Cold weather warm up questions.

[scotts90ranger]

as far as the air in the clutch master cylinder, get the fluid level good, depress the pedal all the way then slip your foot off of the pedal so it slams up, this forces the air out, works fairly well, my slave cylinder leaks and every now and then my master goes empty that usually gets most of the air out.

 

[HareRazor]

Since the truck in question is a 92 and it is easy to change I would point fingers towards the heater core too if the heat works fine driving but never gets hot standing still. I had a care that the heater core was partially plugged and sitting still with the fan on full blast it would never warm up but would just blow cold air, but if i only turned the fan up one notch it would warm up inside the car slowly.
So if the engine is getting up to temp I would check the heater core, but if the engine doesn't get up to temp I would check the thermostat as neither are really that expensive

 

[Joey Stacks]

No the heater works just fine sitting still I use it to defrost the ice on my windows about every morning. I was just wondering about why the needle on the temp gauge dosent climb until I get the truck moving for about a mile or 2 and then it always seem to run really cool, never reaching the normal mark. Its always a click away from being in the normal range.
The clutch has felt good recently, still gets a spongy feeling but other than that it isnt pulling the same problems in the morning. I think that the boot in the fluid reservoir was not seated right and I refilled it and made sure the rubber boot was fine and my first shifts of the day are just fine.
One thing I want to know is if the thermostat is not opening correctly during the first warm up of the day will that have an effect on anything. Something about this makes me want to think that it only happens in the morning for a reason. any thoughts before I go get the part and replace it on saturday?

 

[Joey Stacks]

Ok researching a little I saw somewhere that the tstat not working properly could effect fuel economy slightly. I got around 25mpg during warmer temps and average 22 in the colder months and lately ive been getting 18.

 

[Mr.Stoke_Me]

yeah these trucks seem to always run way cool, hell i drove mine home from the tow yard after the wwreck with no coolant and no fan(i took the belt off so that it wouldnt ruin my water pump) regardless, over a 15 mile trip thru stop and go traffic it never got above halfway temps..it was fairly cold out but even at 40 degrees air temp the truck ussually warms up in just a few minutes, most of the time b4 im even out of my subdivision. i was worried that i could possibly crack my head on the way home so i never got up to any speed and the highest rpm i hit was about 3k. Just goes to show how durable these motors really are.

And one way to check if your tstat is working properly is to take it off and clean it up a bit, then boil some water and dip it in the hot water, use a temp gauge to see how hot the water is, that should tell you how hot its letting your motor get and if its working right!if its not you tstat, i suggest you plug you lines and dig your heater core out and check the condition, if it looks rusty or like its been leaking or if you notice any residue inside your lines i suggest you go ahead and replace the core, and if that dont work then it could be the heater control valve, when i bought my truck it had been removed and bypassed, that could have something to do with it aswell. youuu can order one from your local dealership for around 10-15 bucks, and it should be an easy replacement aswell! good luck man!!

 

[Mr.Stoke_Me]

modelageek, your absolutely right dude, and if you read my newest post on here to the OP, you see that once again i suggested the heater core aswell as a tstat and heater control valve(as both were issues when my truck would never warm up). i aslo explained an easy way to check the tstat.

No offense tho dude, i understand that it could be an aray of different other parts other than what has been suggested, and i know that im sure most of us on the site enjoy helping others out and posting our $0.02.

 

[scotts90ranger]

the temp sensors on these things are notoriously wrong, in the 10 years I've had mine it's always at the dot just above C but does function, every time I've had a coolant related incident it always either stood straight up or pegged high...

um, if you're running with no coolant, the coolant temp isn't going to move until the metal of the engine increases in temperature as there is no coolant to transfer the heat to the sensor (and by that point you're screwed)... and in my eyes it'd be better to run with the fan on and working to get some form of cooling

 

[cobra1956]

New member here and this post might get a few laughs and comments but got to do it anyway ....... old trick from an old fart way older than me now and years back that I have done with every truck and car ive ever owned and has saved me a lot of money .... two cups of vinegar in the radiator ....... works as a mild cleaner for heater cores and cooling systems helps clean the hard water deposits out of the system and you can keep it in the system no need to flush and if a leak should happen is easy to tell from the spinach with vinegar smell coming from wherever lol ............

 

[Ozwynn]

New member here and this post might get a few laughs and comments but got to do it anyway ....... old trick from an old fart way older than me now and years back that I have done with every truck and car ive ever owned and has saved me a lot of money .... two cups of vinegar in the radiator ....... works as a mild cleaner for heater cores and cooling systems helps clean the hard water deposits out of the system and you can keep it in the system no need to flush and if a leak should happen is easy to tell from the spinach with vinegar smell coming from wherever lol ............

a lot of those "old timer" tricks only work with older engines. I might use vinegar to clean an engine but I would flush it right away. I would also only use purified or distilled water in the cooling system (distalled costs like 50 cents a gallon at Wal-mart) with just enough anti-freeze for what your climate calls for...... along with a corrosion inhibitor...... or Evan's waterless coolant...... good stuff ..... switched the big rig to it with a loose cap and I didn't blow 5 gallons of coolant all over I-70 last time climbing Eisenhower pass..... Even though you run warmer with Evan's, I ran about 220* on Eisenhower ....... with 50/50 mixed red coolant with the same engine I ran about 250* and would blow the 16psi cap off the bottle ....


FWIW .... I use I-70 through Colorado and Utah in the summer time to check cooling system mods ...... if it can survive there it can handle just about any other stretch of hwy nation wide......

 

[modelageek]

the temp sensors on these things are notoriously wrong, in the 10 years I've had mine it's always at the dot just above C but does function, every time I've had a coolant related incident it always either stood straight up or pegged high...

um, if you're running with no coolant, the coolant temp isn't going to move until the metal of the engine increases in temperature as there is no coolant to transfer the heat to the sensor (and by that point you're screwed)... and in my eyes it'd be better to run with the fan on and working to get some form of cooling

If you suspect your temp sensor after the truck is warmed up and the gauge is still below C check the upper rad hose to see if it is cold. This morning it is about 25F. My truck has been on for 45 minutes I drove anout 2 miles anf then tstat has not opened yet. It is a 192. I think I might investigate that Evans Coolant if it runs hotter

 

[modelageek]

well I don't think i will be using the Evans on this truck. There website said I need to change the waterpump ND radiator

 

[Joey Stacks]

ok im losing fluid from the clutch fluid reservoir, there is a big snow storm about to hit pennsylvania so when I can find some time im gonna troubleshoot the leak with the trusty old haynes manual to figure out whats leaking. Im hoping its just the hose.

 

[Spitfire1975]

what do you think of the possibility of the temp sending unit going haywire and not reading properly? $5.00 and a few minutes......