Summer is coming are you ready to stop your Metro from getting too HOT?????

[tretchery]

MANAGE YOUR HEAT!!! MANAGE YOUR HEAT!!! MANAGE YOUR HEAT!!! MANAGE YOUR HEAT!!!

MANAGE YOUR HEAT GEO METRO FANS!!!


The best thing you can do for the Geo Metro is install a 180 degree thermostat.
Install a 180 degree thermostat. It doesn't affect performance and gives an additional measure of protection.


The next best thing you can do for the Geo Metro is install a switch to the fan. The Geo Metro has heat problems when sitting in traffic or idling in summer. The result is a progressively weaker engine and increasingly higher HC levels, ultimately leading to failed smog checks.
The temperature level programmed in the ECM that switches on the fan is so high it damages the engine during sensitive use, so override the computer by installing a switch and using it when in traffic or even around town in summertime. Just find a power source and run it through the switch to the fan coupler.
It is important that you are vigilant with the switch. If you are a start-and-go type of driver who would be apt to neglect the switch I would recommend the following heat treatment as well:


Run the heater constantly, including in the summer.
If you put the heater on defrost with the windows rolled down the heat goes out the corner of the window. You won't even know it is on. This is crucial for managing heat, important especially at freeway speeds which could damage the fan motor if on, since it spins the opposite direction.


A fellow on eBay sells something he calls a "Oil Filter Cooler Collar", which is a heat sink for the oil filter. It requires modification for proper fit, but I swear by it. JCWhitney sells one that needs no modification for three times the price. On Metros without A/C they spi on nicely, otherwise require some work getting it on.





'89-'91 had the half-circle sensitive guages, where you can notice an increase in heat when in traffic, at a stop light, etc.
'92-'94 and all convertible models had the quarter circle temperature guage that moved little or not at all at changes in the temperature.
You could have been frying your engine and you wouldn't have even known it.

[DOCTORBILL]

Can one change the Temp setting in the ECM ?

I wonder if one couldn't put in some sort of "settable"
electrical thermostat mounted on the Radiator which
would switch the fan on w/o us having to 'remember'
to turn on the fan ourselves...?

BTW - if you feed power into the fan via another route,
could that short circuit the ECM when/if it tries to
switch on the fan itself?

Also - what is the normal Thermostat type in a 93 Geo Metro?
What temp are they set to?

DoctorBill

Originally Posted by tretchery

MANAGE YOUR HEAT!!! MANAGE YOUR HEAT!!! MANAGE YOUR HEAT!!! MANAGE YOUR HEAT!!!

MANAGE YOUR HEAT GEO METRO FANS!!!


The best thing you can do for the Geo Metro is install a 180 degree thermostat.
Install a 180 degree thermostat. It doesn't affect performance and gives an additional measure of protection.


The next best thing you can do for the Geo Metro is install a switch to the fan. The Geo Metro has heat problems when sitting in traffic or idling in summer. The result is a progressively weaker engine and increasingly higher HC levels, ultimately leading to failed smog checks.
The temperature level programmed in the ECM that switches on the fan is so high it damages the engine during sensitive use, so override the computer by installing a switch and using it when in traffic or even around town in summertime. Just find a power source and run it through the switch to the fan coupler.
It is important that you are vigilant with the switch. If you are a start-and-go type of driver who would be apt to neglect the switch I would recommend the following heat treatment as well:


Run the heater constantly, including in the summer.
If you put the heater on defrost with the windows rolled down the heat goes out the corner of the window. You won't even know it is on. This is crucial for managing heat, important especially at freeway speeds which could damage the fan motor if on, since it spins the opposite direction.


A fellow on eBay sells something he calls a "Oil Filter Cooler Collar", which is a heat sink for the oil filter. It requires modification for proper fit, but I swear by it. JCWhitney sells one that needs no modification for three times the price. On Metros without A/C they spi on nicely, otherwise require some work getting it on.





'89-'91 had the half-circle sensitive guages, where you can notice an increase in heat when in traffic, at a stop light, etc.
'92-'94 and all convertible models had the quarter circle temperature guage that moved little or not at all at changes in the temperature.
You could have been frying your engine and you wouldn't have even known it.

[SeanMurphy]

If your Metro is overheating under 'normal' conditions, there's something wrong. They generally do not have heat problems, and this thread pops up time and again, copied and pasted. If you have a proper coolant/water mix in your bottle and keep it topped up to the full mark, as long as the fan works, the car won't overheat. I've had 4 hour drives across province in 30'C weather, punctuated by long stops for construction without problems. The stops are generally the worst, as the main source of cooling (110km/h air flowing through the rad) suddenly stops, but the engine is still at 110km/h temperature. When I stop for construction, the needle might move a fraction of an inch, but then it drops right back down once the fan catches up to it's thermal debt. The only time when something like this would be needed is if your radiator is plugged or plaqued with deposits. If that's the case, drain it, flush it with water, then fill it with a chemical meant to dissolve these deposits (CLR is one common household cleaner that will do a perfect job). Let it sit with the heater on full and the engine running, then drain and flush it again with clean water. If you're having heat problems, I'd wager this procedure will fix them.

[mik13usa]

Thanks Sean! This guy or someone before has been spreading this mis information almost every 6 months. If there is a problem with the cooling system fix it period! you don't need to run with the heat on ... you don't need to run a 180 degree thermostat and the statements about the ECM / ECU are simply not true...! It boggles the mind to find advice like this from anyone, period.! The poster refers to Metro's engine having heat problems that lead to hi level HC 's and "a weaker engine" ????? Any water / liquid cooled engine will have heat problems if part of the system is not maintained properly or repaired. So, Scott / trachery if you want to run your heater all summer long ... more power to ya! I would fix the problem!

[theragtopguy]

My 92 Metro has disappearing coolant. I've checked everywhere and can't find the leak! I don't see any leaking around the weep hole on waterpump. None leaking from the drain tube from heater. The overflow bottle isn't cracked. No white smoke in the exhaust. This is going through about 400 ML of water for 80 miles. Where the hell is it going?

[SeanMurphy]

Try a compression test on the engine. It's possible, however unlikely, that you have a cracked head or blown head gasket and the amount of coolant you're burning is sufficient to make a leak, but not sufficient to cause a lot of visible smoke. Each cylinder should build up about 180PSI and be able to hold it nearly indefinately without bleedback. If you've got bleedback, or low pressure, it's possible that your head gasket is cracked. Anywhere else, and you'd probably notice a puddle if you're losing this much coolant. Unless its a rotten heater core, in which case you'd be losing it all up inside your heating ducts where it would make your interior smell like seaweed and would create a terrible film on the inside of your windows when the heater is on.