Riddle me this . . .

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  • prophiseer
    Blaspheming Heretic
    • Jun 2006
    • 354
    #1

    Riddle me this . . .

    Alright, seeing as how this has got me completely stumped right now . . .

    99 GAGT 3400 . . .

    Coolant temp per the cluster gauge stays around 195F, nothing warmer than 200F - heat from the vent is . . . warm, not hot like it should be (sorry, I haven't stuck a thermometer in the vent yet); but it's not 'burning hot'

    Anyways, on to the weird stuff . . . coolant level is perfect, hasn't budged at all; the motor warms up properly, 10min after a cold start from 30F the gauge is 1/4 up, and scan tool confirms that reading is correct - so I've eliminated the thermostat being stuck open, and considering the temp doesn't come over 200F I say the thermostat isn't stuck closed; I have coolant flow, viewable in the reservoir tank when the motor is revved up; no visible coolant leaks at all, coolant pressure cap is new, coolant fans function properly and are off as they should be; . . . no coolant in the oil, nothing else unusual; I highly doubt the heater core or radiator are blocked, I change the coolant every 30k . . .

    So, I can't figure why the temp won't rise above 200F, and why I'm not getting 'hot-hot' from the vents . . .

    any ideas?
    N-body enthusiast:
    {'87 Grand Am SE - 3.0 90* v6} / {'93 Grand Am LE - 3.3 90* v6}
    {'98 Grand Am SE - 2.4 Q4} / {'99 Grand Am GT1 - 3400 60* v6}

    Current Project:
    {'90 Chevrolet C1500 Sport 350TBI}
    Tags: None
    • RednBlack
      Wood Hippie
      • Mar 2004
      • 2795
      #2
      Leave the engine alone, and look into a heater door not opening, or closing properly. Check flow through the heater core.
      If you are driving a Chevy, everything else, is just a blur. 3.4 Carbon Footprint.
      sigpic

        Comment

        • sil
          4T60-E killa
          • Nov 2004
          • 723
          #3
          ya it must be the flow across the heater core
          does your car have a/c ?

          i had to pull my heatercore and the a/c and clean it real good cuase it was plugged
          it also had a foam filter thing that was pretty dirty too

            Comment

            • IsaacHayes
              Mr. Orange.
              • Apr 2006
              • 6030
              #4
              Dex-cool clogging up the heater core is my guess. 2 Of my friends recently had this problem. One was able to get a flush and it cured up, the other it only slightly helped.
              sigpic New 2010 project (click image)
              1994 3100 BERETTA. 200,000+ miles
               16.0 1/4 mile when stock. Now ???
              Original L82 Longblock               with LA1, LX9, LX5 parts
              Manifold-back 2.5" SS Mandrel Exhaust. Hardware is SS too.

                Comment

                • prophiseer
                  Blaspheming Heretic
                  • Jun 2006
                  • 354
                  #5
                  well, the blend doors (and control) are fine; no issue there; I spent a while driving it lat night (it stay warm enough in the cab to manage the cold out); and it'll get hot, and then cool down, and on and on; While driving, temp stays right about 190F; Seeing as how the hot/warm seems to coincide with the rise and fall of the coolant temp, I'm starting to lean towards a thermo partially stuck open. Odd, though; they usually don't stick part way

                  Dex-cool clogging up the heater core is my guess. 2 Of my friends recently had this problem. One was able to get a flush and it cured up, the other it only slightly helped.
                  Yeah, I know of these problems, clogs the rad, too - reason I dismissed this is simply the fact that I change the colant every 30k, using only Dex and distilled H20, and I don't have any of that "brown death" on anything yet, not even a slight film of the stuff.
                  Last edited by prophiseer; 03-07-2007, 05:53 PM.
                  N-body enthusiast:
                  {'87 Grand Am SE - 3.0 90* v6} / {'93 Grand Am LE - 3.3 90* v6}
                  {'98 Grand Am SE - 2.4 Q4} / {'99 Grand Am GT1 - 3400 60* v6}

                  Current Project:
                  {'90 Chevrolet C1500 Sport 350TBI}

                    Comment

                    • Azrael
                      Accelerating uphill in OD
                      • Apr 2005
                      • 763
                      #6
                      I find that my heat isn't that hot whenever I'm cruising on the highway, even with cardboard over most of the radiator. When I accelerate I do feel the air get hotter, so it's probably the engine itself losing too much heat in the winter. It probably didn't help that I removed the insulation on the inside of the hood.
                      1995 Grand Am SE

                        Comment

                        • prophiseer
                          Blaspheming Heretic
                          • Jun 2006
                          • 354
                          #7
                          . . . no comment on that one . . .



                          anyhow, replaced the thermo the other week (it was old anyhow), no fix for this odd issue. I let the car run for 1.5hrs the other day, 80F outside, in the sun, hood closed, heater off . . . temp gauge never once rose above 200, never once heard the cooling fans kick on

                          how in the hell can a system become THIS efficient? This is making no sense!!
                          N-body enthusiast:
                          {'87 Grand Am SE - 3.0 90* v6} / {'93 Grand Am LE - 3.3 90* v6}
                          {'98 Grand Am SE - 2.4 Q4} / {'99 Grand Am GT1 - 3400 60* v6}

                          Current Project:
                          {'90 Chevrolet C1500 Sport 350TBI}

                            Comment

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