is on. Do you have heat? If not then the coolant might not be moving past the ECT sensor correctly. Thats the sensor that sits on top of the outlet tube which is screwed into the top of the intake manifold on the pass side. Its right in front of the oil filler cap.

Another test to try is to unplug the ECT sensor while the engine is running.. the fan should come on.

I've had problems with the circuit on my other 2 SCs, delayed fan turn on, so I wired in a manual fan switch. Takes time and requires a DPDT switch (for Low-EEC-High), 2 diodes, a 1W 250 Ohm resistor, and patience to do it my way. A simpler way is to use a SPST switch (like the lighted ones they sell at Azone) to just trigger the low speed fan.. + 1 diode and a resistor to allow the EEC to control the A/C fan.

Or.... just cut one special wire to keep it on all the time.

As suggested, also check the thermostat. You can test it in a pot of boiling water.
 
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Its not likely the IRCM as thats what triggers the fan when the A/C is on. Do you have heat? If not then the coolant might not be moving past the ECT sensor correctly. Thats the sensor that sits on top of the outlet tube which is screwed into the top of the intake manifold on the pass side. Its right in front of the oil filler cap.

Another test to try is to unplug the ECT sensor while the engine is running.. the fan should come on.

I've had problems with the circuit on my other 2 SCs, delayed fan turn on, so I wired in a manual fan switch. Takes time and requires a DPDT switch (for Low-EEC-High), 2 diodes, a 1W 250 Ohm resistor, and patience to do it my way. A simpler way is to use a SPST switch (like the lighted ones they sell at Azone) to just trigger the low speed fan.. + 1 diode and a resistor to allow the EEC to control the A/C fan.

Or.... just cut one special wire to keep it on all the time.

As suggested, also check the thermostat. You can test it in a pot of boiling water.


if it were me i would just replace the t-stat anyways if you take it out, its about 15 bux tops, thats not bad, then you could also just get a 180 to keep it that much cooler!!
 
I've installed a separate fan control module from PEP Boys for $29.95 on both of my SC's. It has a thermocouple probe that slides thru the radiator fins under the inlet opening to sense coolant temperature and there is an adjustment screw on it to set the turn on point for the fan. I hooked the controller output wire to the brown/orange fan motor wire. There is also a sense wire that goes directly to 12 volts which will keep the fan running for a couple of minutes after I shut off the engine until it's cooled down. I also have a separate temp gauge and I installed the sensor for it on the tall vent tube on the thermostat housing. This way if I run low on coolant it gets starved 1st and will quit reading unlike the dash temp gauge which will continue to read falsely after being exposed to air.
 
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