Stalling/rough idle w/SES and Traction lights

AA is right, try the PB blaster. You won't hurt it any because the Idle Air Control isn't a sensor, it's a valve. (Unless you're looking at the TPS, not the IAC)

If you end up needing one, I just saw a '95 IAC on eBay for $45 w/shipping...

AA wrote:

A product called PB Blaster works better at loosening bolts than WD40. Also, use a 6-point socket to avoid stripping the bolt head.

I do not believe your idle issues and TC light are related.

I'll pick some of that up when I get a chance, but I can't use a 6-point socket on this. It's a round headed bolt with a philips and flat slot. How would I scan the traction light?

the best way on the 95 is to remove the thermostat housing,this will give you all kinds of room. spray the 2 bolts with pb blaster and use a sharp #2 philips to loosen them.

robotennis61 wrote:

the best way on the 95 is to remove the thermostat housing,this will give you all kinds of room. spray the 2 bolts with pb blaster and use a sharp #2 philips to loosen them.

I think he may have something there...

yeah! i also found that a extra long philips works best. a philips bit on a ratchet is guaranteed to strip thos tiny bolts quick...

Tomorrow, after the snowstorm passes, I'll get to work. For now, the car won't even go into reverse without dying.

Ok guys, urgent question!




Can I remove that metal thing with the big black hose coming from it that goes to the top of the radiator? That's what's in my way of getting those two screws.

The car hasn't been run since last night so I don't know if there would be coolant in that line.

The metal thing is the thermostat housing. You should be able to remove it and replace it without any problem, there will be some coolant gush out when you remove it but no need to worry about that.

Bert

How much is a gush? Should I just unbolt it from the engine block, push it aside to get to the bolts, then put it back together? Will there be a gasket there?

robotennis61 wrote:

the best way on the 95 is to remove the thermostat housing,this will give you all kinds of room. spray the 2 bolts with pb blaster and use a sharp #2 philips to loosen them.

After you get done you will need to add a little coolant mixture or water to the radiator and then bleed the air out of the system. That screw on top of the thermostat housing is the "air bleed screw".

Go for it! You can do it!

Bert

How much comes out though, are we talking a quart or a pint, maybe a cup of fluids? And the philips bolts he's talking about are on the IAC I need to get off. Is there a gasket I'll need to replace?

IBx1 wrote:

How much comes out though, are we talking a quart or a pint, maybe a cup of fluids? And the philips bolts he's talking about are on the IAC I need to get off. Is there a gasket I'll need to replace?

Maybe a quart, dont worry about what you need yet. Just take it apart...

Bert

Should I put some paper towels or something on there? Wouldn't the coolant spilling around the transmission, exhaust, etc, cause a fire if I turned the car on??

IBx1 wrote:

Should I put some paper towels or something on there? Wouldn't the coolant spilling around the transmission, exhaust, etc, cause a fire if I turned the car on??

Is water based, no way it will burn.

Bert

Haha sorry, I'm just really nervous with fluid spills and cars. It's next to the house so if it catches fire that would be bad.


I'll give it a shot, but what's the procedure for bleeding the system? Just open the screw and cap when I bolt everything back on before starting it up?



Should I run to Advance Auto Parts and get the $1.09 gasket before I do this?

If it were me I would take it apart first and then you will see if it even has a gasket or not. If it just has a O ring, you wont need a gasket.

After you put it back together, fill the radiator, it wont take much. Then start the car and let it run until its at operating temperature, then open the bleeder screw until coolant runs out of the little hole, you will see it. Then drive it for a while and bleed it again. Then be sure and check the coolant level in the radiator the next couple of times you drive it to make sure it is still full...

There is a write up with lots of details.

Note: when you bolt the thermostat housing back on do not overtorque the bolts.
I use a 1/4" drive myself. That reduces the possibility of overzealous torque on those little bolts.


Bert

What size O-ring would it be? Either way it's good to have it before I get cracking so I can get it all done. I just won't open the packaging so I can return the gasket of need be.

Any auto parts store will carry the necessary gasket/o-ring. When bleeding the system try to have a rag close to the bleeder screw while slowly unscrewing it.

Ilan, when I changed mine, I parked the car on a downward slope so the radiator was below or level with the thermostat, and left the cap on... I didn't even have to top up afterward I lost so little, maybe a cup. All I did was start it up and crack open the bleeder until coolant came out, then check for leaks. After you've run a couple of engine cycles, you can top off the recovery tank if necessary.

As far as the gasket/o-ring issue, mine's a '97, so I don't know which applies to your car, but it's not really an "o-ring", it's a square-cut, slotted ring that you buy by the application, like the gasket, not by the size.

On my car, someone had put both in, but the inside circle of the gasket didn't clear the outside of the ring, so there was actually a weeping-passage created... I put it back together with just the rubber ring. Bert brings up a VERY good point, though: That ring squishes down really easy, and before you know it you're metal-to-metal, so tighten those bolts gently!

Finally, be sure not to get any solvent in the motor part of the IAC. And the answer to your gasket question is that the IAC uses a "real" O-ring...

Ilan,
It's obviously too dark out now to work on the car.
How far did you get with it, or are you waiting until tomorrow.?

I'm gonna wait until tomorrow. I don't want to start on something to find out that I need to wait on another part to finish it, especially if it means leaving the cooling system exposed to the atmosphere, especially for a long time. I'm going to pull the housing tomorrow morning to see what I have, then go to the parts store pick up a gasket or the gasket ring depending, and an O-ring set for the IAC.

O.K.
But you could have opened it up today without any fear of leaving the coolant system exposed.
Nothing bad would have happened.
Anyway, good luck tomorrow.

Make sure if someone did put a gasket and O-Ring type seal on your thermostat housing with sealant, that you clean all the old sealant off with a wire brush and/or raxor blade if you don't have a gasket scraper.
Another thing that will work pretty good is a putty knife with a sharpened edge on it.

Thanks, I really hope this works after all I'm going through to get to that IAC. I would have opened and closed it today but I don't want to spill coolant more times than I need to!

^ Re-Read my above post for a few extra tips.
If you find like most of the rest of us that you only need the special O-Ring type seal on the thermostat housing, make sure it is clean and FLAT.
If you think it might be warped in any way, just tape a large piece of Fine grit sandpaper to your flat bench and rub the housing flat on the paper in an figure "8" pattern both clockwise and counterclockwise. The housing being aluminum will flatten out quickly and provide a very good seal that way. May have to use more than one sheet of paper to get it flat.
I only mention this in case you find that someone has used both the Rubber O-Ring seal and the flat paper gasket along with RTV.
That could be a sign of a potential leak. But, not necessarily, use your good judgment when looking at the bottom of the thermostat housing after you have cleaned it properly.

On a related note, open up the stat housing before you go to the store, and if it does have a regular gasket in there, invest in a proper gasket-scraper when you go... I bought one at Kragen with 3 different width blades for 10 bucks, and it works MUCH better than trying to use a putty knife or some such. Especially when you're working with aluminum, anything that is flexible is likely to gouge the surface!

If you find, like I did, that you have BOTH gaskets, and you've got a good surface on the housing when you're ready to reassemble, try using just the rubber ring. As I said earlier, both together don't mate properly, which is probably why people have found them with both gaskets and RTV. Even if it didn't seal for some reason, there's no mess to deal with if you have to go back and add a paper gasket... If you did, though, I would strongly recommend tracing the outline of the rubber ring on the gasket surface, and then cutting around it with an Xacto knife so the inner circle of the gasket clears the ring...