Sebring - Chrysler - Overheating :: Temp Gauge Starts To Climb Above Halfway Mark And Toward Danger Zone
Jun 22, 2015
Having an intermittent problem on my 2002 Chrysler Sebring LX (about 132,000 miles). Often I can drive around and everything is okay. However, it seems like every 11 days or so, the temperature gauge starts to climb above the halfway mark and toward the danger zone. Only once has it gotten all the way up to the red danger zone and illuminated the warning light, and that was the very first time. It was fortunate that this happened the exact moment I reached home and parked in my driveway.
When the temperature gauge starts to climb above the halfway mark, I've tried to turn on the heater to cool it down, but this doesn't work. The heater just blows cold air. So far I have been taking the following steps:
1) Stop driving and park the car for 10 minutes or more.
2) Fill the coolant tank under the hood with coolant. I'm putting in about half a gallon each time.
3) Continue driving.
After this process, the heater is again blowing warm air and the temperature gauge is staying at a safe level. It seems to persist for about 11 - 14 days then the cycle starts all over.
It happened last night following a drive of about 5 miles home from the gym. Since I had no more driving to do that day, I just parked it overnight to see if this was a fluke and if it would be necessary to add more coolant.
This morning I drove the same 5 miles. Temperature gauge stayed pretty low for about half the trip, but then rapidly shot up. I got to the gym before it reached the danger zone (it was probably about 3/4 of the way up). I parked for a little over an hour while I went inside to exercise. Then I again added half a gallon of coolant and drove home without problems.
The last time I had overheating issues, the coolant rapidly spilled out of the bottom and the overheating was not preventable. I got the radiator replaced. This was in October 2013. I've also tried some of that stop leak fluid. It didn't work, but I'm not so sure I used it correctly. I didn't flush the tank and I think I might have poured it in on a normal driving day (coolant pretty full).
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I got a mk4 where the temp gauge starts to climb to 3/4 instead of halfway when I'm idling for a while.
1. fans don't come on
2. if I turn on ac, fan come on and temp stays at 1/2
I tested low and high speed on fans. both operational. Is it the fan control module, temp sensor green top, or radiator s/w?
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My 1991 Nissan 240SX (only 85K miles!) has an intermittent overheating problem that began last November. Needle usually right in middle, but occasionally would quickly rise to danger zone. In Nov., I got new radiator and pump, as well as all new spark plugs. Was OK for about 3 months, then started overheating occasionally. In shop a day and a half while they tried to find the cause. Gave me a new thermostat. Then test showed there was a leak in head gasket. Instead of expensive repairs, I put 8-oz bottle of K-Seal in cooling system. Reviews all over the web gave me confidence it would seal all leaks. But within 5 minutes, it overheated. Tried again later, same result.
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I am trying to troubleshoot an overheating problem so that I may fix it myself. Not sure if it's thermostat, sensor, or a blockage.
'04 Jetta tdi with about 200k miles. Temp sticks at 190 usually for about ten minutes then starts to climb, varying between the 207-225F mark. Hasn't gone any higher, even in high 90sF ambient temps after 30mins driving. Holds fluid fine, pink G12 mix, and no bubbles or milky appearance to oil dipstick. Recently installed new AC compressor, txv and dryer so I imagine I can tackle thermostat or sensor if need be. Where to start?
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I have a 2002 Nissan Frontier with a non supercharged 3.3L v6. The truck is a crew cab, long bed and 4x4. I have had this truck since I bought it used in 2004 with 26k miles. The truck now has 196k miles and I have done a little modifying to make it a bit more off road capable.
I have done all the work to the truck myself, until last fall when I finally broke down and took it to a dealer, who was not able to find my problem, but I will get to that...First of all, the truck has steel bumpers, a winch, a tool box, onboard air system and large tires, all of which make the little 3.3L work hard. However, for three years since I quit making modifications, the truck ran perfectly cool and the temp needle never once went above the normal operating position, even through thick sand at the beach, mountain trails and towing heavy trailers, until last summer.
Late last summer, on 90+ degree days, I noticed the temp needle would start riding above normal when I had the AC on. It didnt matter if I was on the highway, the city streets or idling in the driveway. When I turned off the AC the needle went back to normal. This started happening occasionally at first (once every 2 weeks) then towards fall it started happening more frequently, almost every 90 degree day. Soon after I noticed the problem, it would happen even with the AC off, but not get quite so hot.
