I have replaced radiator and thermostat, awhile back.. I checked and there is antifreeze in the radiator and the reservoir. I don't drive it unless i really have to. and not to far,lots more work to do on it. But the coolant light started blinking the other day. Temperature gauge inside is ok. What could this be? what should I do? Still haven't got the blower working, heater / ac / defrost.
View 5 RepliesLast night I went to drive my car and my coolant light went on. I checked the overflow and it was very low. There was barely any left in the overflow. I thought this was strange because I had just checked the coolant a couple days ago. The coolant that was in my car was an orange color (after searching I realized that I think this is g12 which I was unfamiliar with). Before searching I added Prestone 50/50 pre diluted green coolant. The bottle said it was mixable with any type of coolant color or kind. After reading more threads I'm seeing that I think the g12 just contracted with the cold weather and I should of just left everything. I have barely driven the car since adding the prestone. Am I doing harm mixing in the prestone? If so, How can I fix this?
On another note, With the cold weather my temp gauge seems to be acting a little funny. Once the car is up to operating temperature the gauge will then drop around 40-50 degrees. It will then stay like this while im driving, but then will go back to normal once the car is stopped and running.
Ok, got a 99 Buick Century that is a cantankerous old hag. It doesn't like to start sometimes. naturally when i really need to get somewhere. The security light blinks at me for a while, goes solid, then i cycle the ignition and hope it will start. It happens with multiple keys and remote start(which has been removed multiple times because each mechanic thinks that will magically fix it). No rhyme or reason, it sends no code, the local buick dealership couldn't figure it out. I think its my security computer. what is the easiest/cheapest diy solution besides get full coverage and leave it in the ghetto with the keys and hope it ends up on cops? battery is fine, it starts normally most of the month, just maybe a handful of times a month it won't. Starter I believe is still good as well, and gets voltage when it starts. Fuel pump audibly works all the time.
View 4 RepliesI have a '99 1.8T Passat. The coolant temperature gauge normally reaches operating temperature of 190 degrees within about 5 minutes and stays there. For some reason, after reaching 190, it sometimes drops by 20-30 degrees and is running cooler than normal. Once time it dropped down, then came back up again, while driving a steady 65 mph. The coolant level is full and nothing else has changed.
I guess there are a few possibilities: a thermostat stuck open too far, a failing temperature sensor, bad gauge, or loose connection at the sensor. The car has 145K miles and the thermostat and water pump were replaced at about 100K miles. What is going on? If it runs a little too cool, is that a big deal? How would I diagnose it? Where is the temperature sensor?
Basically my coolant temperature gauge either reads as the hottest it can be, or the coldest. It doesn't jump around a whole bunch, but it's always all the way to one end or the other. From what I've read there seems to be a lot of different temperature sensors, so I get a little confused with all of the abbreviations, but I'm fairly certain I checked the correct one, next to the thermostat housing.
Using a multimeter I checked the resistance of the sensor, and it was around 600 ohms about 30 minutes after it had been driven. I'm not sure if this is where it should be or not, but it was rising as the truck cooled off.
Anyway, I'm not sure if I just tested the sensor incorrectly or if there could be another issue. A friend of mine suggested that the thermostat may have gotten stuck or something, but it doesn't seem like the gauge would switch at all if that were the case. What I should check to try and fix this.
Just about every trip i take my temp gauge pegs and dinger goes off and check gauges lights up in the message center. It eventually will go back to normal or if i shut key off and restart truck it goes to normal. im guessing it is the temperature sensor for the gauge but not sure?? If it is, where is the gauge sensor located?
View 14 RepliesI was driving and noticed that my temperature gauge went close to the warning zone so I blasted the heat and it went back down. When the car cooled I popped the hood and noticed that the coolant reservoir was pretty close to full but I couldn't see any coolant in the radiator. I filled the radiator with water for now but it looks like it gone again. I cannot spot any actual cracks or leaks on the hoses but I did spot a puddle of coolant in the groves on top of the transmission. The closest hose I can spot next to the puddle is the lower radiator hose but I really do not know too much about cars. I also noticed a hissing sound today coming from the radiator cap, which I am going to replace. Where the leak could be which is causing the puddle on top of the tranny?
View 4 RepliesTemperature gauge quit working after changing the thermostat and coolant.
With the engine off, I disconnected the single wire from the temperature sending unit and switched on the ignition without starting engine. The gauge pointer stayed in at the Cold mark. Using a Jumper wire, I grounded the sending unit wire and the needle on the gauge went to the Hot mark.
