Coolant temp
07-22-2017, 07:00 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: 07-15-2017
Location: Las vegas
Posts: 2
Coolant temp
OK guys, Lil back story. 09 2.2l has about 99000 miles. Last few weeks the car started creeping up in temp. Highest it ever got was 234. With the way it was doing it my dad and I both thought it was the t star and needing radiator flush. So today I tackled the tstat. Now in 110° Las Vegas weather with the ac on full blast it's sitting and staying about 216° after driving about 10 miles. Do you think I still have an issue????
07-22-2017, 07:38 PM
#2
Administrator
Join Date: 10-13-2011
Location: Welland,Ont Canada
Posts: 36,457
Welcome to the site, which brand t-stat and which coolant did you use? Did you burp the cooling system?
If air is still trapped in the cooling system then you might have an issue, park the car front end higher then the rear, let it cool off over night, remove the rad cap, top up the coolant.
I'm hoping you used the correct AC Delco stat and Dexcool!
If air is still trapped in the cooling system then you might have an issue, park the car front end higher then the rear, let it cool off over night, remove the rad cap, top up the coolant.
I'm hoping you used the correct AC Delco stat and Dexcool!
07-22-2017, 07:41 PM
#3
Moderator
Join Date: 05-01-2014
Location: California
Posts: 7,790
Hi Wirewoman, 
to the forums!!
Last time I was over there in the summer, I was running hotter than that. DexCool has a 5 year service life, so you may still need to change that.
Thermostats usually fail open, causing the engine to take longer to reach operating temp. So it's possible that the partial coolant flush that happened when you changed the T-stat is responsible for the cooler operating temp. Not much coolant is lost to that procedure though, so uncertain.
Make sure to burp the system well after changing the coolant, as follows.
Continue checking the coolant for a few days, as above.
Edit: OB, you beat me, these slow fingers!
to the forums!!Last time I was over there in the summer, I was running hotter than that. DexCool has a 5 year service life, so you may still need to change that.
Thermostats usually fail open, causing the engine to take longer to reach operating temp. So it's possible that the partial coolant flush that happened when you changed the T-stat is responsible for the cooler operating temp. Not much coolant is lost to that procedure though, so uncertain.
Make sure to burp the system well after changing the coolant, as follows.
Either jack up the right front corner or drive up in ramps or just park so the front bumper is higher then the back bumper , say in a hill or you drive if it inclines.
Run the car till it reached temperature, like go for a 5 to 10 minute drive, come back and park as I said , let the HHR cool off for a few hours, open the rad hose cap, top off the Dexcool,?this can take a few tries. Start up the HHR with the cap off and see if the Dexcool goes down then top it up. Put the cap back on, tighten it up.
Check the Dexcool again next morning.
Run the car till it reached temperature, like go for a 5 to 10 minute drive, come back and park as I said , let the HHR cool off for a few hours, open the rad hose cap, top off the Dexcool,?this can take a few tries. Start up the HHR with the cap off and see if the Dexcool goes down then top it up. Put the cap back on, tighten it up.
Check the Dexcool again next morning.
Edit: OB, you beat me, these slow fingers!
07-22-2017, 07:53 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: 07-15-2017
Location: Las vegas
Posts: 2
Thanks for the reply guys!!! Yes I went to the dealer and bought the ac Delco good tstat 75 bucks... and I put the dexcool back in. I left it up on the ramps and let it run after I filled it with the heater going and kept topping off for about 10 min. I pulled the lower hose and drained over a gallon of coolant out when I was changing the tstat. I'm suppose to drive 650 miles Thursday to my parents that's why I'm trying to make sure I got the problem fixed as I don't wanna break down in the middle of no where with 2 kids. This forum rocks I read up before I tackled the project. It did take longer than 30 minutes tho....
07-22-2017, 08:27 PM
#5
Moderator
Join Date: 05-01-2014
Location: California
Posts: 7,790
Hmmmm... you only changed a little over half of the old coolant. Part of the drain procedure is to remove the drain bolt from the water pump. Together with removing the thermostat and opening the petkawk(or removing the lower hose from the radiator), drains most if not all the coolant(close to 2 gallons).
Last edited by RJ_RS_SS_350; 07-23-2017 at 11:57 AM.
07-22-2017, 09:23 PM
#6
Technical Moderator
Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Posts: 24,669
I would check that the fan is working when it is supposed to. It should come on at about 219F or when the AC compressor is running. Any temp between 180F and 219F is "acceptable", about 190F is optimum.
The t-stat keeps the engine warm, it does not want it under 180F. It has no control in cooling, the fan does that and the fan can't cool the water unless it is moving through the system.
The t-stat keeps the engine warm, it does not want it under 180F. It has no control in cooling, the fan does that and the fan can't cool the water unless it is moving through the system.
07-23-2017, 03:43 PM
#8
New Member
Join Date: 08-04-2006
Location: Somewhere over in Rainbow, SoCal
Posts: 11
Simple tips on reducing Hi operating temps
OK guys, Lil back story. 09 2.2l has about 99000 miles. Last few weeks the car started creeping up in temp. Highest it ever got was 234. With the way it was doing it my dad and I both thought it was the t star and needing radiator flush. So today I tackled the tstat. Now in 110° Las Vegas weather with the ac on full blast it's sitting and staying about 216° after driving about 10 miles. Do you think I still have an issue????
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