I started the car this morning and got a Check Engine light for the first time since I've owned it. The codes I pulled from my scanner are as follows:

P0128: Cooling Temp Below Thermostat Regulating Temperature

P0420: Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshold

I think it could just be a fluke. It was about 45 degrees in my garage this morning so I don't know why it would be saying the temp is below regulating temp as soon as I started the car. That makes no sense.

As far as the Catalyst one, I have no idea what that is. Is that a Catalytic Converter error that's telling me it's not functioning properly? It seems to me those would go hand-in-hand with some off-temperature sensing.

I cleared the codes out after driving it for about ten minutes and 50 miles later, there is no new codes or no check engine light.

Anybody have any ideas other then it being a one-time system fluke? The car ran/runs perfectly.

 

I would watch it and see what happens.
You might need a thermostat or ECT.

The 0420 you might need new injectors but I would watch and see how fast they come back.

 

Well, since the temps dropped the temp guage has been cool. I don't know what the norm is on this car yet. All summer it never peaked above half-way, but it always stayed at half-way all the time. Now that it's cold, it average 1/4 way up when on the highway and about 3/8th on the street, and rarely gets to half-way unless i'm sitting at a light for an extended amount of time.

The injectors seem like a piece of cake to change on this car. I have seen alot of V70 injector rails on eBay. Is this a common problem for this car?

Here we go again

On a side-note, now that the car has been all fixed up, I have been driving it kinda hard the past couple of days, just to see what it's capable of. Hell, I only just hit 80 for the first time yesterday lol. The tranny is working fantastic though.

Maybe I just overdid it the past few days. I'm kinda back to my normal habbits now.

 

Yes the injectors are kind of normal and they always throw the same code.
Also you should have green one I believe. If it has the updated ones they should have a red clip on them.

Also I would think the guage should always read close to half no matter what the temp is outside.

 

It hasn't gotten up to half way since the temps dipped. Like I said it's closer to half way in city/normal street stop and go driving, but when you are doing 75 and the cold air is getting pushed in there, it's always more 25% to 35% up the gauge. Does that mean the thermostat is opening prematurely? It looks like it's right there by the power steering pump. I've done a million of those in my day so I hope this is just a normal swap.

 

Sounds like it is staying open some.
Hopefully yours is still in the top radiator hose at the motor. They switched some of them to the front if the motor under the timing cover.

 

Well, the hose that goes into the top of the engine goes into a thermostat cover-looking spiggot with a hump with the typical 3 or 4 bolts holding the cover onto the engine so I HOPE the thermostat is under there. I really want to put the whole timing belt experience behind me lol.

So even in really cold weather the engine should still be running warm?

 

I looked on IPD. The 2001 uses the top engine thermostat and the 2002 and up uses the one you are talking about. I'm ordering the new thermostat and while i'm at it, the poly engine mount bar bushings.

When I pull that thermostat cover off, is there going to be run off? The thermostat is higher then the overflow containter in the system so It looks like I might be able to change it without fluid going all over the place.

 

You will loose fluid when you take it off. I always try to do it really quick so you won't loose to much.

 

I'm sure I'll make a mess of it. I have a habit of doing that.

 

LOL I hear you!!

 

I had to use some interesting techniques to keep the temp even up to 1/4 up the scale this morning since it was only 18 degrees when I left the house. This is the coldest day it will be for the next week here and they already shipped out the thermostat so I should be safe until I am able to install the new part.