Gsr gets to temp then drops to cold?

Da90Teg

New Member
Gsr engine in an eg.

Just did timing belt and water pump.

Its cold here, 0-3 degrees celcius. Takes a while for the car to get up to temp, like 8-10 mins. Doesn't go past operating temp. Then when driving for 10km at about 60kmh it drops to the lowest line on the gauge.

Could this be an air bubble? Doesn't really sound like a tstat to me because it gets to temp fairly quick and then drops, if it was a tstat it would take forever to get to temp then stay there, right?

Any help would be awesome guys!
 

SoundEfx

New Member
After the gauge goes to 'C', does it go back up?

If it doesn't, then the tstat could be stuck open while driving?

That's my 1.5 cents.
 

Muckman

Not a M0derator
Either tstat or air bubble. Since you just refilled the coolant go with air bubble. Burp it several times after letting it cool down thoroughly.
 


Da90Teg

New Member
So issue is a little more strange then I thought.

I let the engine warm up for about 15 mins (needle was at 90 degree angle) while trying to burp it. No air came out. I also noticed the fan wasnt coming on.

I drove it into town where I needed to be and turned it off. Then I sarted it again after about an hour and let it idle for about 20 mins. (temp needle at 90 degree angle)

Still no fan. So I thought it might be the fan motor, Jumped it out where the connector plugs into the tstat and it span no problem.

Drove it around for 20 mins right after letting it idle for 20 mins and the fan STILL didnt come on (I set the blades at an exact point)

So, if it was a t-stat it would be taking a really long time to heat up, or it would over heat. If the fan switch from the tstat was broken it would over heat becuase the fan wasnt turning on. If the coolant temp sensor that goes to the dash was faulty the fan would still come on.

Really need some help on this guys, any insight would be amazing.
 

Da90Teg

New Member
Would you mind explaining how that might cause it?

I figured that would make it either be on all the time or overheat
 


Da90Teg

New Member
I was thinking that too. Maybe with such a small engine and such efficient cooling its just not warm enough? And then when im driving for a solid 10 mins at good speed its cold enough to drop the needle on the gauge?

3 degress celcius is close to 38 fahrenheit btw. So mid day it maybe gets to 41 degrees
 

SirClints

SirClints
Tsat is stuck open, Ive had this problem (temp goes down while driving-- I had to cover up half the radiator until I could get it fixed)

Da90Teg said:
I was thinking that too. Maybe with such a small engine and such efficient cooling its just not warm enough? And then when im driving for a solid 10 mins at good speed its cold enough to drop the needle on the gauge?

3 degress celcius is close to 38 fahrenheit btw. So mid day it maybe gets to 41 degrees
Click to expand...
 

DaveDavidson

New Member
I've had the same problem in my GSR. My LS might have done this the other day when it was really cold. I live in PA

I'm curious how the position of the thermostat valve correlates to the temp needle? My car just has to come off cold a little to produce heat. That means the thermostat is open a little at least. If its open a little an its really cold out and you are driving pretty fast the temp will drop.

So if a very low position on the needle still has the thermo open when does it close up completely? I get confused by this.
 

zack11122

New Member
Thermostat works off heat. There's a wax that melts and it opens. It will not open until the coolant hits a certain temp. Then it opens until the temp drops below that certain temperature and closes. Then the cycle repeats.
 

Rich W

New Member
I'm pretty sure the flow of water through the heater isn't regulated by your thermostat. The thermostat is only between the radiator and the engine. The heater system is before the thermostat on the engine side so it flows comstantly as long as your heat control is in the heat position. That's why you get heat soon after startup. If you having temp problems, the thermostat is the first thing to change.It is a pretty cheap and relatively easy job. If that doesn't change things then maybe it is something with your temp sending unit..
 

Da90Teg

New Member
Thanks for the help guys, I replaced the tstat and it heats up in about 5 mins and stays there!
 
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