Changed Thermostat. Now theirs Problems!

[Nismo775]

check engine light is on. I put a thermostat in my car(i was running without one) and now that i installed one in, i did everything that i was supposed to do(red up on how to install thermo.)i loosend the bolt to let all the air out. i put collant in. and i drove it around and it warmed up cool! . But then i noticed that the Engine light came on. and wen ever i stopped at a red light the needle from being hot (needle was in the middle) to being cold(dropped all the way down as soon as i stopped) ..so now i have a new thermo. in with the engine light on and only warms up wen driving. if i let it idle the car goes back to cold...so im like ??!!if anyone can help me i would appreciate it.thanks for your time-eG

[heartofaskyline]

did you put it in backwords? why didnt it have a thermo to begin with?

[Nismo775]

did you put it in backwords? why didnt it have a thermo to begin with?

well i bought it off some dude in l.a. and wen i was in l.a. (im in Nevada now) it was always running how i thought i should have. then i come to reno and it never warmed up even when driving. so i decided to check if it had one and sure enought it didnt. and no i put it in right, i didnt put it in backwards

[heartofaskyline]

whats the milage on the ka?

[whyteboi]

coolant temp sensor maybe

[90gtpony]

My bet would also be on the coolant temp sensor.

[Nismo775]

the milage just hit 200,000nope i replaced the coolant temp sensor wen i got the vehicle. so that is new. and ive only had the car for about 3 months. and i replaced the cap n rotor as well when i changed the coolant temp. sensor. i even took out the sensor and made sure it was clean. and i plugged it back in. the light never came on till today that i put in the thermostat

[90gtpony]

Check the code on the ecu. It should narrow it down a little more. It wont pin point it but it will be a little better than just guessing.

[Nismo775]

Check the code on the ecu. It should narrow it down a little more. It wont pin point it but it will be a little better than just guessing.

if i could i would..Kragen dont do free engine check light diagnostics no more lol

[90gtpony]

if i could i would..Kragen dont do free engine check light diagnostics no more lol

I take it that place is a shop? You know you can do it your self. In your passenger side kick panel is your ecu. Take the passenger side door sill off or just pull out the clips from the front of it and then pop the plastic rivet from the kick panel out. Also in the back of the kick panel is a small philips screw by the firewall area. Remove the ecu with two 10mm bolts. On the top of the ecu there is a little LED and knob to turn. You will need a small flat head to turn it.

Now grab a pen and piece of paper. While at the ecu turn your keep to the on position with the engine off. Now turn the knob on the ecu all the way to the other side. The red LED should light up once for a sec or two. Now after that first long one count the flashes of the LED

IE: BLINK BLINK BLINK =3 followed by a short pause then BLINK BLINK BLINK BLINK =4. That code would be 34.

If you have 2 or more codes they will be separated by a short pause. When it comes around and repeats its self again it will have the starting long light. If you screw up twist the knob back the the starting position turn the key to off and repeat the steps. Dont forget to twist the knob back to the original position when you are done.

Count them and post up the codes. I will look them up in my book and post back here. Im on all night since i cant do much since my motorcycle accident.

[Nismo775]

yeah its a parts store like Autozone O'rylies exc.

i will try that. but is their anyother thing i should check before i have to do all that with the ecu???

[90gtpony]

yeah its a parts store like Autozone O'rylies exc.

i will try that. but is their anyother thing i should check before i have to do all that with the ecu???

That is the only thing i can think of that would narrow it down a little more. What you can do is disconnect your negative terminal for say 10 sec and see if the light comes back on with that crazy stuff. I think it will but its worth a try. Its really not that hard to do the ecu thing. It should take all of 20 min. at the most.

[Nismo775]

That is the only thing i can think of that would narrow it down a little more. What you can do is disconnect your negative terminal for say 10 sec and see if the light comes back on with that crazy stuff. I think it will but its worth a try. Its really not that hard to do the ecu thing. It should take all of 20 min. at the most.

i will do that. thanks a lot for the help

[Nismo775]

UPDATE!ok so the wire that connects to the collant sensor is broken. and i need to replace that. thats what made the engine light come on. now..wen i turned my car on. it didnt warm up at all. it still does not warm up at idle, only wen i drive it does it warm up. if i stop at a red light, the temp. goes back down to Cold. Any other suggestions? i installed everything right, it has coolant. i dont know what to do now so ??

