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| Possible Cooling Problems? (Page 1/1) |
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86fierorestoproject
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DEC 30, 11:00 PM
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I just need to know if this is normal.
I have a 2.8 V6 in my Fiero, and when it's idling for long periods of time, it overheats. But when driving, it doesn't get hotter than 130 degrees. the thermostat is set at 180 degrees, and the coolant is a bit rusty and has a little bit of sediment in it (when I bought it, the coolant was comparable to mud and it had a crack in the reservoir.) i did swap out the reservoir for a new one, and put new coolant in (I did not flush the coolant). is this normal for a Fiero, or is this a problem? (all coolant lines are 34 years old from the factory)
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cvxjet
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DEC 30, 11:36 PM
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One problem that the Fieros have is that the Radiator fan comes on at 237*....Which generally lines up with you pulling over because of overheating. I changed out my Fan switch for one from O'Reilly that would turn the fan on at 225*...Now it comes on only during hot days or in stop'n'go traffic.
I tried a much lower temp switch (185) and the fan was on all the time. (Note; I have a stock thermostat)
You should definitely flush your cooling system.
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Xenoblast
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DEC 31, 01:24 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by 86fierorestoproject:
when it's idling for long periods of time, it overheats. But when driving, it doesn't get hotter than 130 degrees.
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What do you mean by overheat? You should verify that the temp the gauge is accurate by putting a resister on the temp cable. The stock fan switch turns on at 235, which is usually when you'd pull over in any other regular car. Ive swapped to rodney dickmens 215 temp switch, but 220 would probably be better.
On my fiero, the temp gauge is about 20-40 degrees off, and sits right in between 100 and 220 when at temperature.
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Gall757
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DEC 31, 12:46 PM
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What you describe is mostly normal, except your previous owner used water for a coolant instead of the real stuff. You should flush the system to remove loose rust. A working thermostat is important on a Fiero because there is so much coolant, and the engine performs better when it is 195* or above.
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theogre
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DEC 31, 01:52 PM
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#1 never trust dash gauges if you "think" car has any problems. Not just Fiero or other old cars either.
Get ECM/PCM scanner to read ECT because the sensor is way more accurate. Backup See my Cave, IR thermometer
335 to 340°F is hot but Not Overheating but most won't see that unless idle a lot or stuck in very slow traffic.
Many that do see that often have coolant system problems but believe  and fit w/ band-aids putting in fan switches etc.
Use Stant SuperStat® Thermostat helps stops Temp Swings to see on Dash Temps and ECT.
See my Cave, Coolant Fill and rest of section.------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)
The Ogre's Fiero Cave
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