My 92 always ran at exactly 200 degrees once it heated it up no matter what. Lately (past 3 weeks) it seems to go over 200 but then eventually drop back down during acceleration when im on the highway. IM somewhat worried as it never happened before. Normally, after my car warmed up to 200, it would stick there like glue. Now it goes up to about 240 but then it will go back down.
Also i have been experiencing a loss of coolant. Like i just filled it up a little while ago and now its not even at half of full. There seems to be no leaks in my driveway or wherever else i parked. I just changed my oil thinking that may help but it didnt. Any suggestions?

Try this:

1) Check coolant levels
2) Check the seal around the filler cap (or just replace)
3) Check the fans to see if they are working properly
4) Pull and either test or replace the t-stat (forget testing, just replace it with a 180)
5) if all that didn't do it, pull the dipstick and check to see if it has any water (white
gunk on it. If it does, it could be a cracked head, head gasket or broken intake)
6 Check the waterpump close, if your loosing coolant, its gotta be going someplace
7) Flush the cooling system and replace the coolant with new(do this as a last step,
some older engine don't like this step and will start to leak)

Let us know if this helps

ken

If the coolant level is dropping, your first step should be to find the leak.
While the engine is running at operating temperature, inspect the water pump, coolant lines, radiator, overflow reservoir, etc. for an external leak. Also check the oil and see if it looks normal to eliminate the possibility of an internal leak.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice. I have no idea how to check any of that stuff except the oil though. I just changed it and the old oil didnt look white or milky. Ive seen oil mixed with coolant before on my last 2 cars (checvy corsicas, both had bad head gaskets). I havent seen any leaking, like theres no spots in the driveway and i never see any dripping. I can replace the t sta, but i just need to know where to find it.

Maybe you can take it in for a free inspection somewhere and they can show you where it'* leaking. The cause of the leak could be as simple as a loose hose clamp that needs to be tightened, or it could be more costly, like a leaky radiator or water pump, but again, before you replace anything you need to find the leak.

Do you know if the radiator is original in your 92?

I just went through the same thing with my 93 at the beginning of the summer. It would heat up to about 215 and not come back down. When looking things over I, too, found the coolant level low. As I stood there looking at the engine bay with the engine running there was steam emitting from the radiator. I never did find the leak (was too small) but it was enough for coolant to evaporate. I ended up replacing the radiator and never had another issue.

Good luck!

not sure about the radiater. i know once like 2 years ago some coolant ended up leakin on the computer (ecm or whatever the other thing is not sure), and my pops had to get a new one.

Max, where do you live? Put your location in your profile. We may have someone nearby that can help.

my bad. im in rhode island. last night it was only like 60 degrees and it still happened. it goes over the 200 line then it will drop back down to the proper temperature regardless of my acelleration. would that mean its the t stat?

Check your radiator, especially the bottom half. Any crud built up in there? Check it at night with a light on the other side. Does your coolant look like the right color? Clean? Overflow tank filled to the correct level, coolant level right? After checking all that, remove the pressure cap from the rad, and start the car. After it reaches about 200°, does the coolant in the radiator start to flow? Does the upper hose get hot when this happens? This is an indication that the stat is opening correctly. Does the water pump spin freely by hand when the belt is off?

There'* alot of stuff to check. But it'* pretty easy to narrow down if you do it methodically. The 92'* will tend to run hotter (except the SSEi or SC SSE) because you don't have an EGR valve. Switching to a 180 is a good idea, but I'd try to narrow it down first.

I'm betting if you flushed out the spaces in the radiator (from the outside), have the cooling system flushed, and switch to a 180, you'd see an overall improvement.