After a few weeks of this, I started chasing the problem. I replaced the radiator cap, the thermostat (tested the old one and tested the new one before installing,) I took the radiator to a rad shop and had it boiled and flow tested, I replaced both coolant temp sensors, and then finally the water pump. When none of those repairs made a difference I built new radiator fan shrouds and that made no difference. At this point I was starting to get discouraged so I borrowed a scan tool from a friend and drove around for a few weeks with it plugged in. I was reading live temperature readings of the coolant and verified that the gauge was working correctly.
The truck ran about 200 degrees with the AC off most of the time, then, when I turned the AC on, no matter if I was sitting in park or driving on the highway, the temp would steadily climb until it got to 222 degrees and I would shut off the truck, at that point the needle was near the danger zone and according to several nissan dealership, the highest normal operating temp is 204, but it should stay around 195. At 205 degrees, the needle would start to move above the normal position, so the gauge seems to be fine. As summer turned into fall, the truck started running cooler as the days began to drop into the 70's. I finally got fed up with chasing my tail and took the truck to a dealer with my main concern being a blown head gasket or cracked head.
The dealership inspected the head and tested the coolant for hydrocarbons and said that the head and gasket are not the issue. They advised that the only other thing it could be is my fan clutch. After that dealership visit, the days were cool so I drove the truck all winter without changing the fan clutch. Then, 2 weeks ago, on a 70 degree day, I hooked up my truck to an empty trailer (maybe 1000lbs) and towed it 15 miles. When towing up hill with the AC on, the temp needle started moving. I immediately went to napa and replaced my fan clutch. Confident that was the issue, I drove the truck to the mountains for a camping trip last weekend. While climbing the hills at 40mph and about 2500 rpm, the temp needle climbed to the near danger zone.
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I have a 2001 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab XE with a V6 (without the supercharger). I bought it on Halloween night with only 42,000 miles. It now has 112,000 miles on it. I moved from Georgia to Kentucky and heard that I needed to have the cooling system flushed/filled to prevent it from freezing in the winter time. I then noticed that it would periodically "overheat." The temperature gauge would climb up to the line just below the "H" and then I would turn on the heater.
I read online about a "bleeder valve" on top of the intake manifold. I loosened it, squeezed the radiator hoses to get all of the air out and then tightened the bleeder valve. I then let it run until the thermostat opened, revved it up to 3,000 to let all of the coolant flow. Now, at various time with no specific reason, it will run fine and then just "decide" to overheat.
I can drive it on the interstate for fifteen minutes, park it in front of my house and then have to "tack it up to 3,000" just to get it cool. I've changed the thermostat and had the water pump tested. Neither of them are faulty. My mechanic vacuumed out all of the air from the system with a special tool the dealer recommends using and it still does the same thing. What's going on with this vehicle?
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I have a 98 Buick Century, with about 250k miles on it. Recently when I first start the car and drive a few miles the temperature gauge keeps rising until it is in the red zone and a warning light comes on. When I pull of to the side of the road after a bit it begins to slowly drop and I can begin to drive again. The gauge will then normally stay a bit above halfway for the remainder of the trip, the gauge has sometimes done a bit of jumping around between 3/4 and half sometimes though. The only work that I have had done on it recently is to have some work done on the ac system.
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At idle temperature is above middle. Upper radiator hose, which is connected to the thermostat is hot. Lower radiator hose that feeds back to the engine is cold. Radiator fan will not stop running if the temp guage is at middle to needle above middle. When running the temperature reading is normal at 30 mi/hr (middle to just below middle). Temperature will also go down if at high rpm idle, about 2,500 RPM.
New thermostat replaced last week. Water pump replaced less than one year ago. Upper radiator and lower radiator hoses are pressurized when running and off.
I suspect the thermostat was installed incorrectly. Pressurized hoses mean excess air in the cooling circuit/system. If so, does it mean I have to bleed out the air? How do you bleed out the air on a cooling circuit of a car, I thought the reservoir tank already does that naturally? I think the normal range for the temp guage should be 1/3 of the whole range of the guage, right?
