New thermostat not opening


S

stezie

Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2010
Messages
163
Hi all,

I started this other thread as I am getting high fuel consumption along with a 1050rpm idle..

32191-excessive-fuel-consumption.html

After a bit of figuring out I noticed that after a drive, the bottom pipe on the radiator is luke warm..So I figured the thermostat wasnt letting the water warm up enough..

so I ran down to the auto factors and picked up a blue print thermostat and stuck it in.. I am getting the same symtoms... I let the water warm up while sitting in the garage until the two rad pipes were warm (idle stayed at 1050), but when I drove to work, the bottom radiator pipe was luke warm again..

I think there was a 78degree stamp on the thermo?? Is that the temperature it opens?

would a EK9 thermo be different to an EK4 one? My radiator is hardly too efficient? lol
 
78 degrees is the same as the oem thermostat IIRC, i replaced mine at the weekend and still have the old one on my kitchen table ill check the temp marke on it for you tonight,,
 
olly ek9 said:
78 degrees is the same as the oem thermostat IIRC, i replaced mine at the weekend and still have the old one on my kitchen table ill check the temp marke on it for you tonight,,
Click to expand...

ah good stuff. thanks
 
The guage on the dash rises up to the center and stays there. It does not drop when driving normal and it does not rise when flat out on track...
 
stezie said:
The guage on the dash rises up to the center and stays there. It does not drop when driving normal and it does not rise when flat out on track...
Click to expand...

That's exactly what it should do :)
 
The thermostat opens up when coolant gets too hot, stays closed to heat up.
If its freezing outside the thermostat may not open up, leaving you with a cold hose at the bottom...Because its doing its job.

How cold is it where you drive?
 
Its above freezing.. Usual Irish weather. about 5 or 6 celcius..

I canned it out the road last night.. really pushed it.. and there is a hill up to where i live so the car was labouing in 5th gear... by the time i pulled in my drive and opened my bonnet, the lower rad pipe was luke warm.

I have a 1.6ils civic there aswell and the two rad pipes would get hot.

If the coolant is that cool, i feel that there is a temperature switch or whatever is keeping the choke on or fast idle control valve open and keeping my idle speed at 1050rpm..

I have gone through a 3/4 tank of petrol in about 130 miles, its killing me as this is meant to be an economy wagon rather than buying another evo....
 
stezie said:
Its above freezing.. Usual Irish weather. about 5 or 6 celcius..

I canned it out the road last night.. really pushed it.. and there is a hill up to where i live so the car was labouing in 5th gear... by the time i pulled in my drive and opened my bonnet, the lower rad pipe was luke warm.

I have a 1.6ils civic there aswell and the two rad pipes would get hot.

If the coolant is that cool, i feel that there is a temperature switch or whatever is keeping the choke on or fast idle control valve open and keeping my idle speed at 1050rpm..

I have gone through a 3/4 tank of petrol in about 130 miles, its killing me as this is meant to be an economy wagon rather than buying another evo....
Click to expand...

I think you might have a few things going on at the same time; like the O2 sensor going bad and your cooling issue.

There is no choke that I know of on your fuel injected engine.
As far as the cooling system goes, its not too complex on the civic. Thermostat [coolant flow on/off], thermoswitch [ turn on/off radiator fan] and water pump. There is also the IAVC which controls cold idle RPMs and also increases RPM when engine is under load[ie. turning wheel while stopped], IACV is separate but connected slightly...IACV is not your issue.
Have you flushed out your radiator lately? Could be as simple as a clogged radiator, or a bad water pump.
 
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tama666 said:
I think you might have a few things going on at the same time; like the O2 sensor going bad and your cooling issue.

There is no choke that I know of on your fuel injected engine.
As far as the cooling system goes, its not too complex on the civic. Thermostat [coolant flow on/off], thermoswitch [ turn on/off radiator fan] and water pump. There is also the IAVC which controls cold idle RPMs and also increases RPM when engine is under load[ie. turning wheel while stopped], IACV is separate but connected slightly...IACV is not your issue.
Have you flushed out your radiator lately? Could be as simple as a clogged radiator, or a bad water pump.
Click to expand...


Would the o2 sensor go bad without putting the ecu light on?