I quickly turned off the ignition, and replaced the sending unit with a SW-2328 (F1SZ-10884-A) Temp Sender. Warmed up the engine, but still no reading on the dash gauge.
The car is a 1994 Buick Century, 3.1L V6, ~ 80k miles. Four months ago she wouldn't start, so I got a new alternator and battery put in. A month later, while on a short road trip, the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree the whole drive home (ABS, airbag, check engine, battery) and the voltmeter bounced around from mid-high to red-zone high. Thinking it was a bad reman, the alternator was replaced again when we got home. A few weeks went by and all seemed to be going well with the new alternator until, after driving around the city for a while, the airbag light started blinking intermittently.
Accompanying the blinking, the battery gauge again was bouncing around. Eventually, when accelerating from a stop, the car stuttered when moving forward, the battery light flickered, and the ABS light stayed on. Worried that I'd burn up another alternator, I had a mechanic look at it before my next trip. He checked the alternator/battery loads and pulley and said that nothing looked wrong. On the next trip, the intermittent airbag light blinking and voltage fluctuation returned as well as a single episode of stuttering from a stop... these things all only seem to happen after at least an hour on the road.
TO RECAP: Voltmeter gauge steady sometimes, bouncy other times... but usually too high. Airbag light blinks intermittently (seems to happen only after car is warm). Sometimes (rarely) the car will jerk from a stop, at which point the ABS light stays on. No check engine lights. Battery and alternator are new. Same problems (voltmeter in red, warning lights) occurred with last alternator until it burnt up. It seems like a voltage regulation / alternator problem, but the same symptoms occurred with two different alternators (with two different internal voltage regulators). I suspect that there is some electrical problem (short?) that is causing the fluctuating voltage and the tendency for the car to burn up alternators so frequently. However, I don't know much of anything about cars. Does that sound right? If so, where do I even start?
The needle has always stuck dead on 190f when it gets up to temp. About a week ago I took the center grill of to paint, I put it back on and the check engine light came on ... code p2433 secondary air pump problem. I figured I had just disturbed something etc. Now the coolant gauge is going up to around 240f during normal driving, the fan stays on for about a minute when I turn off the ignition.
View 16 Replies2005 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.
2002 ford sport trac.I have been having an ongoing issue that started with the engine cranking but would not turn over until an hour passed. After replacing multiple parts (cam shaft sensor, crankshaft sensor, ignition pack) I am now down to poor fuel economy as the last of the issues (roughly 12 in the city and 15 highway). I was told the issue may be the engine coolant temperature sensor going bad so I decided to replace it. I found this was very difficult due to it being a plug and locking pin design and in a very tight spot in the engine.
I tried to purchase a replacement and the parts store kept trying to insist on selling me a part with threading. I finally found someone that figured out the issue and found the part for the 2001 sport trac had the same plug style with clip that did fit but was shaped a little different on the sensor end which I assume was due to being aftermarket. I noticed that there were two plugs side by side and the one easiest to access was on the left and I was told the one on the right was the sensor that gave the temperature reading to the gauge.
After installing the engine coolant temperature sensor I found the temperature gauge on the dash now will not respond and is sitting below the cold end of the gauge completely off. Is it possible this is because the part was for a 2001? Is the sensor on the left (passenger side) the engine coolant sensor?I would hate to put the old sensor back in just to test if that's the issue due how difficult it was to put that locking pin back on. What to check that could resolve the gauge issue before pulling this sensor back out?
Replaced sensor, light stays on.Removed sensor, grounded the probe, light goes out.Replaced antifreeze, bled system twice, no air or oil.Getting desperate. Removed and cleaned battery to body ground strap.Removed and cleaned battery to engine ground strap.Today found out there is no error code in the OBC but the light is still!
View 1 RepliesI 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.
View 2 Replies-We have a 99 Buick with 38,000 miles. At 30,000 miles the car overheated and we had to find a mechanic in unfamiliar area. He told us car was unsafe to drive unless we had new radiator system installed (water pump, radiator flush, pressure test, radiator system flush, radiator kit (premium), anti-freeze - 2 gallons, lower and upper radiator hoses) at a cost of almost $1200.
FYI the car is in Florida full time - under cover.
