2 questions

[Jonathanlc05]

i did an oil change with 1 bottle of lucas and 4 quarts of castrol. is it bad(first time on the eclipse)
AND
its been cold here in the northeast. time to warm up the cars now, but i have a problem, not only does it take 10-15mins to warm up, but when i drive it, the needle go down colder. is there soemthing wrong here

 

[Defiant]

Some don't like Lucas:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm
You sound like you have a leaking thermosat. Replace with a dealer one at the stock temperature.

 

[Denji]

i did an oil change with 1 bottle of lucas and 4 quarts of castrol. is it bad(first time on the eclipse)
AND
its been cold here in the northeast. time to warm up the cars now, but i have a problem, not only does it take 10-15mins to warm up, but when i drive it, the needle go down colder. is there soemthing wrong here

Are the fans coming/staying on when the car is below operating temperature?

 

[dipsherry]

i run lucas in my 420a car and have no problems but i only use half a quart. and as for the warm up i would change the thermostat as stated above

 

[Blitzeclips]

Hey I hear you Jon, I HATE letting my car warm up for 10-15 minutes before school and work, and everything else for that matter!

Do this to check your thermostat: Start the car and immideiately pop the hood. You need to do all this before the car warms up, otherwise it defeats the purpose. Now find your radiator cap (shouldn't be hot) and pop it off. Look down to where your coolant comes from the thermostat housing. Is the coolant pissing out (literally looks like that) or not coming out at all? If it IS pissing out when the car is not yet warm, then you DO have a leaky thermostat. This shouldn't allow coolant to pass until the motor actually warms up, THEN it should flow freely...

Hope this helps...

 

[Jonathanlc05]

its not leaking anything

 

[Defiant]

its not leaking anything

You wouldn't see it. It's not seating, inside the housing. Get a new one. Honest.

 

[Blitzeclips]

Yeah man you need a new thermostat. Change it and let us know what happens..

 

[Jonathanlc05]

is it expensive?

 

[c5_talon]

I opened my rad cap when the car was cold in the morning and started the car and I couldnt tell if rad fluid was really flowing, it looked like it was full....Is it supposed to be empty in the tube?

 

[Livid]

New thermostat is like $3. They have them at Napa or AutoZone or just about anywhere.

 

[talonfreak96]

Well guys it might not be that but it prorbably is. I have that problem in the winter only. My car takes bout max 10min and when i go down the road it drops in temp. I asked my buddy (a mechanic at mitsubishi) and he said its just getting colder air running though it. My therm was fine.

 

[totaleclipse_05]

New thermostat is like $3. They have them at Napa or AutoZone or just about anywhere.

Actually, it's closer to $10. I just got one from Autozone not too long ago.

 

[Defiant]

Well guys it might not be that but it prorbably is. I have that problem in the winter only. My car takes bout max 10min and when i go down the road it drops in temp. I asked my buddy (a mechanic at mitsubishi) and he said its just getting colder air running though it. My therm was fine.

A properly-operating thermostat will keep the car from over-cooling. Your mechanic buddy is full of crap. A DSM's water should be up to temp in about four minutes' running time.
The thermostat warms an engine up, the radiator cools it off.

 

[talonfreak96]

Well i would beleive you over him becuase f the fact you have a DSM. Well im gld this thread came up. Looks like i need a new threm as well.

Sorry about that last post!
Tony

 

[xXaTaXx]

Well i would beleive you over him becuase f the fact you have a DSM. Well im gld this thread came up. Looks like i need a new threm as well.

Sorry about that last post!
Tony

Haha, I need a new therm also.
Last night it was about 42F here and I was driving down 495 and My gauge was 1/4 the way up, and the (supposedly) hot air was luke warm. When I got off the highway and stopped at a red light, the heat became near unbearable.

Chris

 

[Jonathanlc05]

went to advanced, 9 bucks to get a new one. how to replace it?

 

[Strm Trpr]

I'd replace both the t-stat and the rad cap at the same time.
Believe it or not, the rad cap does more than just keep coolant from spilling out.

 

[Strm Trpr]

went to advanced, 9 bucks to get a new one. how to replace it?

If you don't have one, get a service manual of some sort.
Here is a link from the VFAQ.
http://www.vfaq.com/mods/wayback/BradBauer/engine/thermo.html

 

[VelocitàPaola]

If you don't have one, get a service manual of some sort.
Here is a link from the VFAQ.
http://www.vfaq.com/mods/wayback/BradBauer/engine/thermo.html

That's for the 4G63, but the structures are similar.

Make sure to have the proper gaskets on hand, or at least some water pump (blue) RTV, and extra coolant.

*Remove the upper radiator hose (a little coolant will spill out, but not too much).
*Now remove the radiator cap, and un-bolt the outer portion of the thermostat housing (the part that the radiator hose connects to). It's only held in by two or three small bolts.
*Once you do that, you'll see the thermostat right away... in fact, it might fall out, so be careful and pay attention to its orientation.
*Put the new thermostat in just like the old one came out: you don't want to put it in backwards.
*Make sure the mating surfaces on both sides of the thermostat housing are clean and free of old gasket. Now apply the new gasket, or an even bead of RTV.
*Replace the outer portion of the housing and torque it down. I don't remember the exact torque numbers, but it's not too crucial. Just use your judgement and don't crack anything.
*Replace the upper radiator hose, and fill with coolant as necessary.

 

[Jonathanlc05]

well luckily i bought the car with a warranty and the thermostat is under it so ill have them do it sometime soon since i need belts and tires now