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1994 Mercury Villager, driving about 10 miles to work this morning I noticed the temp gauge sitting just under the H at about the 8.5ish mile mark. All driving is on city streets from 25-35mph. When I noticed the temp I turned on the heater hoping to assist with bringing the temperature down. The air coming out was mostly cold occasionally pushing out slightly warm for a few seconds.
I got to work and checked the hoses for a leak, squeezing both the upper and lower hoses they felt empty. I added about 1-2 cups of water to the radiator and it would take no more. Started the car up and the supply hose firmed up while the return hose still felt empty. Left it like that until the end of my shift.
Started the car up and checked for any leaks, all fluids appeared to me to be topped off and I could see no leaks. Started to make the trip home and at about the 7 mile mark the temp gauge drifted out of normal. Turned on the heater and the air came out cold. About a mile later I pulled over and shut the engine off for 15-20 minutes. Started it back up and it was sitting in the normal range again, but only for about a half mile and then it started going back up. I finally got it home with the needle between normal and H, maybe closer to H than that. Opened the hood and checked for any leaks. Noticed some anti freeze had come up through the cap on the reservoir. Checked and it was cracked open around the top. The two hoses on the other hand had pressure and were fairly firm/squishy.
Just checked the oil and around the cap on the valve cover and and the oil just looks a little old. (was told by a friend to look for chocolate milk color).
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The other night I passed a car overheating (Subaru) and checked my temp gauge and saw my needle was gradually climbing towards the half mark. This is not normal for my 96 Honda Accord. No lights coming on, so I blasted the heater and needle immediately returned to it's normal position. Filled the coolant, it was low, but the problem remains if the heater isn't turned on to at least 3. This doesn't seem extreme enough to be the thermostat. Could my fan be out?
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I have a 2005 Elantra GLS with a couple thousand miles over 100K. There is what appears to be an overheating issue with my car. When I'm driving it in city driving usually less than 45 MPH, the heater blows cold air. However, on the highway (greater than 50 MPH) it blows hot air and the temp needle stays in the normal range (just below the halfway point between hot and cold and more towards the cold). However, when I slow down and come to city speeds, the temp needle starts to rise and the heater blows cold air.
The needle went to the red zone this morning but as soon as it got to the red zone, it slowly came back down to the normal point (within 2-3 seconds). And @ the same time, the heater started blowing warm/hot air like it would be functioning normally. When the needle got the red zone, my car didn't stop or I didn't see smoke coming from the hood or anything like. It was almost like something (maybe thermostat) tripped and allowed the engine to cool.
After doing some research on this, the potential issues point to thermostat, coolant level, radiator crack. I haven't checked how the coolant level is doing but I will check that this weekend.
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Got my 1979 Ford Bronco (351M engine) from my father. He had it in Colorado, mostly in a garage. Had 82,000 miles when I got it and has 67,000 miles now. Runs fine when the outside temperature is less than 80F. Above 80F, the will get hotter and hotter and the temp. gauge will climb. When the temp. gauge is 2/3 of the wat between Cool and Hot it will start to buck and cut out. Eventually the engine will stop. Then I have to wait for it to cool down to repeat the cycle. I have replaced all hoses, radiator, thermostat (3 times), radiator cap, carb. I have installed SS louvers in the hood. Heck, I have even "burbed" it (see Internet).
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2005 Hyundai Tiburon Keeps Overheating
I live in Washington State and have a 2005 Hyundai Tiburon with less than 110,000 miles. I have had it for 5 years, and have not had any issues with the car until recently (last 2-3 months). My car overheated on me back in May while out running work related errands. I was able to leave it parked downtown while my husband took a break from his job to come pick me up. Since then, it has continued to overheat every time I drive it.
The temperature gauge climbs into, or dangerously close to, the “red Zone” within the first 10 minutes of driving. The first couple of times the car overheated, if I was using the air conditioner, it would start blowing hot air instead of cold air and the air would stay hot. Now when I drive the car with the air conditioner on and it over heats, it continues to blow cold air (if that matters at all).
My super handy husband (a certified motorcycle mechanic) has done the following in an attempt to fix the car:
•Checked coolant levels
•Topped off coolant
•Bled coolant system and added yet more coolant
•Replaced the thermostat
•Replaced the radiator cap
•Water pump was replaced November 2012 (not even a year old yet)
The radiator cap was the most recent fix. It was replaced on a Wednesday evening after testing it and finding that the existing one was not maintaining the proper PSI. The car drove great around town for two whole days without any issues (Thursday & Friday). Saturday, I decided to take it on a longer drive out of town to see if my good luck would hold…it didn’t. I drove a total of 30 miles round trip and my car started overheating after about 20. I limped back into town and barely made it back to our apartment.
