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| high idle no heat; Engine rebuild | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 7 2013, 08:13 AM (723 Views) | |
| VOGLERB | Mar 7 2013, 08:13 AM Post #1 |
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Just had the head done and new rings done about 3 weeks ago. put it back together and its was running great. Yesterday on the drive home the heater wouldn't put out any heat. Temp gauge showed everthing ok so i figured plugged heater core. This morning she started perfect and at the first stop sign the idle would not go below 2000 the heat gauge would climb then drop ...climb and drop....still no heat from heater.....time i got to the office the idle was at 2500 and won't drop. however, i was able to watch the fuel gauge drop on the way in. Any suggestions? |
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| sphenicie | Mar 7 2013, 08:30 AM Post #2 |
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did you flush the cooling system? you may have caused a bunch of crud to break loose, durring head work. how are you gaugeing the warm/cool cycle you describe? that is what you should see, if your stat is operating properly. assuming it is in the correct range. do you have a/m temp gauge? lack of heat could be related to your temp adjust cable not ingaging, check to see if it still in the 'keeper'. idle prob may have any number of causes, may not be related, or the idle prob may be the 'cause' of heat prob. check the easiest/cheapest stuff first. |
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| jonathan180iq | Mar 7 2013, 08:44 AM Post #3 |
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Not Really All That Smart
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If you punch the gas just a bit, does the idle hang up before dropping back down to where it was, even if where it was was high? I would echo Sphenicie and ask if the cooling system was completely flushed. My money is on the two problems being "semi"-related. If you didn't have the cooling system flushed, do that. I would honestly do it anyway, just cause it's good maintenance and it's cheap. Remember the coolant lines in the back of the throttle body. The high idle is probably a vacuum leak, but it's revving so much that your engine is getting a little hotter than it would if it was idling at 1,000. The drop in the temp gauge at least means that your thermostat is working. Are you certain that the bouncing temp gauge isn't something that was happening before that you were just unaware of? |
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| Memphis metro | Mar 7 2013, 08:45 AM Post #4 |
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Was the thermostat installed correctly? I suggest a new thermostat and make sure the ring is around it. High idle could be because the car is not warming up to operationg temperature. |
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| sphenicie | Mar 7 2013, 08:56 AM Post #5 |
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i WILL get the stat pix done today, Snowfish is kind enough to add the pix. i will try to live up to the high standard he has set. i will have pix of both housings, stats, and the seal. |
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| VOGLERB | Mar 7 2013, 10:05 AM Post #6 |
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The temp gauge was working properly prior to the rebuild and the past 3 weeks. This morning it would warm up and then drop down, Then warm again and drop down. Like the stat was sticking and then opening then closing down and then opening again. Did flush the system and got some gunk out but must be some more stuff that broke loose...pretty sure i'm the first one to have ever flushed it....Its a 91.... I put in a new stat when i did the rebuild. Tried punching the gas but to no avail. Will flush the system again tonight and put in another new stat. Just cuz its new doesn't mean its working and their cheap. Checked quick this morning for vacum leaks when i got to the office this morning and everthing appeared to be ok...hopefully, the flush and stat will give me some results. Thanks for the help and advice...fairly new to the fourm and its been more help then any mechanic shop i've been to!! |
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| jonathan180iq | Mar 7 2013, 10:16 AM Post #7 |
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Not Really All That Smart
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I did have a '91 Vert whose temp gauge was always finicky, no matter how many thermostats or coolant flushes/burps I did. As long as it's not overheating, I would say the idle is the first thing to sort out. Is the issue more pronounced when the car is cold or after it has supposedly warmed up? |
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| clarkdw | Mar 7 2013, 10:20 AM Post #8 |
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I don't think anyone has asked yet. Is your coolant level low in the rad itself? Even if the reservoir is full your rad could be low if the rad cap is not sealing properly. Low coolant level in the rad will give you all the symptoms you have. |
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| VOGLERB | Mar 7 2013, 11:36 AM Post #9 |
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The issue get got worse the warm the car got. I'll need to check coolant level. I don't have any wet spots on the pavement in the garage or at the office so I'm assuming its full. I had good circulation after the flush and refill. I also drilled a small hole...1/16 in the thermostat as recommended to assist in getting the air out. The old stat had a bleed hole in it but the new one did not. |
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| Vkhelldog | Mar 7 2013, 01:06 PM Post #10 |
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Maybe odd sounding but it might be an over active fan switch? If the fan runs to much your not going to get much heat.... The surging idle... So often happens to these cars it's crazy... I plug iac vacuum line first, (assuming you did all new vacuum lines at rebuild if not do it now)if that does not fix it it maybe the tps set wrong, did you move it during rebuild? If not font touch it.. If you did, ugh... Look for a thread on throttle positioning switch. 91 it's a switch not a sensor... So it's a bit unique. Good luck
Edited by Vkhelldog, Mar 7 2013, 01:07 PM.
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| jonathan180iq | Mar 7 2013, 01:15 PM Post #11 |
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Not Really All That Smart
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Blue_Rhino's mega thread on idle control systems is very helpful. Here is an exert: http://geometroforum.com/single/?p=749663&t=5072152 You could also bypass the IAC and see if that's an issue, according to GeoGlenn. |
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