What do I do if my engine coolant temperature is running high? The indicator light is flashing......?

Question

I have blown a head gasket before, but that time the engine temp itself was running hot, not just the coolant, this time, the engine temp itself according to the gauge, was normal as ever, and it was just the coolant indicator light....I caught the light coming on right as I pulled into work so it is hard to tell if it was flashing, or if it was coming on.....then going off. Once I pulled into the parking lot though, it went off.....!?!

Answer 1

A few things to check --

1. check your thermostat.
once your engine has ran for about 5 minutes, turn off the engine and put your hand on the hose going out the top of your radiator to see if it's hot. then check the hose going into the radiator at the bottom. If they are both hot then the thermostat is opening properly. *that's good* if one's hot and the other isn't, the thermostat may be the problem.

2. Make sure your radiator fan is working.
More times than not, an unusually high engine temp is the product of poor cooling.

ps. If it's hot outside or you're stuck in traffic for a long time, chances are if your cooling system's not working 100% you'll see your temp. gauge rise too.

Answer 2

A good mechanic should measure the actual coolant temp and compare it to the sensor reader on a professional grade scan tool. If the temp is higher than the scan tool indicates, that would warrant replacing the sensor. If the actual temp is low and matched the sensor reading, then the problem lies elsewhere. The cold start problem indicates that it may not the coolant temp sensor. When the engine is cold, the ecu runs the engine in "open loop" mode, and forces the ignition timing and air-fuel mixture based on an internal table of preset values. When the engine warms up, however,the ecu calculates the mixture and ignition from reading taken from several sensors Possible problems other than the coolant temp sensor are: Vacuum leak or air leak between the air filter housing and throttle body, bad thermostat sensor creep in the IAT, O2, and MAP/BAP sensors (if so equipped corroded or damaged sensor wiring. bad plugs or plug wires

Answer 3

Check for low coolant. Remove the radiator cap while engine is cold. Start the engine and check for circulation. If water shoots up from the radiator, the thermostat is stuck. If you have circulation, look to see if there are bubbles coming up through the radiator. If you have bubbles, there is compression getting into the cooling syst. Probably a blown head gasket. Or you have a bad coolant sensor if nothing else is wrong. Hope this helps.
Master tech 40 yrs.

Answer 4

Do you have coolant in the car (DON'T check it while the car is hot)? You may have a blown head gasket or a faulty temp sensor.
Do not drive the car if the temp is above say, 3/4. Get the car looked at ASAP.

Answer 5

Shut the car off and let it cool down. Do not add water to the car while it is running hot, unless the car is running. This is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. The radiator cap can blow off and cause serious burns to you. If you add water to the engine while off without giving it the chance to cool down, you risk cracking the block or a head. If your car keeps using water and the engine is skipping, you may have a blown head gasket. Sometimes your temperature gage may be faulty. Have these things checked by your mechanic!!

Answer 6

Lots of amateur answers but if you have an aluminum head then more than likely you have big problems ahead of you! You cannot run these engines HOT with aluminum heads! Warps them every time! Next time buy a car with guages and not "idiot" lights as they are refered to in the business. That way you have much more accuracy and control to stop before things get out of hand!
You can try adding anti-freeze and changing the thermostat, probably wouldn't hurt to put a new radiator cap on while you're at it. If it does the trick you are one of the few lucky ones! If it does not, then you have problems!!!

Answer 7

First see if your coolant is really too hot - might just be a bad coolant temp.sensor. If it is too high then always start with the easiest things to check first,leaks,low coolant level,bad thermostat and so on.

Answer 8

add anti-freeze to the radiator then change the thermostat its only like a 6-7 dollar part and its easy then check your oil if it looks milky like watered down chocalate milk sell the car u have a blown head gasket

Answer 9

Add more coolant and hope to God that your head gasket isn't blown.

Take it in to get looked in as soon as you can.

Answer 10

add antifreeze. take an even amount of water and antifreeze and add it up to the line thats on the coolant tank. after about five minutes, check under the car to see if anything is leaking, if it is, you need to take the car to a repair shop immediately.