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Sydney

only 1 blob of heat

7 posts in this topic

as the title says,  my 05 cdi only can reach 1 blob of heat on the dash and there is hardly any heat coming out of the heater   (its summer so i'm not worried about the no heat issue).

but i am worried about damaging my engine if it is not cooling correctly.

i bought the car not running, so i dont know if it had ever reached the 3 blobs.

i worked on the car all winter and have it running now.   i decided to completely remove the EGR system and i am sure i introduced some air into the cooling lines while i was at it.

i did bleed the system first by raising the left front of the car (as per evolution) and letting gravity do its job,   then i put the car back on its wheels and also bleed the system by lifting the temp sensor on the thermostat  (no air came out,  just coolant).

i'm worried the water pump is dry.  should the car have been running when i bleed it by lifting the temp sensor?

is there something else i can try to make sure i am getting good coolant circulation?

thanks.

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Do you have a scan gauge or another tool to read the temperature from the diagnostic port?  Poor performing thermostats seem to be a common issue.  I have a bad one and my temperature runs in the mid sixties most of the time and unless it is extremely hot and I have a serious load I never see three bars (80 degrees).

 

Nigel

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3 minutes ago, Nigel said:

Do you have a scan gauge or another tool to read the temperature from the diagnostic port?  Poor performing thermostats seem to be a common issue.  I have a bad one and my temperature runs in the mid sixties most of the time and unless it is extremely hot and I have a serious load I never see three bars (80 degrees).

 

Nigel

no i don't have a scan guage.  i am searching now to see if i can find out which direction the coolant flows.  mabey it will be as easy as just feeling to hoses to see what is getting warm and what isn't.

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My '05 winter-beater used to have an issue where it would only get to 2 blobs, even at high speeds in the hottest days of summer.  Uncle Glenn changed the thermostat and now it reaches three blobs within a few blocks even in the coldest days of winter.  

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9 minutes ago, Leadwing said:

My '05 winter-beater used to have an issue where it would only get to 2 blobs, even at high speeds in the hottest days of summer.  Uncle Glenn changed the thermostat and now it reaches three blobs within a few blocks even in the coldest days of winter.  

ok thanks.   so i am leaning towards a stuck open thermostat.  which also would mean,  that if it is stuck open i should not be causing any engine damage to drive it as is.  mabey it might even fix itself over time.

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Something else to consider... Running an engine, especially a diesel at a lower-than-recommended temp causes problems (like carbon build-up, premature wear in cylinders due to oil too thick, etc.) My wife's Mazda failed eco-test due to low temp, because fuel ignition is less efficient at too low temp. Had to change thermostat to pass. My cdi has thermostat probably stuck open, so it takes 1/2 hour to get decent heat in winter. To avoid the task of changing thermostat I place a wind screen over the radiator in the front for the winter. It gets up to three blobs, and never more. Last summer I drove thru the hills of eastern Pennsylvania when it was 37c outside. It got up to 4 blobs (first time ever). When we got to Wash. DC it was 43c outside. Running on flat roads with AC full on it still never got up to 4 blobs. I read on Evilution that the Smart was designed for stop & go traffic in a hot city, so extra cooling capacity (way more than we need in the frozen north). I keep the rad screen on in the spring until the temp gets above 20c. So far so good (without changing thermostat).

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