Cooling system issue

Hi all,

My S2 N15 sedan has started taking forever to warm up, generally speaking around 20 minutes of driving to even get to past a quarter on the temp gauge. Going down hills etc makes the temperature gauge drop a decent amount also. This has only really started happening after I did a coolant change on the car. I bled it properly using the bleed screws etc. I've done a little bit of reading and am thinking the thermostat may have something to do with it taking forever to warm up? Is there any way to test this without removing it from the engine? Is there anything else I should perhaps look at or test too?

Thanks in advance, Jarryd.

Replace the thermostat, that's the only way. Bitch of a job compared to the SR20DE motor too i hear. By all means test it while its out, but if you're pulling it out, you may as well just replace it anyway.


It is strange that it would happen just after a coolant change, but maybe changing the coolant has dislodged some 'stuff' and it causing it to jam open.

Had to do this myself recently. Took me about 5 hours, but that was doing it slowly and trying to save skinned knuckles and temper tantrums.
http://pulsar.org.au/forums/showthread.php?t=434
In the pic with the bolts and hoses, unplug that red connector, undo the bolts with the wiring connected and it's easier to get to.

I've read that it is a prick of a job, and having a look where it is has confirmed that! It is weird that it's only happened after a coolant change, but it definitely bled fine, there's no milkshake under the radiator cap thank god, just takes a while to warm up now. Thanks for linking that thread too yakabot, hopefully that makes life a bit easier. Will pick up a thermostat (likely choose genuine) and see how we go. Are there any Nissan dealers online that would be cheaper than 'retail' pricing at a physical dealership? Or would it be best to just go to the local dealer instead?

Can't help you with the dealer question. I would have liked genuine, but I only had 1 day off to do it and no time to shop around so just got a triton from super cheap. The other biggest obstacle you'll have is the gasket for it. Tridon says it's the rubber O ring type that fits around the thermostat, but it isn't. The thermo cover is near impossible to remove. Not looking forward to replacing that hose. The cover in my pictures is from my 95 model that I wrote off. And I just shoved a sharp knife in there and hacked away until I could cut through the hose. So I bought the flat square sheet of gasket and used the old one as a template. If you're in Melbourne eastern suburbs, you're welcome to borrow it. Or go to a wreckers and buy one. Not expensive.

Ah I see, thanks for the heads up! I was planning on seeing what nissan said regarding that, or otherwise cut out a gasket/use some kind of sealant. I'm in Adelaide otherwisr I'd take you up on that offer, cheers anyway though!

The biggest problem is, apart from the lowest bolt, is with all the other brake line and power steering stuff in the way, you can't fit 2 hands in there at once.
I came to the conclusion that the whole car was probably based on being left hand drive, because if all the brake stuff wasn't there, it wouldn't be too bad.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yakabot

The biggest problem is, apart from the lowest bolt, is with all the other brake line and power steering stuff in the way, you can't fit 2 hands in there at once.
I came to the conclusion that the whole car was probably based on being left hand drive, because if all the brake stuff wasn't there, it wouldn't be too bad.

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The car is designed in JAPAN for the RHD market so i don't think that logic works. Some jobs are easier specifically because our cars are RHD, opposite is true for the LHD guys. 6 of one, Half Dozen of the other.

Always test a new thermostat.

Finished this job today guys, and as per what Yakabot said, it took me a good five or six hours (I work slowly haha). It is in a dreadful position; be prepared to destroy your hands getting the three bolts of the thermostat housing off! There is barely enough room the swing a ratchet in there, let alone be able to get enough silicone onto the face of the thermostat housing. I just ran it around the face using my fingers and hoped for the best - so far so good (hoping and praying haha).

Anyways, it appears to have fixed my issue of the temperature gauge dropping when going down hills in this cold weather. I did some more research about the temp gauge on the dash as it appeared to be a bit sticky. After the thermostat change it eventually got to 1/2 on the gauge but would get stuck at 1/4 temp, then move up to a little before 1/2 before finally getting to 1/2. Some threads on various American forums pointed me to the coolant temperature sender (not sensor) playing up and affecting the gauge's temperature output. I pulled the connector off of the sender and blasted it with some contact cleaner before clipping it back on, removing it again and re-fitting it to ensure it made a good contact. It seems to have fixed the sticky temperature gauge needle issue. If you are wondering where it is located, it is located on the passenger side of the head. Looking from the passenger side of the vehicle it is below the dizzy and a little bit to the right, hiding underneath a bracket. It has a single wire going to it. If need be I can post a picture of where it is.

My apologies for the huge post, but I hope this helps someone out in the future!

Cheers, Jarryd.

Huge informative post is fine with me. Even better is that it also took you as long as me to change it. (That sounds horrible, doesn't it?) But it reinforces to me that it's not just me. I did take my time to try and avoid thermostat/skinned knuckles/kick the cat rage though.

Haha always a good thing that there is a 'standard' sort of time to do this! Mate, even taking my time I destroyed my hands, the tops of them are bruised and cut to **** haha. I fortunately kept my cool enough to avoid throwing tools; however I was VERY close to it though!