Recently the "low coolant" signal has come on and after checking with a local mechanic, he said the manifold gasket was leaking and it could be fixed for about $600. We are reluctant to spend that money unless we can feel somewhat certain that the main problem is solved. We understand that at some point there was a class action suit against GM because of problems with Dex-Cool which is the required coolant for GM cars. In the meantime, we have been adding plain water to the reserve tank but are very concerned that this may cause additional damage. There is never any leakage under the car.
I have a '97 Buick Century. I noticed the smell of coolant, and the "Low Coolant" light flashed on the dashboard. However, according to the temp gauge on the dashboard, the car was at normal temperature. I pulled over and opened the hood. The coolant in the overflow tank (not the radiator) was boiling, and sputtering out.
I took the vehicle to a nearby shop, where they said it needed a new "Coolant Level Switch." They told me they put a new one in and did a coolant flush, and sent me on my way.
About a mile down the road, the "Low Coolant Light" came on again. I pulled over and found that there was ZERO coolant in the engine. I filled it myself, and continued driving. Over the next few days, I checked the coolant every day and it stayed normal. I drove a bit, but never more than a few minutes, so the car didn't have a chance to overheat.
Then, today, I drove it a good distance for the first time since the original incident. After a few minutes of driving, I smelled coolant and pulled over. The coolant in the overflow tank was once again boiling and bubbling out. What it might be?
Having a problem with my temperature gauge inside the truck. No matter how far or long I drive, the needle barely moves off of cold. Would the thermostat be the likely suspect? If not, what else could it be? There is no "check engine" light on and my ODB2 reader reads a temp of around 70c solid. If it is the thermostat, where is this part located in the car and would I need to replace JUST the thermostat or are there gaskets/housing-type things involved as well.
View 7 RepliesMy 2004 RX330 which has gone many years without a problem suddenly has instrument panel gremlins.
I started the car a couple of days ago (it had rained during the day), and the airbag light did not turn off. Then the TPMS warning light came on, the water temperature gauge dropped to zero. The AC controls stopped responding. Since I needed to get home, and the car seemed otherwise fine, I drove home, after a few minutes the transmission "D" drive light went blank and the instrument back-light went to full brightness.
A few minutes later, all the warning lights went off and the back-light went back to normal. The AC controls still seemed to be off. A few minutes later the airbag warning light came back on, followed by the TPMS light and the back-light went to full brightness again. This cycle kept happening all the way home.
The next morning, hoping the problem had been some errant water getting into something, I started the car, opened the driver's door to get something and got back into the car, closing the door. The light showing the door was open stayed on. I put the car into reverse, the doors did not automatically lock as they usually do. I turned off the engine and restarted it, most of the other lights were off, the doors would lock; airbag & TPMS light came back on.
It has stayed that way, except I also get the A/T temperature warning light coming on periodically, and after some cycle it goes off.
I borrowed a car code reader, it does not seem to show any error codes. In reading some other postings it has been suggested that the Brake light switch is the cause, but the brake lights come on/off without any problem.
Just bought a 2002 Prius for my daughter at an auction and the car has been driving fine the last few days even though the hybrid warning light has been on and off. Found no fault code with OBDII. Found out later from Toyota service history the cause of the hybrid warning light was a leaked hybrid battery. The previous owner disposed the car off at the auction before the problem was fixed.
I was driving today and the coolant high temperature came on and I can't rev/drive. Stopped engine and re-start after a while and coolant high temperature warning light gone. Drove a short distance and coolant high temperature warning light came back on. Used a OBDII and found no fault code. Radiator hose by the radiator cap is cold but hose at the top right side of radiator by the hybrid system is hot. Opened radiator cap and it is full of coolant.
The car has been serviced on 12/26/2012 before it went to the auction. Can air pocket trapped in the radiator cause this coolant high temperature warning light and can't rev/drive problem. Also today is the first time we didn't use the heater. We used the heater to defog the windscreen and heater work.
2005 Prius...113k miles...master warning light & a coolant temperature briefly light up several times while commuting. The inverter coolant tank stays full, but the motor coolant is empty every day after a 30 mile commute. I fill it up & 30 miles later it is empty. There are no puddles or evidence of a leak while parked in the garage.
View 3 RepliesI have a 2002 Prius with about 150,000 miles on it. A couple weeks ago, I noticed that the parking brake light on my instrument cluster didn't light up when I engaged it. Soon, all 10 bars on the fuel gauge started blinking. The seat belt reminder, open door warning, and headlight indicator lights aren't working, either. Any clues as to what could be causing all these malfunctions, or have I had more than one problem develop in close succession?
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