Why are these Chinese sellers always out to scam people? I asked for a partial refund because of the wrong fittings and he denied any refund claiming "we recently changed the fittings so it would be easier to install" which is of course complete and utter BS. So of course I kept my original claim, wanting a $50 refund. Which isn't much considering these radiators are in fact now completely useless for Fieros who still have the original transmission lines. No one in their right mind is going to cut their transmission lines and replace the last few inches with a rubber hose just to make these things fit.
At the end of today, if we haven't come to an agreement, Aliexpress steps in and will make a decision. I hope they understand why I demand a refund. In the past they have always been very helpful but I'm unsure about this one. Either way, the seller has not delivered what he offered since the pictures of his product page show the original and correct fittings.
You bought an aftermarket rad w/ Al tanks and very likely Al heat exchanger to cool AT oil. Does Ali page say this is a Direct Fit? Likely No. And you "trust" a pic showing OEM part knowing will have Al tanks?
Only Some "Custom" marker will have right hole/fitting so can use OEM fitting is this case 2 part GM line ends to fit the new heat exchanger. If Ali doesn't give money, no surprise to many because even US and other local custom builders of X often do not make exact fit parts & up to the buyer to make whatever mod same as already done to mounting points & brackets.
Plus you don't want brass fitting etc in direct contact w/ Al parts. Has big problems as heat cycles at different rates and electrolysis rotting. While Has oil on inside but road "water" & crap on outside to rot the joint. If steel mounting parts touches Al tank then can rot there too. Is Why OEM rad had Rubber in the mounting points. Related: is why they make "insulating" steel/copper joints to install Water Heater when have Steel tanks to Copper plumbing. look up "Dielectric Union Water Heater"
Plus already cut the tubes to trans. So you need to splice them somehow... AT lines already have "Rubber" in engine bay that likely gets hotter from oil and engine, exhaust, etc. that likely needs replacement. 1 is ~ 18 inch loop to act as anti drain w/ loop has a bracket on side cover to keep the loop safe. Other is "long" just to prevent breaking as engine moves normally.
Use right hose and will last another 20+ years. Use wrong hose and expect large problems in the very near future.
As to what is plugging the OE tube(s)... No clue as Nothing should be doing that and the AT will have problems w/ block "cooler" lines because that oil is "waste"/"bypass" oil from the regulator and should never be block same way as Fuel Return from the Engine.
I would discon the trans end and blow air etc from there to make sure rest of lines are clear.
If you do some research on fittings you may find that is is possible to mate just about any line to a threaded fitting. For instance my trans lines are #6 AN braided lines. I found fittings that IIRC have been 3/8 NPT to a #6 AN male fitting. The used the #6 AN female ends on the hoses. If you must cut the lines and use rubber transmission oil hose to connect them that will work. Just make sure that you flare the old steel lines so when clamped the hoses will not slide off. There is not a lot of pressure in the cooler lines so I would not have any worries.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Does Ali page say this is a Direct Fit? Likely No.
Yes
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And you "trust" a pic showing OEM part knowing will have Al tanks?
I trust that if someone says "look, this is a picture of the product", I get the product pictured. Not something else. The only difference between the radiator they sent me and the one pictured is the fittings. They even admit the product was changed. They said they sent me a "newer" version of the fitting that makes it easier to install. That's like saying, "hey, we changed the HDMI input of your TV to DVI to make it easier to connect to HDMI equipment" .
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If Ali doesn't give money, no surprise to many because even US and other local custom builders of X often do not make exact fit parts & up to the buyer to make whatever mod same as already done to mounting points & brackets.
I don't care that many aftermarket manufacturers don't make exact fit parts. I bought from a seller that claims he does. He even show pictures of it with the proper fittings, then sells something else. This radiator is sold as a direct replacement for the OEM Fiero radiator. If you check out all radiators on Ali, there's only one shaped like this and it's for the Fiero. So it's specifically made for the Fiero, not for any other car. So if the fittings are none standard and won't fit the stock transmission lines, then it's no longer a Fiero radiator.
