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Old 11-29-2013, 12:51 PM   #1
applefan
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Default Temp drop while on freeway

Noticed the temp gauge slowly started going towards 11 o'clock while I was on freeway. It went back to 12 o clock after some time and so on

It's a 96 318ic with m44 motor
May have bad coolant temp sensor or a failing thermostat?
Car still runs just fine. No CEL
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Old 12-03-2013, 06:13 PM   #2
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My opinion is a stuck thermostat. Stuck half way or 1/4 open. My advice is fix the problem immediately or you could suffer a t-stat stuck closed and over heated motor.
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Old 12-03-2013, 07:23 PM   #3
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Thanks John. That's what I was leaning towards too.
noticed it last Wednesday. Drove yesterday just to confirm it was not a one off
On my 100 miles commute it did go back and forth between 11 and 12 o' clock at least 6 times. It stayed on 11 o'clock for a while then went back to 12 o'clock, stayed there for a while and so on. Running the motor below the normal temperature may kill my cat. convertor also since the fuel mixing may not be right. Going to pick up a thermostat from the D(st)ealer today
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Old 12-03-2013, 09:04 PM   #4
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If the needle is going back and forth between 11 and 12 while on the freeway (at a constant speed), it could be either. Although, when the sender goes bad, it usually jumps around all over the place, not between two defined points, and/or will go full-hot or full-cold for periods of time. With the car idling and the needle at 12 o'clock, turn on the A/C to kick the cooling fan on- does the needle drop at all?

If you're near the Beach Cities/South Bay, you could always do parts will call at Pelican Parts (they're in Harbor City off of Western/240th St.) Muuuch cheaper than the dealer.
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Old 12-03-2013, 09:45 PM   #5
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I have a used thermostat pulled from the old motor, but considering the work to replace it, was thinking of getting a new one.
the switch between 11 and 12 are very slow and it stays at each point at least few minutes before the switch
will do the ac test and let you know
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Old 12-04-2013, 01:25 AM   #6
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My Club Sport was like that when I got it.
Looking at the old one it was slightly opened.
I replaced the t-stat. Fixed.
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Old 12-05-2013, 10:55 PM   #7
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Thanks guys. just ordered t-stat from pelican. hopefully I get it by tomorrow.
dealer wants $150 + tax for what pelican sells for $45 : - zoner thank you (btw, i did the a/c test - no change, the 318ic has a mechanical fan attached to the motor, which is always on, in addition to the electric fan for a/c)
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Old 12-06-2013, 01:34 AM   #8
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Ahh.. I missed the 318ic part- yep, you have a mechanical fan.

Whenever I order from Pelican by mid afternoon, I always get it at my door next day. Hopefully that solves the problem but if not, the temp. sender is only about $15 or so, IIRC.
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Old 12-07-2013, 07:10 AM   #9
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+! mine did the same thing it was the stat (M42) - Cheers.

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Old 12-09-2013, 06:53 PM   #10
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t-stat replaced! did few short trips , all look good so far.

time taken for the repair

actual t-stat replacement - 15 minutes
coolant drain: 30 minutes
bleeding the cooling system : 15 minutes
clean up all the mess created by the coolant bleeding: 1 hour

Thank you all!
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Old 12-10-2013, 06:21 PM   #11
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Question 87c or 92c

Which one is better for the m42 engine? I am in NY and we get COLD winters
up here. Should I go with the 87c or 92c tstat? My wife would like heat in the
car, lol.
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Old 12-10-2013, 06:29 PM   #12
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for M44, there was no choice, just 95 C.
stay tuned. One of the M42 owner might chime in
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