I know Im going to catch crap for posting this over beaten topic.....But, I have done my search of page after page of this and still cannot come up with a reason why it's inherited this issue. I have even followed shbox.com's articles with no luck.

So heres the back story. I recently replaced exhaust gaskets, valve cover gaskets and intake gaskets. I topped off the cooling system and performed a cold bleed operation then warmed up the car to look over my work. I did find a by-pass hose leaking and corrected the issue right away. Again refilled and bled. Let the vehicle sit over night topped off coolant and bled cold. Test drove and the guage never got up above 220 deg. When I got home I parked the car inspected for any other issues then the real problem started. It would not crank over. The starter would engage but it acts like a low battery. I charged the battery thinking it was low due to sitting for a couple weeks. So after the i charged the battery I rechecked the coolant level fired it up and let it warm up,(cranks normally when cooled down) checked fan operation and cycled the heater. No issues noted. I shut the car down again and to my shock it would crank slower. Being around cars all my life I know that this issue is being caused by a really hot engine. Ok now that I know Im overheating and the guage never gets above the middle line...what is my issue? I have replaced the radiator, thermostat, coolant temp sensor and the radiator cap prior to this tear down and never had this big of a problem. Any help would be appreciated in helping me resolve this issue.

 

Probably wouldn't hurt to have the starter tested at a parts store. If it turns slowly when hot then it's likely on its way out. Check your battery cables for tightness, loose/frayed wires, stuff like that.

Any codes? I would scan the PCM and see if you've got any stored codes that might help.

If the gauge isn't reaching the red (and assuming the gauge is good) you aren't overheating.

 

Ok now that I feel like a complete *** for posting this. When I had the starter out I did notice that the solenoid is loose and ignored it. That would definately explain why it acts like an overheated engine. Of all the engines I have build and have added heat shields to prevent this exact issue I find myself looking like a moron. Oh well the simplest things will kick your ***. Thanks for the help!

 

Glad it's something simple. If only all of the problems with these cars were that easy.

 

Tell me about it! Ive got a friend that just picked up a 94 with a few issues. I fixed the easy stuff like vacuum leaks and exhaust leaks but now hes experiencing a driveability issue at 3K RPM. Unfortunately I dont have a code reader so I am at a stand still till he can get the codes pulled. Hopefully it will be something a bit easier than what I am expecting.

 

Now that Ive had the starter tested and reinstalled and everything checks out ok. We tried to overheat the starter on the machine but could not duplicate the issue on the bench. After I got it back in I restarted without issue and warmed it up and monitored the temp. the guage will read between 210 and 220 deg, fan will kick on drop the temp down to about 180 then slowly climb back up to 210. I then shut the car down and tried to restart the car. Same thing but this time it cranked slow and started to knock before it fully lit off. Once it's running its smooth as silk. I let it Idle for another ten minutes monitored the temp and got the same readings. I shut it down and listened to the cooling system gurgle and hiss.I can hear the coolant boining inside the TB. One other thing I noticed was that the dipstick was too hot to touch...this has never been a problem in the past. Could I be experiencing an over heating issue where the guage is not giving me correct info? If so WTF is going on with this engine?