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Plus you don't want brass fitting etc in direct contact w/ Al parts. Has big problems as heat cycles at different rates and electrolysis rotting.
Electrolysis "rotting" is something I've read many times but I think the real life consequences are greatly exaggerated. It needs a specific fluid of specific acidity for it to happen. I don't think transmission oil is that fluid. Nor is rain water.
I'm not and others shouldn't dig thru a site looking for your "proof." So If Ali Page said was 100% copied... you Never bothered to post a link or even screen grab showing that. Plus You installed and post that and now "bothered" it isn't "right?" You think the maker or Ali won't web search this?
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Originally posted by Cliff Pennock: Electrolysis "rotting" is something I've read many times but I think the real life consequences are greatly exaggerated. It needs a specific fluid of specific acidity for it to happen. I don't think transmission oil is that fluid. Nor is rain water.
Wrong. Go ask many local mechanics. Electrolysis "rotting" is why Brake Bleeders, long bolt for many Alternators, and a lot more are "welded" into whatever Aluminum part.
Rain and other outside Water = Polluted Water. You drive on the street then car gets way worse polluted water plus salt or other chemicals to melt ice plus god knows whatever else that leaked or spilled on the roads, P-lots, and more. Road Salt etc can take Months to Never go away in summer then Any moisture Reactivate this crap and spray on your car. That's if the crap isn't already on the car to reactivate.
IOW Even if you claim "I only drive in good weather," the road crap will get at the whole car. And part of why your old rad is toast w/ missing "fins" etc because crap react w/ thin Al fin materiel then nothing to support the tubes. So If the tank didn't fail, the tubes would have or did. Just 1 small section Blown Up from your pic so others can easily see the Fin Rot. This Rad has big problems likely for Many Years. I've junked so many cars that are way older and didn't rot like that. 99+% had no rot at all.
Only People W/o a clue say Aluminum won't "rust." Exact Opposite: Aluminum is Very Reactive and "rust" instantly as soon as you cut so most people never see "raw" aluminum metal. Other things can eat Al Parts Directly (like "Liquid metal Heat Sink grease") or be a "catalyst" for "water" etc to attack it. Once Coolant loses its Additive Pack for any reason even that will "eat" aluminum. Coolant rated 3-5+ years often drops lifetime very fast, days to months, when have Ground problems.
I'm not and others shouldn't dig thru a site looking for your "proof." So If Ali Page said was 100% copied... you Never bothered to post a link or even screen grab showing that.
Plus You installed and post that and now "bothered" it isn't "right?" You think the maker or Ali won't web search this?
I wasn't bothered. I was pissed. But since I didn't want to wait another 12 weeks to return the radiator and hope they will sent me a correct one, I decided to keep this one and try to make it work. But the fact I am able to make it work takes nothing away from the fact they did not sent me the product I ordered. And what do you mean "you think the maker or Ali won't web search this". Do you think AliExpress is going to search the internet just checking if a guy in the Netherlands might have posted about this problem? Of course not. And even if they do, what are you implying? That I am lying to them and I'm just trying to make a buck? Did you read any of my posts? I told them exactly what I've been telling here: that I'm able to make it work but it's a lot of extra work (and it is) and that I can no longer use the stock transmission lines without modification. They sell it as a drop-in replacement. It isn't. It's as simple as that.
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Wrong. Go ask many local mechanics. Electrolysis "rotting" is why Brake Bleeders, long bolt for many Alternators, and a lot more are "welded" into whatever Aluminum part.
As I stated before, in order for a copper/aluminum connection to corrode, you need either an electrolyte, an acidic solution or an alkaline solution. Transmission oil isn't one of those. Sure, liquids from the outside could cause some corrosion but again, like I said, this is a very, very, very slow process since the connection is not submerged in that liquid.
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And part of why your old rad is toast w/ missing "fins" etc because crap react w/ thin Al fin materiel then nothing to support the tubes.
