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Automotive/1992 Plymouth Acclaim

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Expert: - 2/1/2008


Question
It says my car is overheating on the gauge but it's minus 25C out, it also does not produce any heat to blow into the driver cockpit area, it only blows out cold air. It used to blow a little bit of warm air in but if you turned up the strength of the air blowing through the vents it would turn cold and now it does'nt matter at what strength it just blows out cold air all the time. Also my speedometer bounces up and down from 0-120 back and forth and sometimes just stays at 0. It rarely reads the speed correctly, Well thank you for your help hope to hear from you soon.

Answer
Sorry for the delay; the term's work is picking up here.

Heating air that is not too warm usually is indicative of a cooling system that requires a heavy cleaning and flushing, although it can also indicate a control issue whereby the hot-water valve and/or air dampers are not operating correctly.  If your cooling system has not been serviced in some time (should be fully flushed and thermostat and antifreeze replaced every two years or so, along with hoses as they begin to become soft), then the first is the more likely problem.

The water pump is working, I hope?  Old thermostats also are known to fail into the Closed condition.

The engine could well be overheating, if water or air flow through the core is restricted.  If the block is very warm yet the radiator core or tank is quite cool, this may be the case.

If those are fine, then there may be a problem with the instrumentation or its power supply.  This may or may not also impact the speedometer, which may be getting a noisy or erratic signal.  This does sound like an electrical gauge problem rather than a speedo cable problem - note that I am basing that only on my interpretation of the problem as you describe it, and quite clearly.

The bottom line is that, if the car has not had any recent or regular maintenance service, now would be a good time.  Cooling system flushing and servicing is pretty regular and competitively priced.

Best regards, and sorry again for not surfacing before now ... I have a brand new bunch of eager engineering students, and their keen attitudes is keeping me - quite happily actually - at the office!

Best regards ... EGK

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Ernest (Ernie) Kenward

Expertise

The challenges I most enjoy are thoughtful technical questions of a trouble-shooting nature in both electrical, power electronic and mechanical systems, mainly automotive but also machine control and small-machine PLC applications. Please note, however, that I am NOT a walking shop manual! I DO, however, make it a point to have those manuals and other service literature for those vehicles I DO own, and highly recommend that anyone serious about maintenance or modification of their vehicles do the same; MOST of your answers WILL be found there. For that matter, I do NOT go out of my way to acquire shop manuals for any vehicle I do NOT own! That being the case, any general query to me along the lines of "What is the meaning of this code read from the ECU of my 2015 XYZ?" or "Where is the fuse for the windshield washer pump found?" (try your car's electrical distribution panel for a start!) will not go far. What I do offer is a pretty good collection of literature, insights and hands-on experience with 1950s to 1980's Ford products (plus a developing database of information and practice with the Mercedes diesel cars), along with an engineering perspective and the ability to design and implement custom control, electrical and mechanical subsystems for vehicles. For that reason, I am happy to make my thoughts and efforts available to those who are of like mind and/or are seriously making a point of learning about their vehicles. Use the Opportunity to Learn!

Experience

A key skill in my work and hobby pursuits both is STRATEGIC TROUBLESHOOTING. I am a senior instructor in Electrical Engineering Technology at a leading Canadian polytechnic, my areas being Electrical Power and Industrial Control, electrical and electronics design and manufacturing, and AutoCAD and related CAD/CAE software - plus equipment problem-solving and new equipment design and prototyping. Hobby-wise, I have 30-plus years of experience in auto restoration, mostly in electrical and mechanical systems. Ongoing projects include a 1959 Edsel Corsair, my 1978 Ford E250 class-B motorhome conversion, and the care and upkeep of my Mercedes 300CD. My vehicles become engineering test beds for electrical and mechanical upgrades as ideas present themselves. This includes the design and production of circuit boards to restore or enhance features for which no OEM replacement parts are obtainable, or where better specifications or reliability can be had via newer concepts. Regarding the E250 RV conversion, I designed and continue to revise a custom power distribution system, managed by a Programmable Controller (PLC); this has made most revisions as easy as uploading new firmware as I develop it. The "mini" PLC is a powerful device for custom automotive control systems. One good example (there are many) would be the Moeller "Easy Relay"; these offer a wealth of control, monitoring and variable-and-status display options for such projects. A good example project which has worked well is that one for my RV noted above, which has been on the job - revised in firmware only - for a decade now. It is a load management and charging control system to avoid the sulfation-induced early failure that often befalls deep-cycle batteries used in RV power applications. The battery installed in 2003 lasted long enough to more tnan pay for the PLC that contributed to its longer life ... and the PLC will be there for the next battery as well!

Organizations
IEEE - senior member ... past WCC Student Activities; SME - senior member ... past chair, greater Vancouver chapter chair 318; Edsel Owners' Club - have served in various capacities on chapter executive during seventies; have been Power and Driveline resource on the Edsel Owners' Club "E-team" for more than a decade.

Education/Credentials
Graduate of UBC

Awards and Honors
Certificates of appreciation from IEEE and SME for work in student and chapter activities

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