EJ22 Operating Temperature

[GOD]

The dash gauge isn't much use if it's only a quarter of the way through its scale when the engine is overheating.

What sort of sensor do you have? Is it a little brass threaded thing like the standard Subaru gauge sensors, or a long copper wire probe?

For a threaded sensor, first preference would be to drill and tap another hole in the crossover pipe - have your aftermarket gauge sensor side by side with an L series sensor. That's one of the jobs on my list.

For a wire probe, some people slip them into the top hose, but since there isn't any flow there until the thermostat opens, it won't give a perfect reading. You probably could stick it into the engine end of the heater hose that comes off the crossover pipe.

Dane.

[guyph_01]

Since the heater in my car leaks, water doesn't go under the dash anymore, i have my sensor as a u shaped bend from the outlets of the heater pipes comming out of the engine. Is that ok?

[GOD]

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[GOD]

i have my sensor as a u shaped bend from the

Not quite sure what you mean there.

If the sensor is in an arm of the T that is blanked off, nothing will flow into that arm, so the sensor won't get a good reading. The sensor needs to be in the path of moving coolant, like right in the middle of that T piece.

Dane.

[El_Freddo]

So you've got your sensor in a T in a heater hose like Bennie's pic? That won't be getting any flow past it, so it won't be representative of the engine temp. Bennie that might explain your very low indicated temps (well that and your monster radiator).

Dane, I think you've got Guy's guage readings and my guage readings mixed up, I'm getting some good temp readings that I reckon are about on the mark with the T piece. The factory dash guage will show lower than it should because its connected to a smaller liberty sender unit - it really needs to be replaced for an L series sender unit. The radiator was complete over kill with the EA, but I didn't want to get a single core again and the mob I got it from didn't make twin core units which probabily would've been ideal plus I could have more room between the radiator and the engine front with the twin...

And if you've used the heater hose that comes off the water pump, it could be getting coolant straight out of the radiator before it goes through the engine (can't remember exactly how the heater circuit it set up on these).

The cooling system on the EJ is different to that of the EA's. The heater circuit is the coolant that opens the thermostat to let in the cold water from the radiator. The EJ uses a bit of an up-side down system - the thermostat is upside down on the cold water in side of the water pump, the water from the heater is tapped in just above the thermostat but below the water pump, so the coolant from the heater circuit actually "manages" the thermostat - NEVER block the heater hose flow with a plug - otherwise you'll have some serious cooling issues!

This setup allows for a quick warm up but also explains why my engine temp will get to 95 degrees on a colder morning - the thermostat won't open very much until the coolant from the radiator has sufficent warmth in it to do so. If I have the time it will get a short warm up before hitting the road and flowing cold air through the radiator... I have thought about a set of louvers on half of the radiator that are operated by a thermo unit much like a thermo fan setup, or with a manual switch on the dash - but that's about as far as I got with it...

oh well i had the dash temp gauge get about twice the height of the c so im pretty sure thats hot!!!!! ok well with the needle sitting around the top of that c curve, my external gauge reads 50deg or sometimes less. Could the thing be faulty? or could my T adaptor piece false the readings? (Gauge&sensor is a cheap hongkong ebay one:S )

The bold may be the real issue here! And if you're using the liberty sender, on the factory dash guage, that is bloody hot!

How is your T adaptor plugged in? I've made sure my unit is on the pipe with water flowing from the motor to the heater...

Guyph, yes, test your sender in some boiling water against another thermometer and tell us what you find.

I'm with Dane on this one - test it as soon as you can, it might show that the unit isn't the best item to use...

And the pic/5yo drawing of the T piece from Dane: My mechanical sender has plenty of flow as it extends into the middle of the T to where the coolant flows. It is one very responsive temperature guage! I don't know how far in the electrical units go, but if its anything like the factory sender units you'd probabily be better off shaping a pipe to suit, then drill and tap a hole for the given sender to fit into. I hadn't thought about tapping a hole near the factory sender because I couldn't find one on the EA, then came up with something that worked and didn't think anything of it when the EJ went in.

