LHS overheating

'94 LHS

Twice today, going to and then coming back from a place about 70 miles away

- car starts running hot, warning light on and temp needle all the way up until I'd gone about ten miles, then it drops back to normal and stays there the rest of the trip with no problems. Belts and coolant level look fine.

I'm guessing that the thermostat is sticking shut, then opening up after a time, but I ain't no mechanic. ;-)

Am I on the right track? Can I just tell the people at the Chrysler place to replace the thermostat?

Reply to
freemont
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Reply to
maxpower

On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:01:12 -0400, maxpower writ:

Thanks for the feedback.

The car was started cold both times today. This is what happened:

Start car, head down the road After several miles, car reaches operating temperature Car then gets hotter and hotter - passing normal temp (unusual) Car stays at hot temp for several miles Car then abruptly settles back down to normal temp Car stays at normal temp with no problems indefinitely thereafter

It's not that it gets hot at stop signs, or anything like that.

Reply to
freemont

Reply to
Mike Y

The thermostat on that 3.5 engine is easy to get at and fairly cheap as well. Replace it and let us know if that does the trick. Assuming the temperature sensor and fan/relay are working properly, it sounds to me as though it is sticking closed and requires inordinate heat/pressure to open the first time.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Shuman

Reply to
maxpower

On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:09:40 -0400, Mike Y writ:

No, not in a long while.

This is the plan. Thanks!

Reply to
freemont

On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:13:19 +0000, Bob Shuman writ:

Thank you - this is exactly what I suspected.

I'm not a technician, but I have done minor repairs to cars when necessary. Is this thermostat job something that can be done with a couple of simple tools? No sealants or special gaskets or gunk or anything?

I'm a guy who has replaced the starter, alternator, and other things on my

280ZX, so jobs of that nature don't worry me. But this LHS isn't so easy to work on.

And where is the thing (thermostat)?

Thanks again!

Reply to
freemont

On Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:26:15 -0400, maxpower writ:

heheh... thanks again, Glenn! I guess I'll just replace that sucker.

Reply to
freemont

The thermostat housing is held in place by two 13mm (If I recall correctly) bolts and has one gasket. From memory, I believe if you follow the upper radiator hose to the engine block, you will see the housing. Get the right thermostat and make sure you note the orientation and put it in the correct way! Scrape and wire brush off all the old gasket and retighten the bolts evenly. It is not a difficult or costly job. Good luck.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Shuman

On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 02:41:56 +0000, Bob Shuman writ:

Well I guess I got it on ok. I don't know if I got all the old gasket off, but all I had to scrape it off was a flathead screwdriver and I didn't want to scratch up the metal. I can't see any leaking, and after replenishing a little water I drove to the store and back with no overheating.

I'll ask here if I see any problems. Thanks so much for the advice!

Reply to
freemont

Don't forget to bleed the air out of the system! On the top of the T-stat housing there's a fitting that looks like a brake bleeder. Crack it open while pouring coolant into the reservoir, and close it when bubbles stop coming out with the stream of coolant.

Reply to
Steve

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 09:02:22 -0500, Steve writ:

The car should be running when I do this, right? Hot or cold or doesn't matter?

Reply to
freemont

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