@Burga, Yeah mate I updated a few posts about. It was crappy spark plugs, as far as I could tell. Not that i've been able to keep the thing on the road long enough to go through a full tank. SCV valves were disconnected anyhow. Check your grounds as well, make sure they're clean and rust free, and check your ECU for error codes. Check the oxygen/petrol mixture ratio (through the ECU). Failing that, give it a proper service. I'm assuming you drive well here, obviously.
So everything is running well. Except...
I'm at my wits end and have no idea what to do. My car runs fine now, the pipes all stay nice and cold, the fans dont come on at start up, I replaced the temp-gauge sensor with a brand new one (since it was only $10), and my temp gauge now likes to climb. Quick. The car does heat up, yes, but not to boiling point. It's like the gauge needs to be calibrated? I have no idea what to do! Everything's running. Pump is pumping, thermostat was mounted correctly and sealed, no leaks.
ATM the car is only running tap water, just because it was going to be flushed and ran, until I noticed that issue. Seriously, wtf. Also, my belt noise is back, but I think it's due to pulley tensioning...
Anyone got a good rule of thumb for checking pulley tension? And WTF is going on with this heating crap! *le sigh*... The radiator cap is cool, the water in the radiator is warm, so it *is* flowing into there, the thermostat (new one) isn't seized. The top radiator hose is very warm, bottom very cool. It seems like liquid is flowing as it should. The temperatures in there are MUCH cooler than what they were - it's working *properly*. It's just that temp gauge. And I don't like driving with a disconnected temp gauge...
Edit: There's only one connection to the sensor. What does it use as a negative terminal? If this was a poor negative, could the temp gauge have a capacitive effect? 'coz it increases linearly. Seems fairly irrelevant to the temperature of the car..