Cheers

Bennie

[guyph_01]

hummmm ok, well i don't drive the car often and since i had all those issues/ dough i only drive short distances. I will do the test when i have time from uni.

Since my heater core leaks, the two engine heater outlet are joint by a u shaped heater hose. And i placed the sensor in the middle of that.

[El_Freddo]

Since my heater core leaks, the two engine heater outlet are joint by a u shaped heater hose. And i placed the sensor in the middle of that.

That setup sounds alright. Does the car travel far enough for the radiator contents to come up to temp as well or are you travelling a short distance like 5km down the road?

If you ever get around to changing the heater core I'd recommend an all copper unit. A mate who's been out with me twice in two different L's that were both lifted 3 inches has a tradition of blowing up heater cores! We reckon its due to the lift - the heater core becomes the highest part of the cooling system and thus is subjected to more heat over time after engine shutdown. The plastic end tanks don't like it and will crack the shits at some stage...

Cheers

Bennie

[guyph_01]

Yeah its a copper core, had to be copper to be twin cored. Na i drive it far enough for it to come to normal temp( dash gauge arrow sits on top of c curve) but the new gauge shows 50:S, did that like 5-8 times and one time it went as high as two c in height driving at night. Outside temp wasn't that hot, no idea what going on. the next day drove it during the day for a longer trip and it stayed on top of the c. Im confused and don't understand as it giving wired problems that don't make sense. Could it be a faulty new thermostat + a ****ed ebay sensor/gauge?

Im thinking of getting this if the hot water test fails
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... K:MEWAX:IT

[guyph_01]

Yeah its a copper core, had to be copper to be twin cored.

Na i drive it far enough for it to come to normal temp( dash gauge arrow sits on top of c curve) but the new gauge shows 50:S, did that like 5-8 times and one time it went as high as two c in height driving at night. Outside temp wasn't that hot, no idea what going on. the next day drove it during the day for a longer trip and it stayed on top of the c. Im confused and don't understand as it giving wired problems that don't make sense. Could it be a faulty new thermostat + a ****ed ebay sensor/gauge?

Im thinking of getting this if the hot water test fails
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... K:MEWAX:IT

[GOD]

And the pic/5yo drawing of the T piece from Dane: My mechanical sender has plenty of flow as it extends into the middle of the T to where the coolant flows.

Oi! 5yo drawing indeed. That's a serious diagram made in PaintCAD

It did cross my mind afterwards that your mech gauge sensor is probably long enough to reach right into that T. So you probably are getting a good indication on your gauge, and it's the mega radiator keeping the temp a bit on the low side.

The cooling system on the EJ is different to that of the EA's. The heater circuit is the coolant that opens the thermostat to let in the cold water from the radiator. The EJ uses a bit of an up-side down system - the thermostat is upside down on the cold water in side of the water pump, the water from the heater is tapped in just above the thermostat but below the water pump, so the coolant from the heater circuit actually "manages" the thermostat - NEVER block the heater hose flow with a plug - otherwise you'll have some serious cooling issues!

This setup allows for a quick warm up but also explains why my engine temp will get to 95 degrees on a colder morning - the thermostat won't open very much until the coolant from the radiator has sufficent warmth in it to do so. If I have the time it will get a short warm up before hitting the road and flowing cold air through the radiator... I have thought about a set of louvers on half of the radiator that are operated by a thermo unit much like a thermo fan setup, or with a manual switch on the dash - but that's about as far as I got with it...

Which way does coolant flow through the heater circuit? Is the heater pipe that comes off the back of the water pump on the inlet side of the pump or the outlet? Trying to picture how it works.

Yeah its a copper core, had to be copper to be twin cored. Na i drive it far enough for it to come to normal temp( dash gauge arrow sits on top of c curve) but the new gauge shows 50:S, did that like 5-8 times and one time it went as high as two c in height driving at night. Outside temp wasn't that hot, no idea what going on. the next day drove it during the day for a longer trip and it stayed on top of the c. Im confused and don't understand as it giving wired problems that don't make sense. Could it be a faulty new thermostat + a ****ed ebay sensor/gauge?

