Water Pump Replaced, But Problems Remain

[Infernicus]

Hey guys!

My water pump failed. I decided to take a whack at it and put a low temperature thermostat in as well. I am not very mechanically inclined, but I wanted to get to know the car better, and it didn't seem that hard. Today, I got finished with it. Finally. I was checking for leaks, and I turned the car on. But now, the temperature gage doesn't move at all, and the heater blows cold air. What did I do? Any thoughts?

[particlewave]

Did you flush and refill the system under vacuum? Probably air in the system.
The cooling system on this car is a pain to fill compared to most, IMO.

[Infernicus]

I just refilled. Would I need to flush if I am putting the same brand of coolant in and it was just flushed a few months ago? How do I get the air out?

[BYprodriver]

You don't have enough coolant in the car & probably have air pockets somewhere in the system. Jack up the rear of the car so the rear tires are 6" to 12" inches off the ground. Pull up on the bleeder valve release lever, to put it in the open position on top of the coolant tank in the trunk. Coolant level should drop. The coolant temp sensor is in the external coolant manifold, bolted to the front of the engine. The temp gauge will not show a reading until coolant reaches it. I believe you have a lot of air pockets to "burp" out. Once you have filled the coolant reservoir, start the engine & run it @ 2500rpm to speed up coolant flow & push out some air from the bleeder valve.
Be careful to not allow the engine to overheat!!

[Jake Raby]

You have air pockets in the system... This can be a big deal if those air pockets create hot spots.

[Infernicus]

I would like to thank everybody for their help. I am not very good at working on cars. But with the help from you guys, and the internet in general, I think I can do almost anything! I burped the system and filled her up this afternoon. No warning lights, no leaks. I think I got her back up and running. Thanks again, guys.