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Temp Issue

1K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  Black Menace 
#1 ·
Are there thermostats out there for our cars that open at a Higher temp than what originally came from the factory? The reason I ask is my car seems to be getting really hot (3/4 of the way up) and then rides there for a while and then will come back down to around 1/2 or below for a while and then back up towards the 3/4 mark again -- could it be my thermo is sticking and I need to get a new one that opens at a lower temp? i've tried burping the hoses, no leaks from radiotor / water pump -- hoses and valve cover necks were recently replaced when my car overheated completely, but I had this similar issue before the overheating issue and now afterwards. I replaced the thermostat about 3 months ago, but didnt seem to help anything. My dad's recommended that I go without a thermo for a few days and see what happens, has anyone had this issue and what was the result? Coolent level is fine in radiator and in reserve tank, although when the car is hot the coolent leve in the overflow is a little above full, and when the car is off the overflow is completely full up to the cap
 
#4 ·
1) How many miles on this engine?
2) Wht caused the engine to overheat "completely" the 1st time (explain in detail so other can help!)
3) Has the water pump ever been replaced (usually done with the timing belt @ 60-80K miles)?
- If not I'd guess the pump went out and needs replacing OR something in the coolant line is clogged (doubtful).

Personally I would not change to a higher rated thermo. Just seems like the mechanical version of adding a larger than rated fuse in the electronics world. BTW, I am no mechanic!

If you burped the coolant by pressing the lower hose while car was running then the air bubbles would have been purged :dunno: Are you smelling or seeing any coolant after going for a drive? If so, you definately have a leak that needs to be sourced and corrected!
 
#5 ·
1.)mileage : around 80,000

2.)I was told the issue with the car when it overheated was due to the "engine necks" where the hoses clamp onto was corroded on the inside and was leaking coolant to the point of the car overheating from right at C to right at H (hash marks) in under 5 seconds of driving.. made sense at the time, but didnt completely correct the issue i'm facing.. Not a complete problem just a nusiance that I would like to fix before it gets worse.

3.)As far as I know the water pump was not replaced at 60K, nothing was wrong with it at that time and so I didnt worry about it. I've been smelling coolant here lately after driving the car, which I think may be overflow that spilled out on the radiator from when I was burping the system with the lower hose, car running (cold start) and radiator cap off -- I seriously dont think I have a leak or my overflow would be going down whether cold or hot and my radiator wouldn't be showing full when cold.

Could there be a bad ground on my temp sensor or a problem with my fans not kicking on early enough? The last Thermo I put in was 180* i'm pretty sure so I was hoping there was a cooler one (that opened sooner, 160* etc), not a hotter temp one like a 190*
 
#7 ·
When you burped the system, did you have the car on ramps or jacked up? You'd be surprised how much more coolant you can put in when the car is on an incline.
I would seriously look into getting that water pump replaced even if it isn't bad yet... that's a part just waiting to fail.
 
#9 ·
Actually, I didnt have it on an incline when I burped it, I will try that and see if that makes a difference! Thanks for the suggestion ! Also, if it comes down to replacing my water pump is that something I can do? It looks like its in a hellaciously cramped spot, but if it saves me money from going to the dealer then i'm all for it.
 
#10 ·
What was done to "fix" the overheating problem before? If it was overheating that bad you could have problems in the way of a warped head, etc. Is there any smoke or sweet smell coming from the exhaust? Whatever you do, do not just take the thermostat out...that was a "trick" that should have gone out of style by the time computers started controlling cars...
 
#11 ·
i no this really sounds amateur(ish) but I had the same problem with overheating, i tried everything from replacing the water pump to replacing the thermo. but it turns out that the fans werent turning on lol imagine that lol
 
#12 ·
I'd leave the water pump install to the professionals. I believe the timing belt must be removed in order to install a new pump. If that is the case and you haven't done the belt before then I'd take it to a mechanic. Unfortunately the install will probably be fairly pricey.
 
#14 ·
I appreciate all the help guys ! My fans seem to be working because they do kick on, its not like they don't ever work.. plus I read somewhere on here someone had the same problem and a temp fix to lower the temp was to turn on the A/C, which I did last night and my temp gauge started dropping so sounds like my fans are working. once again thanks for all the advice !
 
#15 ·
Don't mean to steal the thread but im experiencing the same problem with rising and falling heat but it was perfectly working fine until i replaced the Thermostat today. can air in the system really cause it to rise and fall so quickly?
 
#17 ·
Yes, air in the system can cause it to rise and fall that quickly. The only time I ever saw it happen was when I was in the Taco Bell drive thru late one night...the next morning the system got burped of the air (which didn't seem like much)...:bigthumb:
 
#16 ·
Haha well you could have the same problem as my brother...

I took the family car (suburban) because Greg is working some kinks out of mine...

I start driving it and notice the heat spike on my way to teach in the morning...

During my planning period I check the car and I could literally see the bottom of the radiator... It was bone dry...

I called him and said you're lucky I had to borrow your car because I'm pretty sure you would have killed you car...

Checking your levels is always a plus haha... But hopefully you have more sense than my brother...

~Mike
 
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