Had thermostat housing gasket replaced, and antifreeze changed. Car (96 RT/10) normally runs around 190 range. It is now running 220 and fan runs all the time now. I have spent over an hour trying to "burp" the system, the tank in front of the wheel well appears to be empty still, no fluid visible. Any suggestions?
engine running hot
- Thread starter Trbulnc
- Start date
RonC
Enthusiast
Read the link carefully! No amount of burping will fill the front overflow bottle. You have to fill it with a turkey baster (I have one in the garage exactly for that reason). If you follow the directions, you will get great burp!
http://www.viperclub.org/instructions/purging.html
Ron
http://www.viperclub.org/instructions/purging.html
Ron
Ok, got front bottle filled as directions say, got system burped of all air. The car still runs at 220 with fan running all the time now, doesn't shut off. It idles and drives at the same temp. Could I have gotten a hotter thermostat from dealership?
genXgts
Enthusiast
If the car is running 220, what thermostat is in the car will have no effect on the overheating problem, stock, 180, or 160, any the above and the thing is open!
That said, the factory gauge is off, over reads by as much as 20 degrees, this coming from Dave Jenkins in CA (verified thru true temp readings with external gauges). Keep that in mind as well.
Next to move to is the water pump? Did you try leaving the heat cranked and notice if the air is indeed hot? If not, the water pump is the culprit. However the reverse is not ture, if it's hot air, the pump still could be shot, just a quick check method.
Also look for overflow out the weep hole in the pump after hard use/ shut down, a sign of water pump seals on the way out....
Lastly, verify mix of antifreeze is in the half/half range and not more antifreeze, that will contribute to overheating as well...........go 60% distilled water and 40% antifreeze (climate permitting) and juice up the antifreeze % for winter time if needed..... toss in 2 bottles of water wetter for good measure. Although this board debates on water wetter benefits as someone coked a motor after running all water with waterwetter, not a good idea. On the Redline bottle they recommend a min. of 15% antifreeze for corrosive properties for street driven cars.
Hope this helps, best of luck........
That said, the factory gauge is off, over reads by as much as 20 degrees, this coming from Dave Jenkins in CA (verified thru true temp readings with external gauges). Keep that in mind as well.
Next to move to is the water pump? Did you try leaving the heat cranked and notice if the air is indeed hot? If not, the water pump is the culprit. However the reverse is not ture, if it's hot air, the pump still could be shot, just a quick check method.
Also look for overflow out the weep hole in the pump after hard use/ shut down, a sign of water pump seals on the way out....
Lastly, verify mix of antifreeze is in the half/half range and not more antifreeze, that will contribute to overheating as well...........go 60% distilled water and 40% antifreeze (climate permitting) and juice up the antifreeze % for winter time if needed..... toss in 2 bottles of water wetter for good measure. Although this board debates on water wetter benefits as someone coked a motor after running all water with waterwetter, not a good idea. On the Redline bottle they recommend a min. of 15% antifreeze for corrosive properties for street driven cars.
Hope this helps, best of luck........
King GTS
Enthusiast
I was wondering why the link Ron provided only applies to Vipers from 1994 - 2000. Was the "problem" corrected in 2001?
Hey Ryan, thanks for all the info, I will check the water pump in the morning to see if it blows hot air. Having the oil changed Mon. so I will have tech hook up the box and check the ECT to compare it to the actual gage to see how far it is off. I just can't figure out why it runs hotter than it did previously.
joe117
Enthusiast
If you were running at normal temp before you changed the thermostat and now you are running hot and you are sure that you are purged of all air, I would say that the chances of you having a faulty new thermostat are high. Don't go looking in new places for overheating problems untill you verify that you have a good thermostat.
You are looking at the same gauge that you have always used so the fact that factory gauges may be wrong isn't the cause of your problem, it always worked ok untill you changed the thermostat.
Your water pump probably didn't develop a problem at the same time as the thermostat change.
The mix of your coolant will have produce changes in the engine cooling but unless you have a very strange mix, I don't think that's the reason.
Pull your new thermostat, put it in a *** of water on the stove, stick a thermometer in it, turn on the heat and watch where it opens up.
Why did you change the thermostat?
You are looking at the same gauge that you have always used so the fact that factory gauges may be wrong isn't the cause of your problem, it always worked ok untill you changed the thermostat.
Your water pump probably didn't develop a problem at the same time as the thermostat change.
The mix of your coolant will have produce changes in the engine cooling but unless you have a very strange mix, I don't think that's the reason.
Pull your new thermostat, put it in a *** of water on the stove, stick a thermometer in it, turn on the heat and watch where it opens up.
Why did you change the thermostat?
This might apply to an old school t-stat but the Viper is quite different. Oem unit is one rugged piece. The most common problem with a Viper t-stat that sticks is where they get stuck "sideways" just enough to prevent opening. The hot water test won't help on that one. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by joe117:
Pull your new thermostat, put it in a *** of water on the stove, stick a thermometer in it, turn on the heat and watch where it opens up
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Pull your new thermostat, put it in a *** of water on the stove, stick a thermometer in it, turn on the heat and watch where it opens up
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
UPDATE: I found the problem on my car, the thermostat was actually stuck and would not open. I decided to change it myself on my Gen 1 motor so I got it apart and did the boiling water test. It never opened even after boiling water. Ordered a new one and new gaskets, checked the new thermostat before installing and it opened like it should. Reassembled housing and no problems now, car is back down around 180-190 range. It wasn't that hard of a job to change, just tedious to get your hands in between engine and windshield, took about 3 hours.
And for what it is worth, I had my tech check the temp on his DRB box and it was reading 225, exactly what my gauge said so there was no difference in mine. May be different for some, but my gauge reads true to the box so be careful.
And for what it is worth, I had my tech check the temp on his DRB box and it was reading 225, exactly what my gauge said so there was no difference in mine. May be different for some, but my gauge reads true to the box so be careful.
ruckdr
Enthusiast
Trbulnc
One mod you should consider, is updating your cooling fan to the late (1999+) fan. This is a VERY good update, and being in a warmer (hot) area it will be worth while. I did mine (1996 RT/10)in about an hour. JonB at Parts Rack has them.
Later,
One mod you should consider, is updating your cooling fan to the late (1999+) fan. This is a VERY good update, and being in a warmer (hot) area it will be worth while. I did mine (1996 RT/10)in about an hour. JonB at Parts Rack has them.
Later,
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