Im thinking of getting this if the hot water test fails
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... K:MEWAX:IT

Take it for a good 20 min drive to get it properly warmed up. If the new gauge still only shows 50ish, replace it, because there's no way that's right. Mine is always up to operating temperature within 5 minutes. Even if the thermostat is stuck open, it should be up to operating temp in 20 minutes. Also after a thorough warm up, feel your top and bottom radiator hoses to make sure the thermostat isn't stuck closed. My money is on the gauge though.

Dane.

[El_Freddo]

Which way does coolant flow through the heater circuit? Is the heater pipe that comes off the back of the water pump on the inlet side of the pump or the outlet? Trying to picture how it works.

That pipe is the inlet, meaning that the coolant is coming from the heater into the water pump, just above the up-side-down thermostat, up-side-down to a 'traditional' style cooling system.

Cheers

Bennie

[guyph_01]

Hi guys,

Ok latest news, Im still not sure if my gauge and sensor is accurate or not.

Now, the car is still overheating if i frequently get stopped at red lights. Although if i am on a freeway for 50 or more k's without stopping the needle stays on top of the c witch indicates its not overheating.

My deductions:
- fan not working => I got them(2x12inch fans) constantly on and it still does the same overheating when i get stopped at lights once the engine is warm.
- Blocked Radiator =>That can't be cause its a new(2 month old max) twin core radiator cost $450
- Thermostat not working=> I took a look and there was no thermostat under the pump!!

What else could it be??? :S any ideas???

Im thinking maybe blocked somewhere or water pump!! Can they be tested to pin point the problem?

Im putting in a new thermostat and i'll see what happens. Will most probably overheat faster. Just to see and know what happens.

Now This is an engine that i have no history about, i took the first engine out because that one had better compression, got it off a rolled car from pickles, so i have no history. I know the compression is about 190psi average and that it is not a blown head, i did the head gasket test 3 times with new solution each time.

Im trying to get a cheap(non industrial) thermometer that goes to 100deg or more to test my gauge and sensor but its proving hard to find. any ideas?


Ok this is with the thermostat in.

It is the level of the dash gauge when the fans kicks in( starts)

This is the Pic of the level when the fans Stops


What does those pics say???

[El_Freddo]

Try a kitchen joint for a thermometer, like one that does the roasts or monitors the temp of soups

Best to have at least the ring of a thermostat with the guts cut out of it in there otherwise you may get a temp issues from too much coolant or the coolant speed is too fast to effectively cool down in the radiator... I would have thought that two thermos on would've solved the problem too.

Does the coolant level drop at all over time? Mine's been pretty steady since puttin the new water pump on

Cheers

Bennie

[guyph_01]

I've put new pics on page 3.

It had the thermostat ring in with the gasket. I tried the cooking shops with no luck, still tring tho. No coolant level stays the same. Never had to top up. And i looked and didn't find any leaks from pipes etc.

[El_Freddo]

I've put new pics on page 3.

It had the thermostat ring in with the gasket. I tried the cooking shops with no luck, still tring tho. No coolant level stays the same. Never had to top up. And i looked and didn't find any leaks from pipes etc.

Sorry guyph, I'm still on page one! Which post # is it? I'm guessing the pics are of the temp guage... In which case they really don't tell you much specifically.

From my experiences you're running pretty hot there! The second pic is when my AM guage is near 93 degrees and the thermo fan is kicking in...

Cheers

Bennie

[guyph_01]

Pic are on this thread page 3:)

Crap, why the hell is it doing that?

[Joel]

Hi guys,


Now, the car is still overheating if i frequently get stopped at red lights. Although if i am on a freeway for 50 or more k's without stopping the needle stays on top of the c witch indicates its not overheating.

must be the moment for it
mines doing the same thing now, runs cool as on the highway but if i stop the fan runs alot longer than normal
it would probably overheat if i left it
my dipsticks nice and clean but i got a caramel milkshake under my oil cap,
i had a slight airlock when i refilled the coolant the other day

any good links around on headgasket replacement?