[93240cooool]

water pump maybe??

[Nismo775]

water pump maybe??

but wen im driving it it warms up and when its at idle it goes back to cold. u think its the water pump? or did i just happen to buy a F**ked up thermostat?

[jeff420]

is the wire to the coolant sensor fixed? i couldnt tell from what you said.

[blacksrjdm]

Sounds like you still have air in the system. Nissans have to be bled of the air in the coolant system while being on a 30% grade. In other words...Jack up the front of the car, pretty high, and take the rad cap off and let it warm up for a few minutes, then blead the air.

[90gtpony]

Did you fix the wire? You couldn't have a bum thermostat because if it was bad it was just lock up and not open causing you to overheat. If it was stuck open it would be just like you didn't have one in there.

[dohclover]

it sounds like air in the system and the thermosat is actually stuck open

[blacksrjdm]

If there is air in the system then the thermostat would stick open.

[Nismo775]

The wire that connects to the sensor is broken. but i put gorilla tape (for now) to keep it on and make sure it doesnt try to come off

i bled it. I turned the car on and loosend the bult to blead the air. with the radiator cap off. it was on for about 5 min. and still nothing came out that hole. so then i tightend up the bolt drove the car around the block, came back and loosend the bolt again(while the car was running)and then some coolant came out and thats when i tightend it. and ofcourse filled the radiator with more 50/50 from prestone

[blacksrjdm]

The wire that connects to the sensor is broken. but i put gorilla tape (for now) to keep it on and make sure it doesnt try to come off

i bled it. I turned the car on and loosend the bult to blead the air. with the radiator cap off. it was on for about 5 min. and still nothing came out that hole. so then i tightend up the bolt drove the car around the block, came back and loosend the bolt again(while the car was running)and then some coolant came out and thats when i tightend it. and ofcourse filled the radiator with more 50/50 from prestone

You cant just bleed it from the bleader screw. This is a Nissan. If you are having a problem with air in the system then you have to bleed this differently from other cars, its a Nissan.

Go to pep boys and buy a raditor funnel with the built in cap.1. The way to do it is to take off the radiator cap.2. Replace cap with radiator funnel, fill funnel with coolant.3. Jack up just the front end till the wheels are about a foot off the ground.4. Start the car and keep the tach around 2500 rpms till the heat comes on full heat, while periodically checking the funnel to see if it has bubbled or taken any coolant.

Once the heat works at full temp. then you should be blead.

Ur also bleading through the screw incorrectly.U have to leave the cap on to keep the pressure up or you are just pulling air in. I have no doubt that you have lots of air in the system and that is your problem. So, leave the bleader alone, and blead the air out of it the way a nissan is supposed to be blead.

Refer to list of directions.
Modified by blacksrjdm at 1:52 PM 1/19/2009

[Nismo775]

You cant just bleed it from the bleader screw. This is a Nissan. If you are having a problem with air in the system then you have to bleed this differently from other cars, its a Nissan.

Go to pep boys and buy a raditor funnel with the built in cap.1. The way to do it is to take off the radiator cap.2. Replace cap with radiator funnel, fill funnel with coolant.3. Jack up just the front end till the wheels are about a foot off the ground.4. Start the car and keep the tach around 2500 rpms till the heat comes on full heat, while periodically checking the funnel to see if it has bubbled or taken any coolant.

Once the heat works at full temp. then you should be bled.

Ur also bleading through the screw incorrectly.U have to leave the cap on to keep the pressure up or you are just pulling air in. I have no doubt that you have lots of air in the system and that is your problem. So, leave the bleader alone, and blead the air out of it the way a nissan is supposed to be blead.

Refer to list of directions.

if its not supposed to be bled like this then why does it say to on all the other forums posted? i just want my car to run right

[NICONick]

Not to thread jack, but Im also having this problem, would a hole in my coolant overflow cause my system to get air in it? Its the hole in the overflow that almost all of the original plastic overflow's get....

