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NEED HELP PLEASE

That is very likely the thermostat. However, the heater core could be clogged up too.

The thermostat is the first step. Just buy the correct one from AutoZone, get some coolant (preferably 50-50 premixed). Drain coolant. Trace upper radiator hose to the engine. That is where the thermostat should be (not sure...haven't seen your engine). It should be in a housing with probably two bolts on it. Take the old one out (note the orientation..some have a jiggle valve). Put the new one, with new gasket, in and bolt it back down. Do not put it on really tight. If you do, you may crack the housing. If it isn't tight enough, it will leak a little after it gets hot, but you can tighten it while the engine is running until it stops leaking. You do not want to be looking for a new thermostat housing!

Then reconnect the hose, close the drain plug and fill with coolant. Run the car with the radiator cap off and the heater on full. Watch the fluid level and run it until it is hot. Add fluid as needed. If that doesn't fix it, it's probably the heater core.

Reply to
Nobody U. Know
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I have a 94 Eagle summit with a 1.5 mitsubishi engine. for some reason the car doesnt heat up, well the temp guage doesnt go up and the car doesnt blow enough heat. (about room temp when the car's been running for 30 mins) Someone suggested i change the thermostat and flush the rad. but the problem is, i dont know where the thermostat, as for the rad i think i can figure it out some how, so if someone can give me step by step instructions, that would be great. Thanks a lot.

Reply to
pipe_dreamz

Not familiar with this particular vehicle, but basic troubleshooting of any low/no heat situation would be:

  1. Make sure the radiator is full to the top with coolant/water mix. Low coolant or trapped air in the system can cause this symptom.

  1. Make sure there are no stuck shut off valves in the heater hose line. These are usually located near the firewall and vacuum activated. They are used to stop the flow of coolant through the heater core during summer months when you are primarily running A/C.

  2. Make sure the heater core is not clogged/blocked. You can generally feel a hot hose entering the heater core and a cold one leaving if the core is blocked. A good cooling system backflush is a good idea every 2 years for that vintage and type of coolant to keep the system working properly.

  1. It is possible that your Thermostat is either stuck open or not the correct temperature (or even removed completely) if it was changed by someone and there was no problem getting heat previously or you don't know the maintenance history of the vehicle.

  2. Last possibility, although rare, is your cooling fan may be running/stuck on when it should be off. This can be caused by a defective temperature sensor or a stuck relay.

  1. Probably other possibilities, but this is what comes to my mind.

Good Luck!

Bob

Reply to
Bob Shuman

Sounds like you are new to the repair area. You need a manual. Generally a factory manual is best, but for what you want to do a Chilton or Haynes will work. Available at places like auto parts stores, KMart, etc. About $20. Lots of pictures to help the beginner. If the temp on the dash isn't going up and you are short on heat, the first suspect is the thermostat as you were told. "When a legislature undertakes to proscribe the exercise of a citizen's constitutional rights it acts lawlessly and the citizen can take matters into his own hands and proceed on the basis that such a law is no law at all."

- Justice William O. Douglas

Reply to
MisterSkippy

I just saw this reply and would advise against using the 50/50 pre-mix, especially if you live up North where temperatures can drop way below zero. I say this since you can rarely ever get all the water out of the system after you have flushed it, so the final mix will be somewhere less than 50% antifreeze, meaning that your freeze point will be higher than -34 degrees F (this is what it would be with a 50/50 mix). I prefer to find the cooling system full capacity in the owner's manual or factory service manual and then calculate the percentage mix I want (usually 55% which moves the freeze point down to -48 degrees F). I then add that amount of antifreeze and top off the rest with distilled water. Again, it depends on where you live and how cold it gets there since 50% mix provides better cooling in the summer.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Shuman

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