overheating

yeah today my boy and i were in the p-lot and we were doin stupid shit chirping tires and shit, anyways on the way home i noticed that every time i stomped the accel it would rev to 6-7 before cuttin down, but i would hafta take my foot off the gas to get it to shift down (i have an auto) by the time i got home i noticed my temp gague was right on the line before red. now anytime i drive anywhere more than 5 mins away my temp gauge goes way up. i dont know that much about engines but theres no leaks such as coolant or oil or anything. its just very hot. any ideas?

Check that you still have coolant in your radiator and overflow tank (see through white container left of radiator) first.
If both checks out okie, then start the engine and check for leaks at radiator and hoses. Also check for leaks at the water pump.
If those checks out okie, does the fan even turn on when the temperature gauge is about 1/2?
Try those 1st.
hth

yeah i got plenty of coolant and my fan kicks in after i turn off the car, right now since it gets so hot it turns on like right away but usually it kicks in about 5-10 mins after i drive and the temp gauge has never gotten past 1/2 way. i had the engine on and no leaks anywhere. i'll pull off the radiator cap later and see if maybe i just have nothing in there. im at work now but ill check during lunch break. so otherwise, everything you mentioned is okay. im confused................

ok tonight i just drove it home and it seemed ok. temp gauge climbed quickly considering how cold it was outside, it seemed to hold a little below half-way. i looked under the hood and no leaks, plenty of coolant, my oil was low so i put another quart in, that got the dipstick up to beneath the maximum line. Could it have been low oil? nothing is leaking i checked under my car before i left work, no puddles. my boy thinks i might have fucked up my temp gauge in the radiator but hes stupid so i dont listen to him. is that possible? i gotta go to an interview tomorrow and its across the bridge so any help tonight would be appreciated........

Could be a stuck thermostat.

Next time you should post this question in the Technical section.

sorry i didnt exactly know where it should go. my bad. how do you fix a stuck thermostat?

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Originally posted by LX-i prophet
sorry i didnt exactly know where it should go. my bad. how do you fix a stuck thermostat?

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Easy, replace it :tongue:

sweet. do ya know how much that runs? also, does the fan run off what the temp gauge is telling it, or is that running off a diff sensor?

If it's the thermostate, you can replace it in maybe 10 minutes, but if it's stuck, then most probably your coolant is all rusted out and should also be changed also. So changing thermostate and coolant *might* solve your problem (tops 2-3 hours job), unless your stupid friend is correct.

The fan runs off a different sensor. The thermostate and gasket is probably ~$10

Quote:

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Originally posted by LX-i prophet
sweet. do ya know how much that runs? also, does the fan run off what the temp gauge is telling it, or is that running off a diff sensor?

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The T/stat is like $18 or so, gasket is $3-4. Fans run off the temp sensor in the radiator, but if the T/stat is stuck, it won't allow the coolant to flow, therefore not letting the sensor in the radiator to get hot, and not turning on the fans. That's why I'm not positive this is the problem, cuz you say the fans turn on after 10-15 minutes. But if the T/stat is stuck that might mean it opens some day, and not others. It's normal for the condensor fan to come on after the engine is turned off.

well like i said when my engine was overheating ealrier today the fans clicked on right after i switched off the car. So apparently the sensor is working. tonight the gauge never climbed higher than below half way so the fans never kicked on. (they dont kick on unless its at least halfway right? or am i wrong?) i think my car is possessed. If i pulled out the thermostat and gasket, what would it look like if it was stuck compared to normal? thanks for the help

ok, now my temp stays constant below half way if i have my heat on full blast. weird, any ideas????

I'm not too sure what your problem could be, i am currently having the same problem with my car. I always have to have the heater blowing or the temp gauge will shoot right up. I've changed my thermostat a few times, even bought a brand new one and it got stuck within a few months. But regardless that didnt fix my overheating problem. So really I'm as stupmed on this one as you are. I really have to fix this problem because I dont want to be driving around in the summertime with me heater blowing full blast at me. If you find out what the problem is lemme know. Thanks.

Mine would heat up and stay a little higher than half which for mine is abnormal so i replaced the thermostat and it stays below half all the time!!!

weird, ok tonight i noticed something different. it slowly rises. i hafta drive somewhere like 15-20 mins away and it just kinda slowly rises. never into the red, but does anyone who has the same problem drive their car normally. right now i drive at the fastest the speed limit and take my time getting there. Is it ok to drive normally (i.e.- fast take off's, fast accel etc.) im scared to push it much over 60 cuz i dont want my temp gague to shoot up. Tomorrow is Advance Auto Parts day and im getting a new thermostat and gasket, but im not sure if this will solve my problem. I really want to drive normally again. Tonight i let a '94 Explorer PASS me! its horrible. plus i have the heat on full blast and my windows down cuz its so goddamn hot. any new ideas? im willing to try anything at this point.....

ok, i figured out what was wrong. it was so obvious. Today i took apart my thermostat and installed a new one, but that wasn't the problem. whats wrong is my primary cooling fan isnt running. the fuse is ok, i even swapped it with the sub cooling fan, and the sub still kicks in. then i checked with a meter and all the fuses and plugs are running power across. so either my fan is bad or the relay for the fan is bad. i couldnt figure out which plug runs the fan though. anyone know which plug runs the fan? there were two plugs which sit next to the thermostat a green one and a yellow(?) one. but when i pulled off the green one i tested it and its getting power. i wired a wire between the two plug ends and it didnt kick on though so i dont think the green one is it. When i pulled off the yellow one my revs kicked to 1.5 at idle and i got a check engine light so i dont think thats it either. so does anyone know where the plug is for the primary fan? if not i might have a bad fan, any one know what new fans run? should i go to a junkyard or invest in a new one? thanx................

I dont think you cooling fans have much at all to do with the problem man. The cars temp gauge shouldn't even get to halfway. Also my dads 88 was running with no cooling fan for 2 years with no probs. I'm sure it could help out a bit, but I dont think thats the source of your problem. If you want to get a new fan go to the junkyard and test it with a battery before you leave.

The fan switch is at the bottom of the radiator. Just jump the socket, if the fan turns on, then you'll need a new switch.
The other switch is the one on the thermostate housing you were talking about, further from the engine (green I think).