Cooling Problem

Topic: Cooling Problem (Read 995 times) previous topic - next topic

Cooling Problem

April 01, 2008, 12:34:02 PM

My daughter's 86 3.8 tbird is acting strange.

Now that it's running clean and smooth and the thermostat is new the car heats up to almost the red area and then in cools down immediately to mid-range and then repeats.

Almost like the thermostat is cycling open and closed. It's very strange. Or, could it be the gage? I've never seen a car do that.

Cooling Problem

Reply #1 – April 01, 2008, 12:56:41 PM

Pull the codes?

Cooling Problem

Reply #2 – April 01, 2008, 04:27:21 PM

Radiator full?

Cooling Problem

Reply #3 – April 01, 2008, 04:35:33 PM

Could be a bad thermstat, or early signs of water pump going out.

Cooling Problem

Reply #4 – April 01, 2008, 04:56:35 PM

how old are your hoses?
did you properly relieve air out of the system when you changed the thermostat?
i have to ask, was the thermostat a pos junk "stant" one? :flame:

Cooling Problem

Reply #5 – April 01, 2008, 09:23:44 PM

fan clutch
water pump
too high of a temp t-stat (or defective t-stat)

remove the t-stat and drive to see if problem is still there.

Cooling Problem

Reply #6 – April 02, 2008, 09:08:05 AM

I was thinking all those things.:D I'll have some troubleshooting to do. I didn't do the tstat myself. It was changed as part of the emissions repair so I don't know what brand it is.

Thanks all. I'm leaning towards the tstat and/or the fan clutch.