[czarmarciales]

So,

Finally got my '92 900 started and running. Purring like a kitten I might add. Anyhow, I am now moving onto other pressing concerns of which two take top priority. I live in Alaska, and winter is coming. The heater is not blowing ANY warm air, just outside temperature air. The temperature gauge is not moving or reading anything. Could this be as simple as the temperature sending unit?
AND the power steering is non-existent. There is a pump, and the belt is on it. I have not had a chance to double check the tension of the belt, but it should be serviceable. There is no change in power steering assistance between a cold car and a warm car, as gauged by the limited driving I have done since getting the car running.
Any advice, help, starting points, or anything is appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[peva]

Fit a new 89°C engine thermostat and check the PS fluid reservoir.
There may be other issues but this would the first things to do.

 

[czarmarciales]

got started

Checked the PS reservoir, and not sure why I didn't do this FIRST, it was bone dry. Added almost a whole quart before it settled down. Power steering returned. I did notice a small amount of fluid had dripped after I parked it, so I will keep an eye on the reservoir and try to determine if I have a leak, and if so from where.

I replaced the thermostat when we replaced the head gasket, it is a new 89C thermostat. Next is the heater control valve (aka heater bypass valve) which I believe is under the dash/instrument panel. ALso, my temperature gauge is not working. I believe the sensor is bad, but I might also have a break in the wiring (other wires had to be repaired when we did the head gasket). I feel like the first step is replacing the sending unit, then checking the wiring.

My engine is idling high, around 1000RPM when the car is fully warmed up, so I have reason to believe something else is faulty, but not sure where to start.

I will keep things posted.

 

[peva]

Running the PS system dry may have damaged your PS pump. It's reasonably easy to replace.

A faulty temperature gauge will not prevent the coolant getting hot. You have another issue.

The heater control valve is not the bypass valve. They are different items. There could be a fault with either of them.

 

[16saabs]

the heat temp sensor is on the end of the head, and is just a clip on item, and often gets knocked off or forgotten when HG job done.Ther is also the rod that joins the dash radial switch to the heater unit, if this has come off when set at cold it will be cold. a quich check through the speaker hole, will show if it's turning or come off, and it you want heat jus turn it by hand to get heat til you can refit the rod. 1000rpm could be just the throttle posion wants adjusting, but make sure one of your Vac hoses is not damaged or off, and sucking extra air in

 

[czarmarciales]

update

Temperature gauge:
Does not work. The original sending unit is still in the head from when we replaced the head gasket. When I checked the wire today, it appears and feels intact. When I attach it to ground and check the continuity with the ignition in the "on" position I get nothing on the test light (testing the wire). This does not rule out the sending unit, but it points to a disconnect in the wire between the connection and the gauge. It also does NOT rule out the gauge being broken as well. I know this does not have anything to do with heat, but I would like the gauge to work none-the-less.

Heater:
Popped the left (driver side) speaker and the rod had become disconnected from the dial. I have to pull the lower dash pad to get underneath and see if I can reattach without pulling the instrument panel. My question is: should I pull the instrument cluster with the temp gauge not working anyway?

Power Steering:
So far, power steering is holding steady and working. I did not drive the car much once I got it, but I have no idea how long the previous owner drove the car without the proper amount of fluid. I will look into rebuilding the pump (or replacing) when I have some more funds. This is all being done on a shoestring budget.

 

[jvanabra]

You don't need to remove the dash to reinstall the rod, although it's a lot easier to do through the stereo hole than the speaker.

I would find the source of the temp gauge problem before pulling anything. It's unusual but not unheard of for the temp gauge to fail.