[blacksrjdm]

if its not supposed to be bled like this then why does it say to on all the other forums posted? i just want my car to run right

I dont know I guess all the techs here at the Nissan Dealer I work at are wrong then... I have never seen one of the techs here blead from the bleader. Thats how Nissan asks them to do it.

And I would love to see a thread where it tells you to remove radiator cap and then turn bleader. That just doesnt make sense. U have to have pressure in the system in order to blead the air from a bleader, got me. Think about it like the brakes, U have to push the pedal to pressurize the caliper.

O and not to pick on you but its blead not bled. No offense.
Modified by blacksrjdm at 12:10 PM 1/19/2009

[blacksrjdm]

Not to thread jack, but Im also having this problem, would a hole in my coolant overflow cause my system to get air in it? Its the hole in the overflow that almost all of the original plastic overflow's get....

Shouldnt.

[Nismo775]

i know what you mean. i just did that i left the radiator cap on turned the car on and let it warm up then i loosend the bolt, the one to let the air out. i kno its common sense that u need pressure to let the air out. so i let the car warm up for about 5 minutes with the header on full blast then i went to loosen the bolt. i heard that your supposed to let it loose until coolant comes out. but nothing came out. the car was on for about 10 min. and nothing. and the car was still cold and the heater was blowing luke warm air ......man this is

[blacksrjdm]

i know what you mean. i just did that i left the radiator cap on turned the car on and let it warm up then i loosend the bolt, the one to let the air out. i kno its common sense that u need pressure to let the air out. so i let the car warm up for about 5 minutes with the header on full blast then i went to loosen the bolt. i heard that your supposed to let it loose until coolant comes out. but nothing came out. the car was on for about 10 min. and nothing. and the car was still cold and the heater was blowing luke warm air ......man this is

Let me apologize now for the caps. I need to get my point accross.Ur just not gonna listen to me are u. THAT IS NOT HOW YOU BLEAD THE AIR OUT OF A NISSAN. This will be my last post on this thread....

The proper way to blead the air out of a nissan is...

Go to pep boys and buy a raditor funnel with the built in cap.1. The way to do it is to take off the radiator cap.2. Replace cap with radiator funnel, fill funnel with coolant.3. Jack up just the front end till the wheels are about a foot off the ground.4. Start the car and keep the tach around 2500 rpms till the heat comes on full heat, while periodically checking the funnel to see if it has bubbled or taken any coolant.

Once the heat works at full temp. then you should be blead.

STOP TRYING TO BLEAD IT THROUGHT THE BLEADER SCREW...I TOLD YOU ONCE ALREADY. Nissan asks their technicians here at Admiral Nissan in Jersey and from what I read on Assist (nissans tech program), they dont even mention the bleader valves. Just do it the right way and you'll get the air out. Your no getting coolant through the bleader because of the amount of air you have aready added to the system.

If you cant get the air out, you may have another problem.

[hazukijitsu]

Let me apologize now for the caps. I need to get my point accross.Ur just not gonna listen to me are u. THAT IS NOT HOW YOU BLEAD THE AIR OUT OF A NISSAN. This will be my last post on this thread....

The proper way to blead the air out of a nissan is...

STOP TRYING TO BLEAD IT THROUGHT THE BLEADER SCREW...I TOLD YOU ONCE ALREADY. Nissan asks their technicians here at Admiral Nissan in Jersey and from what I read on Assist (nissans tech program), they dont even mention the bleader valves. Just do it the right way and you'll get the air out. Your no getting coolant through the bleader because of the amount of air you have aready added to the system.

If you cant get the air out, you may have another problem.

Here is what the Chilton repair manual for the Stanza/200sx/240sx says about cooling system bleeding

1. Remove the radiator cap

2. Fill the radiator and reservoir tank with proper type of coolant. if equipped with an AIR RELIEF PLUG, remove the plug and add coolant until it spills out the air from relief opening. Install the plug

3.Install and tighten the radiator cap

4. Start engine and allow coolant to come up to operating temperature. run the heater at full force with the temerature lever in the HOT position

5. Shut the engine off and recheck the coolant level, refill if necessary.