"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
09/26/2016 at 07:42 • Filed to: None
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"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
09/26/2016 at 07:42 • Filed to: None | 3
| 11 |
ENGINE HOT, but temp gauge sitting on the zero peg.
My wife called me to report that the recently acquired 2013 Impala had a Master Caution light and was reporting ENGINE HOT, and that the radiator fan was staying on with the car turned off. She reported that the temp gauge was sitting on the zero peg, there was coolant in the overflow jug, and the engine did not smell hot. “Sensor problem,” I said, but not overheating, and we had the car carried home by AAA.
I have this device which a friend sent me several years ago, and which sat on my desk unused for over a year because I had no idea what it was or how it might be used. I have since learned.
The device is plugged into the OBD (OnBoard Diagnostic) port under the dash.
Along with an Android application called DashCommand, I can use my cell phone to look at pretty much any sensor on the car via Bluetooth, as well as read codes. I can also buy an advanced suite of features and information for my particular car(s) for $10 apiece from DashCommand.
I don’t have a screenshot of it, but the computer returned the code P0128 and a mechanic pal said that if the engine temp was normal, then the problem was likely a faulty thermostat, stuck open, which would send the car’s computer into a panic. I swung by the Chevrolet dealership, who did not sell just a thermostat for that car, but rather a complete housing with thermostat and gasket for $109, and they did not have one in stock.
I happened to be in contact with the fellow who’d sold me the car about another matter, right when this breakdown occurred. He concurred with my mechanic pal’s call on the P0128 code, and thought that the Chevy dealership was crazy. He offered to repair the car for me and would not give me a price. “We’ll figure that out later.”
This is a screenshot of the DashCommand app running on my Nexus 5 smartphone.
So I drove the car to the man’s shop this morning, a six-mile drive through town, and used DashCommand to monitor the engine temperature. How frickin’ cool is that?! The car never got hotter than 160 degrees.
That thermostat only lasted 72,000 miles.
And the thermostat was indeed wasted. Dude spent $57 on a thermostat, a jug of Dex antifreeze and a new air filter. He said he also cleaned the throttle body. Final bill: one Ben Franklin.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
09/26/2016 at 08:18 |
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Why do you say “only” 72k miles? That is pretty long for a thermostat generally. I have changed a thermostat after like 20k miles in my Miata. Pretty sure it was a bad part but I wasnt that surprised or concerned since thermostats sell for around $10-$20 at autozone and a “stuck open” condition only sucks if you need to run the heat to keep your toes from freezing off.
jimz
> Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
09/26/2016 at 08:20 |
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on my (Neon) SRT-4, pulling the cooling fan relay will set a CEL and put the fans on full blast.
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jimz
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/26/2016 at 08:21 |
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thermostats are typically one of those parts designed to last “the life of the car” because the repair is a pain in the ass thanks to the cooling system drain and re-fill. if they go bad before at least 100,000 miles anymore, that’s a premature failure.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> jimz
09/26/2016 at 08:57 |
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I guess some cooling systems are more complicated I imagine. Sure I had some trouble with getting the housing to seal correctly (even with the right gasket), but some RTV sealed that up. Drain and fill is super easy, I am going to have to do that again soon if I feel like ever fixing my leaky heater core.
JGrabowMSt
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/26/2016 at 10:24 |
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Whaaaaat
The SL got a new thermostat at 100k, Magnum I think is still on the original at 184k, but has a new thermostat housing. Im eventually looking to do a 160° tstat in the Magnum, but it may not happen until the motor swap. Car runs just fine.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> JGrabowMSt
09/26/2016 at 10:45 |
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Well yeah, I know that one went bad way too early. But they are just so cheap to buy (it is more expensive to change the oil) that it is a non issue if it doesn’t last very long. It will throw a check engine light in mine for sure when the thermostat isnt working correctly, although the improper temperature is an easier indication.
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Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/26/2016 at 10:53 |
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This one is a hassle to install.
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Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
> jimz
09/26/2016 at 10:54 |
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Not surprising.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
09/26/2016 at 10:56 |
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That’s what I kinda figured. They could easily put the coolant inlet to the motor at the rear or hidden behind all sorts of stuff and then it becomes a real chore. Didn’t seem like that guy charged you much in labor though so it can’t be too terrible.
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JGrabowMSt
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
09/26/2016 at 11:34 |
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My cars are a bitch to bleed the cooling system. Maybe I just need to buy a Miata....
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> JGrabowMSt
09/26/2016 at 13:11 |
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There you go, right answer haha.