Yes. All kinds of crap can speed up corrosion of the very thin cooling fins on a radiator. Which has nothing to do with the fittings on my new radiator so I'm not even sure why you bring that up.
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Only People W/o a clue say Aluminum won't "rust."
Well, it's actually the other way around. Only people without a clue say aluminum rusts. It doesn't. It oxidizes. It corrodes. But it doesn't rust.
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Exact Opposite: Aluminum is Very Reactive and "rust" instantly as soon as you cut so most people never see "raw" aluminum metal.
Again. It doesn't rust. It oxidizes creating a very strong protective layer around the aluminum. It's what makes airplanes so strong. When you cut it, it oxidizes almost immediately protecting the inner layers from corrosion. "Rust" makes iron weaker. Oxidation makes aluminum stronger. Corrosion is what makes aluminum weaker. And it doesn't corrode when you cut it. It oxidizes.
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Other things can eat Al Parts Directly (like "Liquid metal Heat Sink grease") or be a "catalyst" for "water" etc to attack it.
Yep. So it's fortunate our radiators never get in contact with liquid metal heat sink grease. But again, not sure what it has to do with the fittings on my new radiator.
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Once Coolant loses its Additive Pack for any reason even that will "eat" aluminum. Coolant rated 3-5+ years often drops lifetime very fast, days to months, when have Ground problems.
Yes, like you said, many things can cause corrosion of aluminum. It's probably exactly what happened. A small coolant leak caused the thin fins to corrode, causing a cooling pipe to crack. But I still don't know what all this has to do with the fact a seller on AliExpress didn't sell a product as advertised.
I have a question about this subject. The Hummer radiators have dual cooling tanks for motor oil and trans fluid. They are notorious for failing which will put antifreeze into the trans cooling tank and blow up the transmission. I change my Hummer radiator every 60,000 miles to be safe. Is anyone aware of a situation where an automatic Fiero radiator cooling tank failed internally and destroyed the transmission?
[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 08-07-2023).]
Back on track, the weather is clearing up here so I'm preparing to finish the job. I have three things left to do.
1) Connect lower transmission line That one is easy. I'll just cut the transmission line at the yellow line, then use a piece of transmission oil grade rubber hose to connect the two
2) Connect upper transmission line This one is going to be harder and I have a few concerns about this one. I need to connect these two:
I cannot simply use a single rubber hose, since it will pinch:
If the radiator would have the proper fittings, I would be able to use the original piece of transmission line:
So here's my dilemma. I can cut this piece up and only use the bend.
But that means I can't use that piece anymore if I ever choose to go back to a radiator with stock fittings. So I will have to find a piece of metal tubing with a bend of the right size instead. So not sure what to do here yet.
3) Making room for the fan I think I will trim away a small piece of the bracket:
Tubing bender and a piece of brake line to make what you need. You really should adapt a stock fan shroud for the aftermarket fan if you can locate an old OE fan assembly. You tube shows you how.
You really should adapt a stock fan shroud for the aftermarket fan if you can locate an old OE fan assembly.
Yes, but getting any OEM part here in The Netherlands is next to impossible since there are no junked Fieros AFAIK. And very seldomly, people part out their Fiero. In fact, I have seen it only once in the past few years.
I'd be concerned about the straight cut lines leaking a bit, but they should be fine to get the car back home a few miles. Ideally you'd want to flare the ends, so they look like the ends on the radiator.
I'd also make sure to use hose that's rated for transmission fluid, no telling what was in there before if it isn't marked.
Remove that nipple thing, it is pointing the wrong way already, you probably can find a 90 degree elbow with the same threadsize and a hose adapter at a normal hardwarestore. No need to make it more complicated.
That looks like a screw they put in to prevent the radiator from draining after they broke the tube and forgot to remove it when installing the rubber hose.
