KStretch55

Have to agree with Morgan. Unless you want to take a chance and try cleaning it yourself, you're better off to just buy a new or rebuilt one. Personally, as long as I had another ride just in case it leaks when I put it back together, I'd try cleaning it. It only costs you some time.

When they clean one at a radiator shop they will pull the tanks off both ends and clean all the build up off the exposed surfaces. Then they clean out the passages with a rod or wire brush (hence the term, having your radiator "rodded"). Then they should pressure check it to see if there are any small leaks in the solder joints and fix those. They'll reinstall the tanks and pressure check everything again. Should be nearly as good as new when done. Note: Because coolant and metal store and dissipate heat at different rates, you will not get the same temp reading from a sensor glued to the engine as you will from one in the coolant.

I would still lean toward a plugged up radiator. It's the most common cooling problem with these. In your case it sounds to me like it's plugged in such a fashion that you aren't getting good crossflow to the tank with the lower (outlet) hose. That's why the cap isn't getting hot. My bet is that due to the radiator being plugged you get an air bubble in the thermostat housing, which is also the location of the temp sensor. This causes a lower than actual temp guage reading, until you get some flow through the heater core which sends some coolant to the intake manifold near the thermostat housing. This gives the sensor some coolant to "feel" and gives you an increase in the temp guage. I'd say physically clean or change the radiator. It's probably already overheated more than you realize, but you may still save it.

What Stephen said.

Yep, should be 13psi and the rubber gaskets should have no (zero) cracks and splits in them. If they do, it can't build sufficient pressure to raise the boiling point of the coolant.

Are you sure he didn't say something that sounded like 28, but could have been 8? If it was putting out 28 volts you'd be having all kinds of burned out bulbs and you voltmeter should be way off scale hi. But, if it's putting out 8 volts as your meter reads you'd have just the problem it sounds like you have.

How long is your drive to work?

Well, the saga continues..... It worked like a champ until I got ready to leave work the day after I repaired the connector and stuff. I hopped in and turned the key and nothing.... no idiot lights, no radio, nuttin'. Just the domelight. I turned the key several times and still nuttin'. I popped the hood and pulled and re-inserted the fusible links, still nuttin'. I got back in and tried the key, you guessed it, nuttin'. I whacked the steering column cover in frustration, right about where the tilt wheel control is, and BINGO, everything lit up and worked great. I've had something similar happen on my '91 and never was able to exactly pinpoint the problem. So, then the next day, I had the original problem happen once. Since then everything has been great. I think this weekend I'll pull the steering column covers off again and see if the connector looks like it's been hot again and do some poking around.

Do a search for "crankshaft pulley", you'll find lots of interesting stuff. Seems these are problematic, but easily fixed.

New Jersey and Oregon must have strong lobby for gas station attendant unions or something. I always forget when I go across the border to Oregon and get chewed out by the attendant for touching the pump handle. I don't know about NJ, but in OR they charge you more for this "service", the least they could do is check the oil and do the windows!! Amazing that 48 other states don't see this as an environmental or safety problem, but these two do.

Ok, someone mentioned that hydrogen basically is not cost effective cuz' it costs more to "distill" it than it's worth, paraphrasing of course. I won't dispute that, cuz' I don't know the facts. But, couldn't you say the same about fossil fuels? At least hydrogen is a renewable/reuseable resource, and as I understand it, definitely cheaper by the gallon/cubic foot/whatever it's measured in. And, nonpolluting!! Discussion welcome.

Count on at least $2K. But, should be covered by his insurance. Better not cost you anything out of pocket.

Sounds like you're getting there. Good luck.

Ok, I'm sure there's an "I told you so" or two due here, so feel free. LOL I finally had time to work it and it was getting more frequent again, so...... I went out to work it and realized I'd left most of my tools and my multi-meter in my '91 Loyale, which my son had driven back up to the ex's. So, unfortunately, I can't give you much useable data as far as voltage readings, voltage loss across the connector, resistance across the connector, etc. But, I pulled the black fusible link again and made sure the connectors were tight and clean, plugged it back on and applied some terminal sealant. Still had the intermittant start problem. Next I took the steering column back apart and pulled the ignition switch. As previously noted, it had the typical burned/overheated terminal on the male side of the connector to the switch. I pulled the terminals from the connectors, cleaned them and made sure the female side was good and tight. Cleaned off both sides with some alcohol and wire brush. The male side was pretty much free in the connector due to the melted plastic around it. Mixed up some JB Weld, reinserted the male terminal into the connector and pushed the JB Weld in behind it. Let it cure until hard, then put everything back together. So far, so good, has worked every time since.

Removing the rad is quite easy. Takes longer to remove the fan shroud, if yours still has one. The rad and heater core get clogged with by-products of corrosion, combustion gases, old broken down coolant, minerals in the water, etc. Most of it gets pretty well stuck to the inside surfaces and isn't much affected by flushing. I have used the "flush" chemicals with some degree of success. However, I would recommend those for before you have an overheating problem, not after.

....and, unlike some makes, the fan on these doesn't continue to run with the key off. So, yours is normal.

Schucks has them last time I checked for around $135. Once you get the gaskets, and have everything all put back together you should top off the coolant and drain and refill the oil before attempting to turn it over. If there was that much coolant in the cylinders there's a good chance quite a bit drained past the rings and into the oil pan. Since the oil will float on top of it, on start up you'll be sucking coolant and it doesn't make good lubricant. Do that and then as the others said, pull the plugs and coil wire, turn it over a few times to make sure you have most of it out of the upper cylinders. Put the plugs back in you should be back in business. Might get some vapor out the tail pipe for a few minutes.

I believe "5" means it's a manual transmission ECU, whereas "7" is an automatic transmission ECU. Please correct me if I'm incorrect.

It's almost a given that your radiator and heater core are plugged. Do a search and you'll find that some of us have managed to clean the radiator out and reassemble it without leaks. If you can't find any info let me know and I'll walk you through it. Radiators are relatively fragile though, there's no guarantee that you won't crack a tube or something in the process, especially if it's got some corrosion. I think one could clean out the heater core too. Try a stiff wire with the end bent over. It's made of brass or aluminum, so you don't want a sharp tip that might damage it. Not something as big as a coat hanger. Something like .032" - .040" safetywire or mechanics wire. Twist two strands together if one isn't stiff enough. Good luck.

I was going to suggest the same as someone else did, use and inch/pound torque wrench for low torque applications like those mentioned. 7 ft/lbs = 82 in/lbs.

What have you done to the cooling system up to this point? Cleaned or replaced the radiator? Do the heater hoses in the engine bay, the ones that go to the heater core, feel hot with the heater turned off? One should be considerably warmer than the other. How about with the heater turned on, they should both be hot but one still hotter than the other. Sounds like your radiator and heater core are clogged. You could disconnect the heater hoses at the firewall and see if you can blow air through the heater core. Should blow freely.

Get an air deflector. Mounts above the window and deflects air across the window. They help a lot. I've scrounged a couple out of JYs for my Loyales. I think I've seen them on newer models too.

Damn! I waited a week and it hadn't done it. Let my daughter have the car for running around at college and it started again. Arrrgg! She thinks the car just doesn't like her. I went and tried it and it started every time for me. She drove to class and it did it to her again. Guess I'll try putting some sealant on the connectors. Hadn't had time to do that yet.

Been a week now and the problem has not reoccurred since pulling and reinstalling the black fusible link.

My '92 Loyale wagon, 3AT, Pushbutton 4x4, gets 26mph all the time. I haven't checked the mileage on my '91, same model but with the 5spd, lately.