why is it that my thermo is not opening. on my last motor i thought i needed a new head gasket...and now i have a newer motor anit is doing the same thing...can someone tell me the reasons that can cause this... i used my old sendsor that goes on the thermo housing.? and also i got the radiator a the junk yard with no leaks.???
thank you guys for reading and trying to help.


Modified by Dead CIVIC at 8:40 AM 1/7/2008

 

bump cause I'm desperate for answers

 

maybe its rusted shut.... have you taken out the thermostat to inspect it?

 

just take it out

 

replace it.. its probably never been changed.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Joecivic94 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">replace it.. its probably never been changed.</TD></TR></TABLE>
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by speedooo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just take it out</TD></TR></TABLE>
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pdotjones &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">maybe its rusted shut.... have you taken out the thermostat to inspect it?</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

yeah i made a thread with my last profile.

i bought 6 diferent thermostats and would exchange them adn none of them worket righ now it has a 170 dagree duralast brand new out of the box.
and still no fix.
any other ideas guys.
thanks for those answers tho.

 

how do you know that its not opening?

 

did you put it in backwards? you want the spring down, or into, the motor.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pdotjones &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how do you know that its not opening?</TD></TR></TABLE>
well i chech the top hose and its really hot and the bottom hose is cool.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by packman5280 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">did you put it in backwards? you want the spring down, or into, the motor.</TD></TR></TABLE>
yeah i put it in right. i even put the little pin upwards.???
WTF could it be I'm growing more and more desperate to resolve this.
I'm tierd of not driving when the sun comes out.

 

Put the thermostat in a pot of boiling water and see if it opens.

 

possible air pocket in system.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by F40 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Put the thermostat in a pot of boiling water and see if it opens.</TD></TR></TABLE>
does that really work???
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by postman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">possible air pocket in system.</TD></TR></TABLE>
well i have the LS housing on the b20, but I'm not sure how to bleet my water system. how do i do it??

well keep the responds coming.

 

the lower hose should be cooler than the upper, this doesnt signify anything being wrong.

whats the car doing???

 

well the car just heats up all the way if i was to let it.
now i am running no thermo. and fan on at all times.
i know the thermo is not opening because my other cars hose does get hot.
also the fan swithc is nover activated due to the thermo not opening

 

could be a bad fan relay.... just a thought.

 

if you have been through 7 thermostats claiming all were faulty i have a hard time believing its the thermostat.

i mean 1-2 i can see, not 7 in a row. and you know how to install a thermostat but dont know how to bleed the cooling system.

jack the front wheels up, take radiator cap off (with motor cold) and allow the car to run until the fan cuts on (unless the fan doesnt work, then just watch the gauge). you might have to do that a few times if you have a big pocket. its also a good idea to have the heat on full heat and high when doing this. then allow it to cool completely and top of radiator.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by F40 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Put the thermostat in a pot of boiling water and see if it opens.</TD></TR></TABLE>
i check all my thermostats like this, even brand new out of the box from vatozone.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by schardbody &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if you have been through 7 thermostats claiming all were faulty i have a hard time believing its the thermostat.

i mean 1-2 i can see, not 7 in a row. and you know how to install a thermostat but dont know how to bleed the cooling system.

jack the front wheels up, take radiator cap off (with motor cold) and allow the car to run until the fan cuts on (unless the fan doesnt work, then just watch the gauge). you might have to do that a few times if you have a big pocket. its also a good idea to have the heat on full heat and high when doing this. then allow it to cool completely and top of radiator.</TD></TR></TABLE>
well i wouldnt claim for them to be faulty. i'd just say it was the wrong one.
well if there isn't an air poket could the radiator have anything to with it.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bpkmrtoes &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I'll hive this a try then.
i check all my thermostats like this, even brand new out of the box from vatozone.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

if yer running no thermo now and still have to run the heater to stay cool, you either need to bleed the system or replace the rad.

 

i was leaning toward hearing replacing the rad...will a rad ever cause this.
i just think it might be defectivebecause i bought it from a junk yard but how could it be messed up.

 

you can check if your radiator is clogged by using a laser thermometer and check if there is a big temp difference anywhere. you can do this also by touch but won't be as accurate and might burn yourself lol.

usually i:
1: check thermo stat is good by boiling it.
2: make sure my ECT looks good and not rusted, ect...
3: make sure all my hoses are good.
4: make sure my rad is atleast flowing.
5: then i flush my motor and radiator.

I put everything back together then:
6: fill up with whatever mix of coolant.
7: i leave cap off and start the car with heater on full so the coolant will recirculate.
8: wait until thermostat and fan kick on
9: fill to top
10: wait until thermostat and fan kick on again
11: fill as necessary
12: Wait again
13: top off and close cap.

on most of the cars i've worked on. single cams take a really long time to warm up and kick the fan on. i'm estimating about 20-40 mins. but that is probably because the heater is cooling it while you are trying to warm it up.

 

thak you for this info and your effort, i will try this
what is a ECT, and what is the thermo suposed to dowehn i boilling water.

 

the Engine Coolant Temperature is what controls your fan. it is the sensor on the thermostat housing cover. there is a 2 wire plug which i believe is green and black. then you remove the two 10's holding the housing you can check the condition of the sensor.
as for the thermostat:

when you toss the thermostat into boiling water, the big spring will compress and reveal an opening near the top (bigger diameter disk on left of the pic). the thermostat should open around 170-180 degrees. when you take the thermostat out it should start to close as it is cooling off.

 

thank you very much for your contributin
BTW do these radiators ever cause this. without leaking?