Fix: 1. again, need solder bumps etc so rubber won't slide off. 2. just bent the trans line back some so rubber has a bigger radius to bend. or use a "weak" spring outside of rubber for bending tighter radius. Spring stay there. Or use both if needed. Proper J1532 hose needs 6-8 inches or more radius to bend w/o pinching w/o extra support. A little tighter w/ support. 3. If save the hard line bend, use compression fitting to joint bottom part. Will still need to bend bottom section for clearance. 4. Look like the fan "body" edge will fit under w/ some effort w/o distortion when done. If fan "body" won't clear, If you cut/grind the rad frame only cut bare minimum to fix that problem. Or use spacers on the mounting screw points.
I'm certainly not suggesting that flaring the ends of the metal tubes or adding a bit of solder to them is a bad idea to help keep the hoses on, but the fluid pressure through the transmission cooling lines is minimal. I simply double-clamped the hoses on a repair I made to the transmission cooling lines on my '86 GT years ago and it's never had an issue.
I cannot simply use a single rubber hose, since it will pinch:
So any tips before I start? 😊
I don't see why you couldn't use the single rubber hose - add some more slack with a slightly longer hose, with a strain relief. It's not high pressure, so as long as your line isn't kinked, you should be all set.
Originally posted by Patrick: I'm certainly not suggesting that flaring the ends of the metal tubes or adding a bit of solder to them is a bad idea to help keep the hoses on, but the fluid pressure through the transmission cooling lines is minimal. I simply double-clamped the hoses on a repair I made to the transmission cooling lines on my '86 GT years ago and it's never had an issue.
May not "blow off" now because so low pressure or other reasons... If the line(s) get a little to completely crush/pinched then enough pressure to blow off and quickly drain the Trans while you drive. Remember Oil Dumping method in cave to change AT oil? In takes < ~ 15 minute to pump the trans dry.
Yes, the trans may may shift "wrong" etc w/ restricted flow but better then running out of trans oil on the highway. And Ignoring other possible problems causing an oil slick on the road...
Short straight sections w/ minimum gap to span is different then any big gap w/ or w/o bending the hose too. Just Heat cycling can cause failures in later setup.
It takes very little pressure to blow off any hose w/o something to "lock them" in place. Trans oil, Coolant, and more lubes the joint and no clamp alone should be trusted.
In back and even w/ OEM setup, the oil cooling hoses often leak or @ minimum move from oil and external heat and vibration and stop moving only when the clamps are @ the "Blow off" Stops on the hard lines.
Even w/ J1532 hose can have problems in the long term because also gets heat from Exhaust on Fiero and many others for trans section. Is why Many OEM have hard lines going into the heat exchanger directly. Is Part of why the Loop section of rear rubber for Fiero has the loop to side of trans to help keep exhaust heating to nothing. But still fails long term @ ends to trans short lines. I recently bought new J1532 to replace that section again. And while there likely add some heat shield too to block Exhaust IR hitting them. (That's on top replacing the Duke's huge "Pebble Bed" Cat w/ current smaller better Cat.)
I'm certainly not suggesting that flaring the ends of the metal tubes or adding a bit of solder to them is a bad idea to help keep the hoses on, but the fluid pressure through the transmission cooling lines is minimal. I simply double-clamped the hoses on a repair I made to the transmission cooling lines on my '86 GT years ago and it's never had an issue.
I've used un-flared line with a hose, and it leaked, slowly. Was able to drive 7 hours home on it adding fluid once.
I've used un-flared line with a hose, and it leaked, slowly.
Two clamps at each end of hose?
My '86 GT has been stored for years, and to be honest I haven't even looked under the decklid for ages... but i drove that GT for a couple of years after splicing in a length of hose, and it never leaked at all. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket?
My '86 GT has been stored for years, and to be honest I haven't even looked under the decklid for ages... but i drove that GT for a couple of years after splicing in a length of hose, and it never leaked at all. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket?
Yep, 4 clamps, the section that runs under the driver's door rusted out at college, drove it home to fix it at the start of summer break.
Remove that nipple thing, it is pointing the wrong way already, you probably can find a 90 degree elbow with the same threadsize and a hose adapter at a normal hardwarestore.
