please help again

[93blackta]

car broke down last night. it overheated and im not sure of the reason why? fans were definately on radiator cap is good new thermostat. i opended the hood and my manifold was glowing red. the car then idled roughly. further inspection showed a spark plug wire burnt. i replaced it and it seemed to be running fine until it took it out again. the temp rose pretty quick and higher than normal and the car had a signifigant loss in power. i checked under the hood again and the manifold was glowing again. i dont know where to begin please help.

[thomas]

Not that this helps you but you have over 200k on the motor?! Thats I really cant help you but Im sure someone on here can. Did you replace the wire or just the plug?

[Cade93TA]

I feel your pain man...

my 93 TA just started to over heat too.
THis is what I went through, granted I still havent solved the problem.

I ended up having a hole in one of my hoses going to the heater core. Cut out the section with the hole and placed a reverse flush hose nipple to repair it.

I also had a hole in my lower radiator hose (funny thing is that it had 1993 stamped on it, I guess it was time for it to go!)

Replaced the thermostat, because when I turned on my heater to help cool my engine, cold air blew out. Well, that was until I went over the ruts on the side of the road that prevents sleepy drivers, then i guess the thermostat became unstuck and my car started blowing hot air. Replaced the thermostat and reverse flushed the system.

Next, I figured that my fans were not working, I put my car on ramps and started it and let it warm up....to see what temp the fans were coming on.
With our 93 TA's we do not have slow speed or high speed just on or off. So t about 226F the lower (driver side is supposed to turn on), then if it gets hotter than that, the second fan will turn on about 243F (Guys, tell me if i'm getting this wrong)
With the A/C on or defrost on both fans are supposed to come on and stay on. THis is were I found my problem.. My upper fan was sporadically turning off and on at will with A/C on. And maybe not coming on at all with the car over heating. This is why my car will be fine and then just start suddenly start over heating.
THe 2 relays under the hood seem to be working fine or else the fans would not come on at all. My opinion.
So now I think on of the two temp sensors is messing up. I know one is in the water pump and I belive that feeds my gauge in my instrument cluster. THe other on that feeds my PCM to tell it to turn the fans on, is some where I need to find it and replace it and see if that helps.

Sorry so long and this may not help but sometimes 2 people having the same problem can help each other. Hope this gives you an idea how/where to start.

Cade

[TraceZ]

car broke down last night. it overheated and im not sure of the reason why? fans were definately on radiator cap is good new thermostat. i opended the hood and my manifold was glowing red. the car then idled roughly. further inspection showed a spark plug wire burnt. i replaced it and it seemed to be running fine until it took it out again. the temp rose pretty quick and higher than normal and the car had a signifigant loss in power. i checked under the hood again and the manifold was glowing again. i dont know where to begin please help.

I you have an exhaust manifold glowing red I dont think you have a coolant problem. It sounds like something more like a plugged cat maybe? I'm sure someone else will have some better ideas... BUT.. coolant problems usually dont make exhaust manifolds glow red.

[Cade93TA]

BUT.. coolant problems usually dont make exhaust manifolds glow red.

Thats true...with all my above coolant problems I have never seen my manifolds glowing.

Cade

[Dave M]

I agree with TraceZ, I was thinking the same thing. Either you have a plugged cat or something else mechanical, like you're running lean. Doesn't really sound like a coolant problem.

[Joe 1320]

Manifolds glowing red is either a very lean condition or a possible restriction in the exhaust system. Usually you won't see the manifold glowing red due to being lean unless under load. Perhaps the cat may be getting plugged? Since you have a 93, you have only one cat.... are both manifolds glowing or just one?

[93blackta]

all i noticed was th passenger side manifold but then again the heat shield is gone off that one and is still in place on my drivers side. the cat is the original 206,000 plus mile its very posible it could be bad. could the clogged cat cause what seems like a total loss in power? the car seemed to drive fine for a minute or so and then i noticed my temp gauge rising very quickly then i noticed my car would hardly go, i could put it to the floor and it didnt even feel like i had the power of a honda (im glad one didnt try to race me i would be embarrassed). if the cat is bad it should be glowing as well as the manifold right?

[93blackta]

by the way i have good fuel pressure and new injectors which ive been told are too large for my lt1. the 93 lt1's came with 22lb and i bought 24lb assuming they were the same in all 93-97 lt1's. with that in mind i should be running a little rich right?

[Detroit_Bird]

If you're running a motor rich it will cool the combustion, so I would think that larger injectors would help to alleviate your condition. Keep in mind that advanced timing can also cause a rise in exhaust temp too. Im betting on a plugged cat but if thats not it fuel press/timing could be an issue.

[93blackta]

i have no emissions laws here in savannah ga.. im thinking about just going out there and cuting off my cat. if it fixes the problem then good, if not then oh well. does anyone see a problem with this. other than riding around for a day or two with staight mainfolds until i can get to the muffler shop?

[Dave M]

I'd replace your cat. It doesn't really sound like a lean conditon to me, likely a plugged cat. If it were me, I'd replace the cat with a stock one or high-flow one rather than just cutting it off. You may not have emmissions test in GA, but eventually you may, plus removing the cat is against federal law. Not to mention, it's bad for the environment!

[TraceZ]

I'd replace your cat. It doesn't really sound like a lean conditon to me, likely a plugged cat. If it were me, I'd replace the cat with a stock one or high-flow one rather than just cutting it off. You may not have emmissions test in GA, but eventually you may, plus removing the cat is against federal law. Not to mention, it's bad for the environment!

Plus... most dealers will not take it on trade without a cat...

[fastTa]

When is the last time the water pump was replaced?? If your motor is getting that hot that quick, then it is a coolant problem. Five bucks says your water pump has gone south.

On reverse flow coolant engines, the cylinder heads are the first to receive coolant from the radiator. If they aren't getting a steady dose of coolant they will get very hot very quick! And yes this can make your exhaust manifold glow too.

[93blackta]

i decided to go ahead and gut the cat seeing as how i needed my ride back asap. i did that today and i thought it was fixed (thought is the key word).i started the car and took it for a test drive. it seemed to be okay till i hit the main road. the warmer the engine got the worse the car would run. i then thought maybe my muffler was somehow clogged so i unhooked it from my cat and it seemed the same.

how bout this:

ive had an exhaust leak due to a couple of stripped out bolts manifold in my head. a few months ago i bought a new manifold gasket and some high temp copper sealant as a temporary fix. i put a generous coat of the sealant on to the gasket and re installed it. the exhaust leak went away for a while (about as long as i expected it to last). im thinking is it possible for that stuff to maybe clog my manifold. it seems like if it did get in the way the exhaust heat would just burn through it.

if my car was running lean it would probably run like crap all the time not just when it gets warm right?