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2. Temp. gauge goes up at speed, goes down at idle 3. Coolant like chocolate milk, engine overheating 4. Slow temp. gauge or engine warm up, delayed heater operation I'm freezing, but my car is burning up! 1. Hot gauge, cold heatDear Professor: My car's temperature gauge has been reading hot and my heater isn't working very well. I changed the thermostat but that didn't help. Any suggestions? - Angel R. Dear Angel: Check your coolant level. Insufficient fluid means poor heat transfer from the engine to the radiator. It also means less hot water is getting to the heater core. Even if the coolant level appears to be okay, you may have an air pocket or two which needs to be bled from the system. This is an easy task if you're lucky enough to have an engine with a bleeder valve. With the engine on, carefully loosen the bleeder valve until the escaping air bubbles are replaced with a solid stream of coolant. Refill your radiator and overflow tank. If you don't have a bleeder valve, careful remove your radiator cap and run the engine until it reaches normal operating temperature. If your open radiator neck is the highest point in the cooling system, most air bubbles will find their way out. If it isn't the high point, you may need to jack up the front of the car a little. Otherwise, air will remain trapped in the system. Don't forget to fix the root cause of low coolant or air in the system. You may have a slow leak that needs repaired. ©1999 carcrisis Trick Gauge 2. Temp. gauge goes up at speed, goes down at idle Dear Professor: My 1996 Ford Ranger with a 2.3 engine is running hotter than normal. The thermostat has already been replaced. Driving down the road the temp. gauge goes up. At coast or idle the temp. gauge goes down. Any ideas? - Rekman Dear Rekman: You might want to have your fan clutch checked if this happens while pulling a load or going up and down hills. If not, you might have the component inspected that's connected to your fan clutch. It seems that engine speed is affecting your engine temperature and water pumps certainly work in relation to engine speed. Your hose temperatures indicate some coolant circulation at low engine speeds. That's good, but something is changing at higher speeds. A worn or damaged water pump impeller can cause this problem. Damaged impellers may do some good at low speeds, but are worthless at high rpm's. The faster the blades go, the more foaming occurs in the system. It's like the shark bait principle in 'Jaws'. You splash around a little until you hear the music. Then it's all over. The good news is that you might not need a new pump at all. Because your truck is 3 years old, you may have recently replaced it's accessory drive belt(s). Make sure the water pump belt is routed correctly. An improperly routed belt can turn the pump in the wrong direction. This will certainly cause the problem you are describing. Now go, I hear the music! Hurry! ©1999 carcrisis Cocoa It Ain't 3. Coolant like chocolate milk, engine overheating Dear Professor: My oil has the appearance of chocolate milk. Why? My engine is also overheating and running out of water. -A.E. Dear AE: You gotta hate when that happens. These symptoms may all be manifestations of the same problem. Engine coolant is probably leaking through a bad cylinder head gasket and into an oil gallery. You don't see the leak because it's inside the engine. The results are chocolate milk in your crank case, a low coolant level and an overheating engine. Coolant in your oil is not a good thing. Take this vehicle to a reputable shop right away. An experienced tech with a cooling system pressure tester and other tools can give you a definite diagnosis. Hurry, before your chocolate milk turns sour. ©1999 carcrisis Chatters 4. Slow temp. gauge or engine warm up, delayed heater operation From that day on, I kept an ice pick and a ski mask within easy reach of the driver’s seat. Not only did it protect me from freezing precipitation; I felt the mask lent an air of mystery to my driving experience. Ah, the open road… Anyway, let’s get back to your problem. Your sluggish temperature gauge and heater operation are almost certainly related. It’s very likely your engine’s thermostat is just taking up space and needs to be replaced. When thermostats are stuck open, engine coolant prematurely circulates to the radiator, requiring more time for your engine to reach its normal operating temperature. The results? Higher fuel consumption, increased tailpipe emissions and you guessed it; no heat in the passenger compartment. Start
by checking your engine coolant level to verify you don’t have a leak.
Then go ahead and change your thermostat, replacing your engine’s
old coolant mixture at the same time.
Consumer repair manuals often cover these simple procedures, making
this job something most do-it-yourselfers can do at home.
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