My car continues to overheat!! What is going on?! So confused and frustrated I’m hesitant about taking it to a mechanic who, my husband is convinced, will just charge me to check all of the things he has already fixed.
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Just had a new timing belt put in with water pump. Drove it home and the temp gauge flew up to red zone. Took it back they said air pocket in system. Bled the system. Drove home and same thing happened. Nothing changed. Temp gauge elevates past normal and into red zone when I idle or drive slow without air conditioning on. The weird thing if the air conditioning is on the gauge stays at normal longer. What is the issue? Is it a bad water pump or thermostat? Or something else.
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My friend's '04 Sebring is still overheating even after these steps have been taken: heads were warped -- had a professional shave them down and rebuild engine; new radiator; new thermostat; then removed thermostat to try this way, and bled the system for air bubbles (more than once).
The car can run about five miles - then bubbling/boiling in the water recovery tank. The mechanic said there is a small crack on the water reservoir (a small plastic box) near where the bolt connects to the engine. Could this crack affect the pressure of the system and cause this overheating?
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A couple of months ago my daughter's Sebring engine began shutting off immediately after starting. We brought the car to my usually reliable mechanic. They couldn't find anything wrong. The problem became more frequent (every 2 to 3 starts) and we brought it back to my mechanic who determined it was the car's computer system. $1700 later the car is ready to be picked up, my daughter gets it after the shop is closed, and it wouldn't start! She left it there, got a ride, and, one week later the Sebring is still at the mechanic's. They told us it starts every time for them and they don't see any problem. After researching on the Internet I thought it might have something to do with the immobilizer but they told me that tested fine. I'm at a loss over what to do.
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I have a 2000 Dodge Intrepid with a 2.7 motor. I have cold heat but it will still defrost windows the temp gauge stays around the 1/2 way mark.
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Let me tell you a story ‘bout my daughter’s 2008 Chrysler Sebring 2.4L…
We have owned the car since 2009. Recently the car has begun to start intermittently. Generally it starts normally. Other times it won’t. It can be driven for a month with no problem and then BAM! It won’t start. No dead battery sound, no clicking, no starter trying to engage NUTT’N!
AND… the brake pedal is firm! The brake pedal is firm and cannot be pushed down!
The car has been to the Dodge dealer several times. They have replaced the starter because a couple of teeth were missing, flashed the computer and replaced the alternator. The car started fine for a few days and then wouldn’t start again.
The Dodge boys kept the car for a week and of course, it started fine while they had it. One of the service managers told me to pull out a certain fuse to reset the computer. They also told me that they usually see these types of problems if the car was jump started wrong (the jumper cables were hooked up backwards I guess).
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I have a 2004 Grand Prix and it is displaying the symptoms of overheating but the temp gauge is not going above normal operating temp. I replaced the thermostat twice, and after driving for about 10-20 mins coolant comes out of the overflow. I'm at a loss, I'm thinking temp sensor(?) But I don't want to keep throwing unnecessary money into it. The fans work fine, the heater blows as it should.
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My 83 year old mom has a 2001 pt cruiser. The gauge is overheating. Some water was leaking from the radiator, not a lot. 3 mechanics have given estimates. The first said it was the water pump. The second said per computer is was not the water pump from his experience it was the head gasket. Third thought it was the radiator cap then said no. A hose was somewhat loose but that did not cause the problem. It heats up going down the hill and not up a hill. Water pump is okay must be the head gasket. Both said it held 15 lbs of pressure. She is too upset to handle this and it is left up to me. Do you think it is the head gasket?
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2.5 months ago I had a coolant flush in my 2007 explorer Eddie Bauer. The last 3 days last week the temp gauge went from the middle where it usually sits, to maxed out in the red. Stays there for about 45 secs and then drops back down.
Is it coincidence that I had a flush and maybe they didn't fill it all the way back up or is it somthing else ?
One other thing- even when it sits in the middle of the gauge I can sometimes hear the engine sucking in air like a vacuum so I guess at certain times its running hot but just doesn't raise the gauge just yet.
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