That is in fact what I had been looking for yesterday on the interwebs for hours at end. But I couldn't really find anything. Problem is, I'm not sure what it's called. Slangtule? Slangpilaar? Slangnippel?
I then went to the Karwei - they also had nothing. I'll try Gamma today. And who knows, maybe PartsPoint (formerly Brezan) has something...
1. again, need solder bumps etc so rubber won't slide off.
I was actually thinking of putting the hose on all the way to the bottom bend so it can't slide off. That also gives me some room to use two or even more clamps. Like this:
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2. just bent the trans line back some so rubber has a bigger radius to bend.
Yes, that's probably what I'll end up doing if I can't find a bent nipple.
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4. Look like the fan "body" edge will fit under w/ some effort w/o distortion when done. If fan "body" won't clear, If you cut/grind the rad frame only cut bare minimum to fix that problem. Or use spacers on the mounting screw points.
Last night I thought of another problem. I don't think I can even screw it in anymore. With the old radiator, there was room between the top of the radiator and the bracket since it had the rubber pads between them. Now that space is gone and the screws will now actually screw into the radiator? I''m not sure since I haven't checked it yet, but if that is the case, I need to think of another way to put the fan in place.
It did come with "adapters" so you can put a hose on it:
I am most concerned by this sudden new style of fittings instead of the OEM style like the car came with. I wonder if they'll all be coming like this form now on? This new type of fitting seems like a hack solution to a problem that never existed. I tend to think these things are all made in the same factory in China and regardless if you get it from the Fiero Store, Autozone, Summit Racing or Ali Express they are all the same item just in a different box.
I bought the Champion 3-row aluminum radiator last year and fortunately it still had the original style connections so my existing lines didn't need to be hacked up.
Originally posted by Cliff Pennock: Last night I thought of another problem. I don't think I can even screw it in anymore. With the old radiator, there was room between the top of the radiator and the bracket since it had the rubber pads between them. Now that space is gone and the screws will now actually screw into the radiator? I''m not sure since I haven't checked it yet, but if that is the case, I need to think of another way to put the fan in place.
top & bottom frames on the radiator has notches/holes that should clear the screws for the fan.
Look at mounting holes and see they align w/ those. If needed use a "WD40" can straw or anything fairly soft & flexible and careful poke the mounting holes.
Long hose plan maybe ok. if the gap is short more so. And If "floating" section have nowhere to go.
If 2 sections of hard line can touch or nearly so then compression fitting is better for a given joint. The fitting has a "stop" in the middle and depending on exact fitting type/design the Gap between stops in them can be near 0 to 2+cm. So make sure all parts fit before tightening anything. But I won't use them on rad fitting even if you trim the hose barb off because of vibration can make Al tube to work lose in the metal olive. ("they" make Plastic olives for normal plumbing for plastic and other very soft tubing but is not rated for oil coolant etc.)
I ended up using a fuel hose because the parts store didn't have hoses for transmission oil. But I needed the car back at my place so I can more easily work on it. I've read on many places that you can't use fuel hoses as a (partial) replacement for a transmission line, but mainly because it can't handle pressure over 30psi. Now I might be wrong but I think the pressure in the transmission lines in the Fiero is waaaaay less than that. So for now I see this as a temporary fix until I can find the proper hoses. [b]Unless y'all thing the fuel hose is fine?[b]
Anyways, this is how the top is connected:
And at first I had the bottom like this:
But when ran the engine, that was leaking transmission fluid. Turned out the top clamp wasn't actually over the transmission line, so I moved it further back and it stopped leaking.
I do have what looks like a very, very small leak at the top outlet coolant hose. But just really a few drops. I tightened the clamp but it still leaks. But again just a few drops, nothing serious. I think the hose is just old and needs to be replaced. I will scour the internet for new hoses. But yeah, it's alive again!
All that said, this did not fix the temperature swing problem... It still rises to in the red, then drops to normal operating temp in seconds. It does this a while until temperature stabilizes...
Fuel line can fail for trans oil. Change it soon. Amazon and others have SAE j1532 hose.
