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1993 Tercel getting too hot

I don't know about that vintage Tercel, but I do need to back off the collective guess a bit. My first instinct was that his tstat was toast. If so, then it could be losing coolant as a result. Having said that, white steam from the exhaust is an advanced case of serious trouble, a more mild case -- early stages -- would be coolant loss with no visible outward signs. If the Tercel's motor is not known for this kind of problem - head gasket or cracks - then I would put it on the back burner.

Good point. My mechanic once said he detected a coolant problem with my car and he used his sniffer as the test tool. I assumed he put the sniffer in the exhaust, but it makes sense that he might have put it in the radiator. It turns out I had a cracked head, and I thought he was sniffing coolant in the exhaust, but he could have easily sniffed exhaust in the coolant.

Me too. My gut feeling is the tstat, I just got off on a tangent that reflects a worse case scenario.

Reply to
J Strickland
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Your answer makes it sound as if the fan runs for a fixed length of time after it starts then shuts off...that doesn't seem right to me, I thought that the fan came on at a certain temp and stayed on as long as the temp was above a fixed amount...no?

Reply to
Gord Beaman

No, it's controlled by a temp sensor. The sensor is independent of the thermostat, so what the coolant does in terms of circulating and what the fan does in terms of cycling on and off won't always be the same. So, yes, the fan comes on and remains on as long as the temp is above a threshold, but when the temp reaches the threshold, logic says the thermostat should be opening about then too, and when the thermostat opens, then the sensor that turns the fan on should begin to cool and shut the fan off.

Sorry if my answer was confusing, under the conditions we are talking about, the initial warm up cycle of a cold engine, the fan should come on at some point following the thermostat opening. The tstat should open at 195F, or just under 100C, but the fan should start at about 210 (or 100). The pressurized system is designed to maintain an even temperature in the range of about 205 to 215. It's entirely possible that the fan won't run during this test if the coolant can circulate enough to draw the heat off. Keep fingers clear just in case.

Reply to
J Strickland

Well, yes...

Of course...it's not rocket science I guess...

Now then, just to chuck poop into the punchbowl, I understand that the a/c uses this same fan (on some makes) while other models have their own separate fan...

Reply to
Gord Beaman

Yes, that is true. And it is throwing poop into the punch bowl, as disgusting as that is.

Reply to
J Strickland

Yes, and the only reason that I mention it is because if one is checking the rad cooling aspect of the fan then one must be careful to select the a/c off so as to not be misled about what's starting the fan...

--Gord.

Reply to
Gord Beaman

You left out a possible clogged radiator core too because that is not too uncommon on a vehical of this age either.

Reply to
SnoMan

That's a good point. My cars are pretty much all of this vintage, or older, and I haven't experienced a clogged radiator in at least 20 years, and I just forgot that this can happen. If the car maintains a healthy dose of proper coolant, the radiator ought not clog.

Reply to
J Strickland

So, after a whole lot of headaches, the problem is finally solved.. Took it to a shop to get their opinion, and they convinced me it was the water pump.. $400 later, the problem was still there.. So, I took it out myself, and changed out the thermostat.. That seemed to do the trick, as it's running a lot cooler now.. oh, the fan seems to have started working now...

So, moral of the story is, when in doubt, change the thermostat.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Reply to
Duane

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