Cold running b6

[jeffs93toy]

So heres the story, The car was getting weaker and weaker heat, so I changed the thermostat and gasket. When I installed the thermostat i put the jiggle pin facing staight to the firewall, thinking it had to face that way for the radiator fan switch.

Since then the car doesnt heat up at all, unless i was just sitting there at idle.

So Just yesterday I put in a new heater core, flushed the coolant and put in a new thermostat and gasket. This time I put the jiggle pin on the thermostat facing straight up (like the chilton manuel says to). Now I have decent heat but not what it should be. Also the car will run at operating temp for maybe 15 mins then drop down to cold (like just started cold) and stay there for about 10 mins.

My only guess is I still got that thermostat in wrong, and maybe too much coolant (causing weak heat).

Any help would be apprecciated, Thanks Jeff

[Ryan]

I say your system just needs burped.

Jiggle pin straight up always. Its for airlocks. If its at the side, your thermostat may be only half submerged.

With the car cold, take off the rad cap and start it up. As it warms up, squeeze and release the bottom rad hose over and over. If zero air is coming out of the fluid in the rad cap, it probably isn't an air bubble, but do this until the hose at the bottom feels warm.

[jeffs93toy]

thanks ryan ill give that a shot after i bget back from mazda. They going to fix my auto seat belts for me .

[jeffs93toy]

So i burped the car yet again and stil no help.

Is there something im missing? Did i put the thermostat in wrong?

Can the coolant temp sensor cause this without tripping a cel?

[jeffs93toy]

Really need to solve this issue, its cold and i have very little heat.

[Ryan]

Coolant flow is controlled expressly by the thermostat, its mechanical.

You could have a plugged up heater core, but you said you replaced that.

If the radiator itself gets hot, then your thermostat is working.

As far as I can see, the heatercore bypasses the thermostat entirely. Its like a little rad in a separate, thermostat-less loop.

Have you pinched, plugged, or capped any coolant lines recently?

[jeffs93toy]

none of the above... the only thing i can figure is i botched the thermostat install.

[Ryan]

Maybe try putting in the old unit again....

Throw a pot of water on the stove and plop in the Tstat. When it gets close to boiling pull it out and look at it, you should be able to see that it is open. It should close as it cools too.

[jeffs93toy]

Ive done the pot test. This thing just has me all confused

[Ryan]

No kidding.


New Tstat.
New heater core.
Burped well.


.....You've somehow found a way around the laws of thermodynamics and are creating power from endothermic combustion.

[jeffs93toy]

What he said.

Like i said i mustve put the thermo in wrong the first time i did placed jiggle pin towards the firewall and it wouldnt warm up at all. Now its straight up and heats up the majority of the time.

[Ryan]

I can't think of anything else.

Drive it for a few days and top off the coolant again.

No signs of headgasket issue?

[jeffs93toy]

none what so ever.

[SuperK]

UR DOIN IT RONG!



I would just go ahead and get another thermostat. they do sell thermo's that have different heat levels, so make sure that you get the one that opens up at a hotter temperature.

[jeffs93toy]

Nope i figured it out,

1. i had a hairline crack in the housing

2. i had the gasket, then thermostat, and then housing

it shouldve been thermostat, gasket, then housing.