I was running down the highway and noticed that my temp guage was reading about 30 degrees hotter than normal then it would cool down to nomal and back up again repeatedly. My truck has always stayed right in the middle on the guage until now. Could this be a thermostat issue or something else??
2006-10-30 13:14:46 · 9 answers · asked by Jason 31 carolyn 50 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Yea it might be but thats what a thermostat is supposed to do is open up and cool and close to heat up and then do that the whole time you drive.so it was going from 210 to about 230? Thats to hot it should be around 180 to 195 normal operating tempature. Is the coolant to low. If you just put a thermostat in you can get them in diffrent tempature reanges EX. 160, 180, 195.
2006-10-30 13:19:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
WITH THE ENGINE COLD, you will need to make certain your engine coolant is full. After it is full, start the engine, and let the engine rise to operating temp (160-190). Leave the radiator cap
off, you should be able to see the coolant coming out of the top hose. If all is well, put the cap back on, and while the engine is still running (10-15 minutes with the cap on) the upper hose should be able to be squeezed, and you will be able to feel the flow in the hose.
If the hose is hard, and swollen, and very hot, the thermostat is stuck. If all is well there...... check your fan.
Turn off the air conditioning, and defroster. put a piece of cardboard in front of the grill to block the airflow to the radiator.
Run the engine at 3000 rpm until temp reaches 210 or the fan comes on. If the fan comes on, all is well. If not, you will have to diagnose the fan. Typically a thermostat works, or it does not.
The problem is most likely, either a blockage in the radiator, or you have a fan problem. If it heats up again, turn on the air conditioning, the ac fan should cool it off.
2006-10-30 13:39:01 · answer #2 · answered by team48 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may be time to change that thermostat again, especially if you bought a cheaper aftermarket replacement. But when you say overheating, is the temp guage rising? or is it visibly blowing out fluid? The 4.3 TBI generally runs about 200-210 degrees under normal conditions. I recently had a similar problem with my 01 S10 Blazer. The heater wouldn't warm up. The thermostat was stuck open! Make sure when you have it changed that the system gets flushed also to remove any trash build-up in the cooling system. Good Luck!
2016-03-28 02:12:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
when does it fluctuate? if it gets hotter at a dead stop then cools off down the road, your coolant fan probably quit. you can check by just turning the key on without cranking the car. you should hear the fan kick on even when its cold. if not get the car warm(160) or the middle of the gauge. then try the same thing, turn the key with out cranking the car.you should definately hear it turn on then. if not its either a bad fan or a relay for the fan. relays are large fuses about 1 inch by one inch squares located under the hood, in a black box with a cover. just simply swap one out with another such as a headlight relay, just to find out if its bad.
2006-10-30 13:49:04 · answer #4 · answered by Matthew J 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my first guess would be thermostat. It could also be your temp sending unit is getting bad...giving you false readings. It could also be something as simple as low antifreeze.
With that said...check to see that you have ample antifreeze in your car. If you do...then a thermostat is cheap...replace it. If this doesn't fix it...then I'd lean towards the sending unit being bad. 2001 has 2 temp sending units....one for the gage..one for the electronic system. the one with one wire....normally located on the head...but on some on the intake manifold...is the one that runs your gage.
hope this helps
2006-10-30 13:23:30 · answer #5 · answered by Kenneth S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be a number of things.
-Thermostat
-Expired coolant
-air in your radiator or block
-Low coolant
-Low oil or trans fluid. (this would cause more friction, creating more heat)
-Using an octane booster, (raises the heat)
It could be any number of things. These are the usual causes.
2006-10-30 13:26:45 · answer #6 · answered by me_laub 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could be. could be the gauge malfunctioning,problem with belt,thermostat,airfuel mixture,clogged airfilter,low quality fuel.may be the coolent needs to be changed.
2006-10-30 13:53:22 · answer #7 · answered by zufdaddy2001 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try eric@streetmachineclub.com and refer to his article on KEEP YOUR COOL about radiator cooling issues.
2006-10-30 13:56:52 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Possibly. To be safe, check your fluids and your fan.
2006-10-30 13:19:37 · answer #9 · answered by lisacantcook 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