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I noticed last night that my analog temp needle kept going WAY high (like 250+ degrees) but my digital temp gauge was around 220. A message came up that said "Turning off A/C to lower temp".
Has anyone see this happen? It did it like 4 or 5 times last night - it would go high then stay at 220 - it was around 70 degrees out, and I was "around-town" driving.
Also, I noticed the fan is coming on alot and stays on after I turn off the car - is this normal?
Sorry for the newbie questions - but I just picked her up last night.
It is not normal to run that hot when outside temp is only 70 degrees. As for the fan running after the car has been shutdown that is normal but obviously it should shutdown after a few minutes.
As for the different readings on the two gauges can not help on that one. Although I would say that big a difference would concern me.
Do you have an OBD II (On Board Diagnostics, V2) code reader?
Very simple to use and WELL worth getting one and taking the time to learn how to use it to check if the computer has noticed and listed any problems. OBD II code list
Do you have an OBD II (On Board Diagnostics, V2) code reader?
Very simple to use and WELL worth getting one and taking the time to learn how to use it to check if the computer has noticed and listed any problems. OBD II code list
No SES or engine light comes on and no codes are showing. Damn thing just gets hot.
Ditto...same with me. Running at 220 then creeps up to 260...for maybe 10 to 12 seconds then goes back down to 220... Maybe 20 min later...same thing. This may repeat 3 to 5 times - then it stops altogether until I drive her the next day. I do get the "Engine Hot - Idle Engine" indicator on the dash only once in a while, not everytime.
But I get no other warning or error lights/messages - same as Elmer
Last edited by Mayor111; Jun 13, 2018 at 09:21 PM.
Really does (to me) seems to indicate a thermostat problem such as staying closed too long, then opening finally. Have had other cars that would do this till replaced thermostat. If your car is "new to you", with a previous owner, it is possible he went to a aftermarket 160/170* thermostat & some of them, according to posts have had design problems leading to failure. JMO Good luck!
My car was running 180 and I took it in for a flush and fill since it had been 5 years and the previous owner said it was due. He changedt the stat while he was in there to the stock 180 stat, said there was a 180 stat in there but it was the wrong one an didnt have the second spring on it. He flushed out all the dexcool which he said was clean and refilled with regular anti freeze. Now the car runs 206 under the same circumstance that it was running 180. Makes me want to put the old thermostat back in. Called the mechanic just now it said that is the right temperature and better for longevity and it will make moer sense to the computer also so wierd things dont happen. I dont know if thats true. Instinctively I like 180 for more power and more wiggle room if something goes wrong. Is my mechanic right or not? I paid over 400 bucks for oil change and filter, flush and fill coolant and new thermostat. It seems high to me. Did I pay too much?
If it is a C4 like your avatar, it was quite common to change out the thermostat to 180'.
Mr. Mayor ...did you ever find out what your original problem was?
what was the stock one supposed to be? The one that was in there was a 180 but it was a different kind that didnt have the bottom spring. He installed a new one that is supposed to be stock 180 but now it runs 210 or so.
Edit....Looked at your profile and it says you have a 96. ( must be nice in dark purple and rare with 320 built in 96 )
You need to go to the C4 section with your question. Big difference between C4 & C7...
I had 4 C4s but don't remember the exact specs on them, but I do remember the concern with what we thought at the time as high coolant temperatures which turned out to be wrong..