I would imagine that the UKDM ek4 o2 sensor is relaying infor to a JDM ek9 ecu... If that helps figure out any.. (was like that when I bought it)

The coolant looks pretty fresh.. no gunge under the rad tap or overflow tank.. and the thermostat i took out today was clean. then i would imagine that a clogged rad would cause the car to overheat?

how would a bad water pump keep the coolant too cold.. would the water not circulate and part of the engine be too hot?? the engine never feels too hot.. and rarely ever hear the engine cool, you know that metal tick tick tick sound?
 
stezie said:
Would the o2 sensor go bad without putting the ecu light on?
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Yes...mine never threw a code...now its not even being used. ;)

stezie said:
I would imagine that the UKDM ek4 o2 sensor is relaying infor to a JDM ek9 ecu... If that helps figure out any.. (was like that when I bought it)
Click to expand...
...you should look into how that is hooked up.

stezie said:
The coolant looks pretty fresh.. no gunge under the rad tap or overflow tank.. and the thermostat i took out today was clean. then i would imagine that a clogged rad would cause the car to overheat?
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correct...but how clogged does it have to be, completely? Is it an OEM radiator?

stezie said:
how would a bad water pump keep the coolant too cold.. would the water not circulate and part of the engine be too hot?? the engine never feels too hot.. and rarely ever hear the engine cool, you know that metal tick tick tick sound?
Click to expand...
is the coolant temp sensor getting hot water to sample? If no coolant is flowing over the sensor it never reads hot...right? well not until its too late...lol

Hey you have valid points, I am just pointing out what I have personally read and or experienced from way back...
 
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Last thing, did you get all the air out of the radiator? Did you bleed it all out properly? Just thinking here of all possible issues.
 
tama666 said:
Yes...mine never threw a code...now its not even being used. ;)

...you should look into how that is hooked up.

correct...but how clogged does it have to be, completely? Is it an OEM radiator?

is the coolant temp sensor getting hot water to sample? If no coolant is flowing over the sensor it never reads hot...right? well not until its too late...lol

Hey you have valid points, I am just pointing out what I have personally read and or experienced from way back...
Click to expand...

you do make sense.. its just the car doesnt! lol its defying all logic in my brain.. I put a full track day in back in october and the car was like this.. if the water wasnt circualting then damage would of been done well before 130miles worth of VTEC on track.

Argh!! stupid car!

But on a plus it does go like stink!! lol
 
tama666 said:
Last thing, did you get all the air out of the radiator? Did you bleed it all out properly? Just thinking here of all possible issues.
Click to expand...


Yeah its an OEM Radiator.

Yeah I believe I have all the air out.. I loosened a few water pipes around the throttle body and coolant was coming out. no bubbles..

Just took it for a blast to the shop and back, drove straight in the driveway, popped the hood, and bottom rad pipe cold... doesnt make sense as im still getting warm air in the cabin..
 
I had a problem with a air lock in the thermostat causing it not to open. If your thermostat was not opening your engine would majorly overheat within a mile of normal driving.
 
J Male said:
I had a problem with a air lock in the thermostat causing it not to open. If your thermostat was not opening your engine would majorly overheat within a mile of normal driving.
Click to expand...

How did you figure it out and how did you sort it?
 
stezie said:
How did you figure it out and how did you sort it?
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Well, we tried all the different ways of bleeding and filling the coolant i could find online but none of it seemed to work. Ended up getting fed up and breaking the little metal valve bit on the thermostat and drilling a small hole in the same place. Re-filled the coolant and it worked fine after that. Probably not the 'correct' way of doing it but it worked lol
 
Ah ok...

Maybe i have two issues going on here.. I kept the car at 4k rpm and the bottom pipe warmed up.. I kept it there till the fan came on. The two pipes were good and hot at this stage. but when i let it idle again the revs were still at 1050rpm.... so my next guess based on advise will be the o2 sensor is keeping the fueling and rpm high???

so I took the car for a drive around town. 3 and 4th gear up to 50/60mph, drove back to the house and opened the bonnet and the bottom pipe was cold again... surely the pipes should stay hot when driving?? oh i dunno... would anyone know if a 100% concentration of coolant do this???
 
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