Beretta.net

Hi all,

Vehicle:
1990 Chevrolet Beretta.
3.1L v6
AUTO 3 SPD. (Torque converter works properly).

I removed the thermostat, changed the pump, and have clean fluid (again) and I still get this issue...

When I drive, with what I have above done:
Engine temp sits at 1/4 on a 90 degree (F) day.
Road speed is about 40 MPH.
This is with the A/C running on (MAX).

Then I park in a parking lot.
The vehicle is in park, engine temp starts rising.
This will happen until I do one of 3 things:
(IMPORTANT NOTE: The engine temp will also climb even with the A/C off in park at idle and engine hood closed.)

1) Drive the car till the temp comes down again.
2) Turn the car off and let it sit.
3) Open the engine hood while it idles with A/C on so I can stay cold...

With option 3, the temp comes down back to about 3 bars or 1/4 mark (I have the digital gauge cluster).

I checked coolant flow, fan, have no mechanical thermostat, electric temp sensor works proper, fan relay, ECM are all good...IDK
And, I know everything is clean because when the engine got rebuilt, everything was cleaned and such, and the rebuild I did and everything was done properly.

Now it is all a stock except for 1 thing:
I took the engine fan from a 1996 Chevrolet Beretta to use in place of the old style engine fan that was in this 1990 Beretta...
Was that a bad thing to do?

Any suggestions are welcome, I am thinking the fan is not big enough but its the same fan used on the 1996 beretta and that cools just fine...
But I am also thinking the fan does not move enough air, although it seems to move a lot.

I'll look into Summit Racing for a high volume air movement fan, but idk...

**The fan is mounted properly up against the radiator. the uni-body had the foot holes for the new style fan, that's why I got the idea to use it...
**I am also thinking of making a custom hood that allows hot air out the top for better air flow... idk yet...

Thanks everyone for the insight, I'm confused...

EDIT:
I also forgot to mention when the engine temp goes up, it goes up past 3/4 and once it got to max...
I opened the hood, turned on the inside heater with the windows open and did what i could to cool it off after I restarted it...

also, no performance issues when the vehicle gets hot.
Exhaust is free flowing so my converters fine...idk

EDIT2:
sorry, I just realized there is a technical help category...
I thought this was where car help went...rofl :/

Wanted to add I was thinking about this:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/RNB-620-622/

The cooling fan doesnt come on till 110 or 115 degrees IIRC. Which is about the 3/4 mark on a standard cluster temp gauge.

Rodney, I think you mean 210 or 215, not 1.

Two questions.

1. Is the fan kicking on at all? Only with A/C on Max or with A/C and when temp hits almost 3/4 on the gauge?

2. Electronic t-stat? Wtf are you talking about? It's a mechanical wax t-stat like every other car.

Yah I forgot to say the fan properly comes on without A/C

and I meant the mechanical thermostat that blocks the flow of coolant i had removed, and still have the problem...

The electronic temp reader is new and working properly...

A couple people tell me my radiator might be plugged...
do you think it is worth it to invest in a new one?
(it is like 200 dollars i think...)

You should be able to get a new rad for around a 100 bucks at rockauto.com

DTMAce wrote:You should be able to get a new rad for around a 100 bucks at rockauto.com

Any way to save a few dollars!

thank you

Before just guessing and throwing cash at it (that crap adds up fast), test,test,test.

First things first. PUT THE T-STAT BACK IN. There's part of your current issue. It's a myth that cars will run cooler with no t-stat. Without it, there is no "gateway" between the hot engine coolant and the coolant in the radiator trying to be cooled down so it can keep the engine cool.

Second.Pull your uppper and lower radiator hoses. Make sure the car is cold when you do this. Run a garden hose into the upper outlet and turn it on high. Make sure the water

A. Comes out the lower and

B. Is clear ,not filled with crap and rust.

Do the same with the lower outlet.

This is called "backflushing your radiator". Simple way to see if it's clogged or flowing.

If it's fine, then I would think a new t-stat (I HIGHLY recommend a fail safe t-stat (if it fails , it will do so in the open position) , they're only a few dollars more) and a good coolant system bleed may cure your woes. Sounds like you may have a couple good size air pockets.

Be sure to check for coolant mixing with oil and vice versa. In other words , if your oil looks like a chocolate McD's milkshake or your coolant is brown, your in crap.

If none of this works, do a compression test and post the results.

ok, I'll see if anything comes out with a simple flush with the garden hose...

on a different Beretta when I did not have a T-Stat after a rebuild and I had to use the car, it did run way colder, thats why I tried it...
(This has actually helped keep the average temp lower so far, which helps in bumper to bumper traffic here... The thermostat I have already and taken out because of this is a fail safe one...)

My oil is fine, not raising, not chocolate...
Compression I'm assuming is also ok because the car does not miss at all, runs very smooth, exhaust does not smell like coolant and the coolant PSI is about 15 like it should be with a pressure thing I put on the one the goose neck bleeder side...

Just a thought, but starting to wonder if your gauge is registering temp correctly. It may be spiking on the gauge, but actually be fine.... That would mean either the temp sensor on the back head is bad or the gauge is faulty.

Especially if the fan is kicking in and running, etc. Has it ever over heated (boiled over)?

He said he already replaced the temp sender for the gauge with a brand new one.

At what temp does your fan kick on without the A/C on?

The fan comes on when the gauge is between the 1/2 and 3/4 marks with A/C off...

the fan turns off at 1/2...

I realized there is about a 2 inch tall hole above my radiator below the metal that runs across...

When my engine was idling the hot air was coming back around so I took some coolant hose and temporarily stuck it in there to block the hole...
It seems to be helping because now the temp is not running away and climbing even with the A/C off...

I'm gona buy a new thermostat, i guess I'm just stuck with the inconvenience of not being able to use the A/C in park... :/

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I don't think it has never boiled over...
but when it did idle and the temp climbed up to max, i turned the car off, and then restarted it with the engine hood open thinking the fan wasn't working properly, but it was...
I left the hood open and turned on the inside heater on max to help cool it down, it eventually did...
(The thermostat was in when that happened...)

I was revving the engine thinking I had trapped air but when I went to bleed the system no air came out either openings...

Clarify please. So you found a 2" diameter hole IN your radiator?

sorry I did not say that right..

What I mean is the original radiator is only so tall, that support bar that goes across the front in the engine compartement that is over the top of the radiator, it has a space below it and above the radiator...
I took some heat resistant rubber and put it across the top space because i found the hot air went from the radiator fan, up forwards through the opening above the radiator, and back through it...
The blocking the opening helps, but it still has trouble cooling...