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Hey people, been forever since I last posted here. I no longer have the Grand Prix. Long story short, bambi decided to jump out in front of me and that was end of it. Now I drive a ’14 Taurus.
Owned it for 15months and put 24K miles on it. Now has 34K and some change on it.
No matter how long I let it idle, it only gets lukewarm. I can let it idle for 20mins or longer and the temp gauge will just be above “C”
Also the temp. of the heat coming out of the vents coinsides with engine RPM. In otherwords, the higher I rev it or the more load I put on the engine, the hotter the heat gets. It’s not a huge difference but noticeable. The car itself will reach operating temp per the fans kicking on as long as there is some kind of “load” on the engine.
The coolant is clean and topped off and there is no air in the system, so I suspect a bad thermostat. Worse case scenario, heater core? Any thoughts?
P.S I have the automatic dual climate zone setup.
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Make absolutely sure you have no air bubbles in the cooling system. As for the temp, it might be a stuck open thermostat.
With your low mileage, is it not still under warranty? That would be a free option for you and I would certainly explore that option. You might check for recalls also.
If I had to check, then I would warm it all the way up then grab each of the heater hoses leading to the firewall, if they are accessible.
The temp should be nearly the same.Older fords had a vacuum controlled valve on one of the heater hoses. They were plastic and known to break easily. Not sure if your car has one of those.
If you feel more heat upon acceleration, I would even be curious if the water pump is weak.
Definitely check to see if it’s under warranty though.
Car is still under warranty. Not sure if t-stat or water pump would be covererd? First time having a car with a warranty or car payment for that matter :ohmy: 😛
I’m curious though, Gm allegedly had issues with their dexcool. My car takes dexcool orange as oe stuff. My point is why would a tstat or water pump be failing so early? dexcool? My former grand prix took dexcool but never had issue with it. Did replace the tstat in that but only after the car was 10yrs old did it need it.
I do plan on calling the dealer first thing on Monday and report back.
So I did some fartin’ around. Drove the car at highway speed for a good 20mins, came back and took the air cleaner intake off to get to the heater hoses. I cannot access them without taking this off. The heater hose going into the thermostat housing is hotter than the hose going into the water pump housing. Both hoses are warm but the hose going into the t-stat is definetly warmer.
Basically what I’m looking at without the ability to upload pictures, is both upper and lower radiator(capless) hoses going into the electric water pump. Opposite side the engine of the drive belt. One small housing is bolted right to the water pump housing which is then bolted to the engine block. Follow me?
Access is very easy fortunately as all I have to do remove the air intake tube.
Ok been to a couple different dealers for this problem. Neither dealer refuses to tell me the truth and both want to fab up stories. I have been friendly and patient with both of them. Hell I bought the car at the first dealership so you would think they would be more willing to help. I guess not.
I’ve even told both dealers there is a 40* difference in vent temp. Also both heater hoses going into the firewall one is cooler than the other. When the engine is either at idle or under load. The more I hear the term stealership, the more I’m inclined to believe it.
I tested the thermostat using the pan of water trick. It opens up more but it doesn’t close all the way. I ordered a new thermostat and o ring online. Should be here this week.
I’m with the group, first check for air in the system. It’s extremely unlikely to be a thermostat problem. Also, there should be a difference in hose temperature, the cooling system does exchange heat after all. That said, I’ve written extensively about issues like this here.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-hvac-problems
That said, if it’s still under warranty, and you’re having issues with the dealerships, call the manufacturer customer service line to have them escalate the issue. Think of them like the boss of the dealer. Don’t abuse it, just see if they can get the dealership to help with the problem.
Good luck and keep us posted.
As stated in my op. The car has no air in the system nor is it leaking anywhere to cause air to get in. Coolant level stays in the middle of the cold fill min. and max. range of the overflow tank regardless of engine temp. The car does not have a radiator cap but only the overflow tank cap.
Also, if it’s “extremely unlikely” the thermostat is at fault, why does the temp of the vents fluxuate from 88* at idle and 130* when holding revs?
Finally, I refuse to work with Ford or any other dealers. They are out of the question entirely.
Do you have or can you get ahold of a scantool to read live data? If you can, look at the coolant temp and see if it’s normal. Thermostat will either be open or closed meaning you’ll either overheat or you’ll run super rich and get crappy fuel mileage. Seeing as though you haven’t mentioned either of those your thermostat is probably okay. You can always remove the t stat to see if it’s stuck open. That’ll answer the question right away.
So I have an RT1228 O.E tstat sitting here. Descriptions on most websites state it’s 190* stat. While stamped on the stat itself says it’s a 180* can anyone verify which temp it is?
Appears to have multiple applications and ranges from 180 to 195*F
Even money that the stamped temp is it’s open value.
Plus you need to account for a variant in tolerance.
I have a 170* stat that operates at 179 according to the temp gaugeNevermind, answered my own question lol
Supposed to be in the 40s on Saturday, I’ll be tackling it then.
I’ve never failed to “diagnose” a bad tstat of all the junk I’ve driven in the past. If I’m wrong here, I’m out $15
Ok I replaced the tstat this afternoon. The original stat was open slightly with the engine cooled off. Maybe a 1/16″ gap? 1/8″ tops As I saw when I tested it in the first place.
The new stat is the same O.E stat as mentioned before. All I have to say is the car heats up much quicker and the heat is much hotter. Yes heat temp does still fluxuate but only very slightly. I expected this as the same applies when your running the AC. AC gets cooler when you drive the car, not so much when your at idle. Point here is yes I understand there will be some fluxuation but there shouldn’t be a dramatic increase in temp when you rev the engine. In my case a 40* difference.
Hope this new stat lasts longer than the original one. I do wish I had a camera to show a how to on this.
Too bad the dealer wouldn’t replace it. It would have saved you some time and money.
Thanks for the update and for using the ETCG forum.
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