Note: SAE j1532 hose can not be used as Fuel hose as Hates Ethanol and other gas additives. Remember Have cleaners etc built into fuel before selling it or store additives can have Alcohol and other things "eating" trans hose and many others.
All that said, this did not fix the temperature swing problem... It still rises to in the red, then drops to normal operating temp in seconds. It does this a while until temperature stabilizes...
How well did you burp the system?
The Ogre will say that the Fiero coolant system will eventually burp itself, and that manually doing so after refilling the radiator isn't necessary.
So I tried an experiment.
I've always thoroughly burped the coolant system (using This method) in any of my Fieros after doing any work on their cooling systems. I've never experienced coolant temperature swings after doing so. However, after repairing a coolant leak in my Formula, as reported in This thread, I purposely did not burp the system. I simply topped off the coolant at the thermostat housing, ran the engine for half a minute, topped it off again, ran it for another half a minute, topped it off again. I made sure the coolant reservoir was also filled to the proper level.
I should also mention that I had not drained the system. It was down about two litres/quarts when all was said and done.
The first few times I drove my Formula after the leak repair, my engine was experiencing wild temperature fluctuations. During one of the first few short trips, the temp gauge was creeping closer to the red, but strangely enough, my 210° fan switch was still not activating. I finally turned on the fan manually (by using the A/C control) when I was stopped at an extended red light. The temp gauge quickly dropped to where it normally resides. These wild swings in temperature continued until I had driven the car about ten times.
I will never not burp the system again after re-filling with coolant. I respect what The Ogre has to say, but I definitely do not agree with his stance stating that burping is unnecessary. It is my experience that burping the system after re-filling with coolant totally eliminates any wild temperature swings. This of course is dependent on the rest of the cooling system being in good condition.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 08-10-2023).]
I checked the hose I'm using now and it's SAE J30 R6/R7.
Don't know why but i can't find any place in the Netherlands that sell SAE J1532 hose.
I did find other hoses with no SAE labeling, but with the following specs:
Working Pressure: 20bar Burst Pressure: 60 bar Temperature range: -58F to 176F (some specify -22F to 200F) For use with: oil, lubricants, diesel, hydraulic oil, water, coolant, compressed air and inert gases Wall thickness: 3.2mm (1/8")
Temp swings can be many things. Only some common items covered in cave in coolant section. Worse, You can't get Super Stat since motoraid buyout so even w/ 100% good system, you see temp swings on Fiero and more so w/ cool/cold weather. OE type T-stat was made for FWD and Front Engine that only handles ~ 6-7 quarts of coolant and =ize way faster then 14.x quarts in Fiero.
Even then GM had to push TSB saying Fiero and others are going to see temp swings on dash gauges.
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Originally posted by Cliff Pennock: I checked the hose I'm using now and it's SAE J30 R6/R7. I did find other hoses with no SAE labeling, but with the following specs: <snip> Would that work?
Likely no better then the fuel hose you have now. maybe worse.
Next time you drive 1/2 hour or more in City so TC stays unlocked a lot read temp @near the new hoses. If near the top of range, hoses likely won't last long. If over temp, definitely won't last long.
Even then may not last long carrying AT oil because of above.
If I disregard the overheating for a moment, the engine runs a lot cooler than before. Before, the fan would come on even during short trips. Now, the fan only comes on as a result of the overheating. If it doesn't overheat, the fan seldom comes on.
I checked the temperature of the transmission hoses (by hand) and they felt warm, but not hot. I will check using my IR thermometer soon, but if I would have to guess, I would say the hoses were no warmer than about 140*F.
But I received the hydraulic hose, and I also found a 90* fitting so I will replace the current hose with those.
I've always thoroughly burped the coolant system (using This method) in any of my Fieros after doing any work on their cooling systems. I've never experienced coolant temperature swings after doing so. However, after repairing a coolant leak in my Formula, as reported in This thread, I purposely did not burp the system. I simply topped off the coolant at the thermostat housing, ran the engine for half a minute, topped it off again, ran it for another half a minute, topped it off again. I made sure the coolant reservoir was also filled to the proper level.
