Running real hot

[rocafella99]

aright guys 2 questions
First my temperature is real high up at like 250 its at the O sometimes touching the N on the gauge, my radiator once had a crack but i put a sealant in and it seemed to work. It stayed dead in the middle of the gauge until about 1 week ago then it started to get real hot, my dad thinks it might be the thermostat but i need to know what to check i have no money really at all but if i have to i'll find my ways so what should i check before i have to drop more money into a new rad(i know im gonna have to eventually). Its a 90 GT Auto Stock fan
2nd question is
My check engine light has been on since i bought the car and my idles been rough. today my father looked at it and spotted this little sensor looking thing uncapped and he capped it and now the check engine light doesn't go on anymore but I wanted to know what the hell it was that he capped. He says an o2 sensor but I just want verification. Would that make my mpg go down? Its under the Intake on the left to the right there is another one identical with a cap

 

[Jaswir]

might want to replace the t-stat... they are only like 9 bucks for a good one or 3 bucks for a cheap one... i run a 180* t-stat works real good... more then likly its stuck closed or open...


also for the thing u your dad caped... might want to describe it better have no idea what ur talking about... but ur 02 sensors are under the car up on the midpipe...

 

[rocafella99]

K got the pics the one picture the red is the uncapped and yellow is the capped one
the 2nd pic is after i capped it
sry for the garbage pics its 5 am and my girls got my real camera

 

[gcwh02]

K got the pics the one picture the red is the uncapped and yellow is the capped one
the 2nd pic is after i capped it
sry for the garbage pics its 5 am and my girls got my real camera

thats your throttle bracket. Overheating has nothing to do with that. I would change the t-stat and also get a new radiator cap for cheap insurance.

 

[HISSIN50]

You need a real gauge or some way of inferring the actual coolant temps. The stock gauge isnt calibrated (OEM gauges have lots of hysteresis built into them to keep owners from freaking out). A 10 dollar mech gauge could save you lots of money in parts swapping.

You really need to watch the temps with that leak in the system (if it's not totally fixed). The difference in the boiling point of no pressure in the system vs that of a 16 PSI cap is over 40*F.

Good luck.

 

[Italian-LX]

K got the pics the one picture the red is the uncapped and yellow is the capped one
the 2nd pic is after i capped it

You can be serious, are you?

Sorry to break it to you, but not having a cap on the throttle cable is not going to throw a CEL code. That must have been just a coincidence.

 

[rocafella99]

You can be serious, are you?

Sorry to break it to you, but not having a cap on the throttle cable is not going to throw a CEL code. That must have been just a coincidence.

Welp he tightened some lines so i guess thats what did it lmao

 

[bullitstang1313]

As far as the CEL, I would get a cheapo scan tool or look for jrichker's how to pull the codes with a paper clip post and see if you have any codes. As far as trying to figure out why the engine is running hot, there are several things to check. You can always check the thermostat with on the stove with a thermometer and hot water. A lot of times people just like to swap to a cooler setting like 180* instead of 195*. The radiator cap is another cheap part to replace to insure you have good pressure. You might want to post some information about your car in your signature in order to help us determine what could be causing you issues.

 

[302RollinHard]

yeah don't trust the stock gauge. for me, middle of the gauge is 200, next line up is 208, and line up from that is 227. (temp readings per my PMS) So when it looks like I am on the verge of getting way too hot, it is 227, which is still hot, but definitely not hot enough to really damage the engine.

 

[rocafella99]

Welp check engine lights up again its the lean godes 34 and 91? i believe I have the reader if need be, I gotta get this thing cleared up its driving me nuts seeing check engine go on. The Temp's driving me nuts to im going to pick up a tstat in a day or 2

 

[sivart]

just got done fixing my overheating problem. change you t-stat to a 180, new rad cap, flush your coolant, and check and see if your fan clutch is still good , if not change that.

 

[rocafella99]

K changed the t-stat to a 180, problem persists!. I opened my rad cap and you can see the sealant i put in sticking to the walls i'm thinking thats causing it, if it is I'm gonna pick up a new rad! You guys think thats it?

 

[mike50sa]

The fan itself could be cracked also. The factory fan is plastic and sometimes the blades develop cracks where the blades connect to the hub. Do all the things listed in the replies above also, good advise there. Latemodel Resto has replacement blades that aren't all that expensive.

The factory system works alright when everything is functioning properly and in good order. The factory gauges aren't all that good, but if you're seeing a spike in temp like you said, then something is up.

Good luck.

 

[drop_mach]

its not very expensive to replace the whole cooling system. i had the same things happe with my 87 vert. i replaced the waterpump, radiator (with a 3 core), thermostat, fan and clutch, and all the hoses. it shouldnt cost you but about $250 if you can do all the work yourself. but as the others have said on here, dont trust the factory gauge. they are electrical and arent very accurate. i replaced all mine with autometer carbon fiber units.