The temp gauge on my 96 is reading exactly at the half way mark between the 100 & 210 mark on the gauge. I believe it is running too cold. Gas mileage has really suffered. New 195 degree thermostat put in and no change. Replaced the ect sensor with bwd replacement. Still no change so I put back the original ac delco sensor back in. New stant safety rad cap also.I have heat although it is not super hot and does take awhile to heat up. I can grasp the top rad hose and hold it without burning my hand. Fan clutch was replaced abt 10 months ago. Top rad hose was replaced in the early fall. Rad filled with almost full strength coolant. Exhaust blows out very moist and smells gassy like it is running rich. Coolant level stays full so I am not leaking any. What else can I check for to get it up to temp so it will run better. Could there be an air blockage and if so, how do I tell and how to get rid of it. I even stuck the thermometer from my gas grill in the rad and couldn't even get it to reach 140 degrees after driving home for 45 minutes.
Can anyone offer any suggestions on how to get my truck up to the correct operating temp or what else I can check for. Thanks to all in advance.

 

first suggestion.... EDIT your first post and remove ALLLLLLL of the unnecessary spacing AFTER your post. i say this because what you have there shows no respect for anyone reading your post at all.

My thermostat runs around 150-160 avg, the faster you drive the faster the fan draws air thru the rad which cools off the coolant significantly - can drop my thermostat like 30+ degrees in a few seconds of high RPM.

The heat you're feeling coming from the vents, is it after 5-10 min of driving still cool? if so you likely have air in your heater core or there's something blocking air coming in thru the core fins. if you have air in the heater core you need to bleed the system to get it to draw coolant properly.

DILUTE your coolant down to around the 50-60% coolant mark since you don't need it to be any stronger than that really unless your in winnipeg or alaska where u should have it around the 70% mark - i don't know the exact reason they say mix it at that kind of ratio so i'll leave someone with the knowledge on it to answer both of our questions on the "WHY"


oh and your thermometer in the rad again would likely yield about the same temp as your thermostat, or lower possibly since it should be the coolest point in the system after the fan's going on it. try turning the truck off with it and see how fast it reaches whatever temp it tops out at and confirm against thermostat by putting ignition in the ON/RUN position just not started, this allows gauges power to work properly rather than AUX that throws all sorts of extra lighting for no needed reason.

 

*Edited*

 

First off let me apologize for the spacing.There was absolutely no disrespect intended at all. It was 2:30 am and I had just gotten home from work as I was posting the thread. Unintentionally, I must have left my finger on the keyboard before I hit submit.Again,my apologies to all who have viewed the thread. Next time I will review my posts before submitting them and thank you rriddle3 for editing the post.
UberFail, yes after 10-15 min of driving it is still cool but it does warm up a very little so I guess an air blockage is possible. And if so how would I go about bleeding the system.
Will also dilute the coolant mix as well. I also just got hold of Actron super Auto scanner (CP9145) and will hook it up and get a more accurate reading on the coolant temp.
What are your or anyone's thoughts on the exhaust coming out smelling gassy and a whitish gray in color.It just billows out and surrounds the truck while idling. Disappears after driving 5 min or so. I realize its wintertime and condensation happens,just seems a little excessive to me.
Thank you for the help and advice.

 

Hey das96blazer, I've got the same thing going on...

I'll share my situation and information and hopefully someone will be able to shed light on this.

Mine is '98 4-door and runs around 145 degrees. I had the dexcool sludge problem which caused my temp needle to hit something like 300 degrees before bringing it to a shop for a flush. They did a flush but not with the GM cleanser, so the coolant is still a little rusty looking [tough to have this problem in an NJ winter] and I'll have to re-flush it in the spring.

Anyway, I get heat but it isn't always very hot, but present. My upper radiator hose harldy changes in temp or stiffness between when the engine is cold and at temp, nor is pressure developing in my radiator. I carefully unscrewed the radiator cap after a 35 minute drive and no hissing or gurgling.

I suspect my thermostat is doing something funny since coolant is not flowing past it - maybe clogged thanks to dex-sludge? Or could it have to do with a failed or clogged water pump? I'm going to keep looking and will let you know if I find anything.


As far as the reason for differing coolant/water mixes...anti-freeze is just that - it works to keep the water from freezing. However, it does not cool as well as water. Therefore, in hot temperatures, running 100% water would be best since there is no worry of freezing. Similarly, in Anchorage you could run mostly anti-freeze since overheating isn't really a worry. Race cars often run 100% water since it cools better. Hope that helps

 

Antifreeze also helps prevent water from boiling, prevents rust and corrosion. Don't try to equate what race cars do compared to daily drivers. They only have to last as long as the race and cost is not as big a factor as it is to us.

 

Looks like you're right...the anti-freeze helps against both freezing and boiling, though I do still maintain that water cools more effectively [better specific heat]. Haha thanks for the correction.

By the way das96, I just browsed through 4 or 5 different truck forums for Ford and Dodge trucks and in every case, bad thermostats caused the low-temp reading and limp upper radiator hose. One guy even had to try three thermostats before he got one that worked properly. I'm going to change mine and I'll report back.

 

Thanks for the reply and input. I guess its possible the the 195 degree thermostat I put in was defective so maybe I'll try another one weather permitting. I will also try to "burp" the system. Should I be able to remove my rad cap after 45 minutes of driving with no issues at all. I am also able to grasp the top rad hose without getting burned and it seems very collapsible as well. With the cap off and revving the engine I can see the coolant level going down the rad so am I to believe this indicates the pump is operating properly. Hmmm...maybe the gauge is not functioning properly.
Now as far as burping the system,if I drive the truck with the passenger side tire only onto a car ramp will this get the truck high enough to do the job. Thanks to all who reply with advice.

 

just be weary of opening the rad cap after running it as you might have a splash over or steam escape at a rapid speed burning you. IF you do get it to full temp it's gonna give you and you decide to open it - RAGS & GLOVE yourself to protect as best u can against the burn. oh and go VERY slow when u open it. i've been splashed before when i was around 13 yrs old. not fun!

burping the heater core is something i'm not familiar with as i've never done it. what i can tell you tho is figure out which of the 2 pipes is the inlet and the outlet. the outlet one is the hose u want to @ its highest point detach from its fitting to allow air to escape - just again be careful of doing this for splash reasons of course.

 

das, I searched for burping techniques and tried to do it last night but due to rain and a muddy driveway could only get the front passenger tire 4inches off the ground. I think the ramp would definitely be high enough though.

When I did this, however, the coolant level actually went up a little instead of down, causing some to run out the filler hole. I did not try to rev the engine or anything though. I let mine run for about 7 minutes and there was no change, nor did the fluid even start pumping around - it was stagnant in the radiator.

I'm worried the water pump went bad, but it doesn't really leak much at all and as I understand it the Blazer w.p. blades are metal so blade wear shouldn't be a problem.

Hoping to swap the thermostat today and will report back...