That's essentially what I've done, and I haven't had a problem. I've done it twice. I mean, the system is essentially a big loop-ish. Making sure it's more-or-less filled seems to take care of the issue.
Fill it to the top at the t-stat housing, open radiator cap until all air is out, top it off at t-stat housing.
Repeat until level no longer drops at t-stat housing. Start engine, let it run for a few minutes, then repeat all steps.
This is how I've always done it. I still haven't checked for crushed pipes yet since I will have to jack up the car for that.
BTW, the new radiator does cool a lot better than the old radiator.
Run it with no thermostat and a really aggressive fan switch? Just keep that fan on. If it still has temperature swings with that it seems like you have some other kink in your system.
[This message has been edited by sdgdf (edited 08-18-2023).]
That's essentially what I've done, and I haven't had a problem. I've done it twice. I mean, the system is essentially a big loop-ish. Making sure it's more-or-less filled seems to take care of the issue.
I get big swings but that's because of my t-stat, my fan, and the gigantic amount of coolant in the Fiero system. First few times it gets hot enough to open the t-stat it'll crash from 210 down to like the 1/8th mark on the gauge.
And my fan is set for like 140*F, it just about always runs unless starting a cold start.
When I got the car it had no t-stat and would basically never get above 160F. I had trouble in winter with it, the oil would never warm up so I felt bad about going WOT until I put a stock t-stat in it.
[This message has been edited by sdgdf (edited 08-18-2023).]
That's essentially what I've done, and I haven't had a problem. I've done it twice. I mean, the system is essentially a big loop-ish. Making sure it's more-or-less filled seems to take care of the issue.
What is "That's"?
You referenced a post of mine, but because you only quoted part of it, it's rather confusing. The point I was making was because I didn't follow my entire burping procedure, I experienced (and as it turns out, continue to experience) wild temperature fluctuations. Just topping the coolant off at the thermostat housing after the system has been drained (or is low by a few litres due to a leak) does not work in my experience. The radiator cap needs to be removed beforehand to ensure there isn't an air pocket trapped up front.
Run it with no thermostat and a really aggressive fan switch? Just keep that fan on. If it still has temperature swings with that it seems like you have some other kink in your system.
I've ran it without thermostat before, and that made no difference. But today I had to make a longer trip than normal (about 80 miles both ways, mostly highway) and on the way there I had huge temperature swings for the first 20 minutes. Temperature rose to beyond the red in about 10 seconds, stayed there for another 10 seconds, then dropped to about 160*F in about 2 seconds. And that repeated itself for 20 minutes after which the temperature stabilized at around 175*F. The temperature light came on each time the needle was past the red and turned off when temperature was dropping (but still in the red)
But on the way back, things got really weird.
First of all, it never stabilized during the 1.5 hour trip. It kept fluctuating between beyond the red and about 160*F. But it looked like the temperature light was living its own live. Sometimes it came on when the gauge was showing 220*F* (but slowly rising), stayed on and wouldn't go out until temp dropped all the way to 160*F.
Then as soon as I got off the highway and drove with speeds of around 30mph, temperature dropped all the way down to something ridiculously low and stayed there:
PS: my temp gauge is in Celcius. 40*C = ~100*F, 105*C = ~220F, 125*C = ~260*F
As you can see, it shows around 56*C or about 133*F. But oddly enough the radiator fan was on, even though the gauge showed such a low temperature.
So I'm not entirely sure when the temperature warning light comes on (what does it measure? Coolant temperature or oil temperature?).
And apparently, there's a huge difference between the sensors for the temperature gauge and the radiator fan.
I don't think I've ever seen a GT without A/C, maybe that was a Canada thing too?
I finally turned on the fan manually (by using the A/C control) when I was stopped at an extended red light. The temp gauge quickly dropped to where it normally resides. These wild swings in temperature continued until I had driven the car about ten times.
