[RESOLVED] overheating at red lights

[Street 2G]

whats up guys, i just recently got my car back on the road and it runs great! only problem is, when i come to a stop when my a.c. is on is starts to over heat. booth my fans are coming on when they need to be but it still raises in temp. my temp gauge doesnt peg out but it still climbs past the three quarter mark? any ideas of what could be causeing this? also, would and aftermarket radiator and fans help with the problem?

[97 4G63]

It could be that your thermostat is sticking in the close possition try changin that it's a quick fix.

[bluegs03]

Yea an aftermarket radiator and fans would fix it, but if you can get your current cooling system checked out you could have low coolant, or a leak in one of your hoses. Try that before you rush off and spend a few 100 dollars on parts u might not need.

[Street 2G]

sometimes when im driving down the highway it will begin to overheat as well, but its only ocasional, so what could be causing this. thermostat?

[97 4G63]

Originally Posted by Street 2G

sometimes when im driving down the highway it will begin to overheat as well, but its only ocasional, so what could be causing this. thermostat?

It could be the thermostat but you should start there and then work your way up to other things if that's not your problem it's only like $8 dollars at auto zone ..
no point on buying a new rad and slim fans unless you really want to

[Street 2G]

another question.... how accurate is the stock coolant temp gauge? i was just wondering because i will drive up the street and it will sometimes read ok but ill pop the hood when i get back and it will get so hot that the heat shield on the hood actually looks like its being burnt! plus i cant even reach in to grab the hood latch without burning the shit out of my fingers lol

[97 4G63]

Well the gauge should be fine it's doing it's purpose i would not drive the car anymore until you get your problem fixed because i don't think you want to mess up your head gasket by over heating it..

[Street 2G]

i have a turbo insilator kit witch is suposed to keep everything else cool. i wonder if the heat from the turbo is the reason why everything is geting so hot??? but i agree i dont think ill be driving it for the next couple of days!

[jakop92]

I doubt your engine is heating up so much because of the turbo. Could be a bad thermostat. Make sure your fluids are circulating good. How is your water pump btw?


Check fluids and make sure they are good. Is the liquid clean? No oils or anything else besides water and coolant?

[iandsm77]

i had the same problem. When I would stop or sit at idle my car would slowly overheat. The problem was the upper and lower radiator hoses and had to flush my radiator fluid. CHECK to see if your hoses feel soft...thats a good indicator that they need to be replaced. gluck

[psycho]

Have you tried changing the radiator cap? It is the cheapest and easiest thing to start with. If your cap goes bad, it will not hold pressure, making the car overheat.

[tondef_82]

Yea better start with the simple stuff first. I would say to flush your system, I removed some junk from the cooling system this way, followed by a new thermostat. . You can buy a can of radiator flush from any auto parts store, and get another can of that anti oxidation stuff while your at it.

[BigRand]

Its real simpile. You've got air in the coolant system. Hence why when you stop. moving at a red light there is no air passing through the radiator to keep things cool.

Do what everyone else towards the bottom of this thread is saying. Flush the radiator. but when you refill it, make sure that you squeeze out all of the air bubbles and replace that raditor cap with something new.

If that still doesn't work, You check and or replace the hoses, if that still doesn't work, you need to look for cracks in the raditor and or thermostat being stuck open.

If at this point, the problem still exsists. Headgasket would be the last line of defense.

[1992awdlaser]

Sometimes cars will run hotter at a stop due to low rpm and no air moving through. The low rpm makes it so the waterpump isn't pushing coolant too good. One way to fix this on some cars is to drill a small hole in the thermostat about 1/8".

[4UH8ERS]

Dont band-aid the situation just fix it!. Lets see. I'm with randy here but lets elaborate some. First off the fans work leave them alone. Next your turbo! and they put off alot of heat energy, which causes heat soak in the upper radiator hose as well as the top of the radiator. Why do you think the hood latch gets so hot. If you have air in the system it will cause poor coolant circulation at idle, causing the coolant to get to hot.

Anyone experiencing increased coolant temps that has not maintnenced the system needs to.

1. flush the system
2. While the system is empty install a new stant thermostat $3.74 (dont forget the water outlet gasket will need to be replaced also) gimmie your address i got one you can have.
3. Replace at least the upper radiator hose $4
4. Fill with new coolant. 50/50 mixture.
5. new radiator cap $5
6. burp the system and add coolant while doing it. This requires you to let the car idle with the radiator cap off. watch until the thermostat opens and the coolant starts to circulate. the system will burp and spit while releasing the air in the system. Add coolant as it burps and makes room. When your done make sure plenty is in the overflow tank.

[Street 2G]

Originally Posted by jakop92

I doubt your engine is heating up so much because of the turbo. Could be a bad thermostat. Make sure your fluids are circulating good. How is your water pump btw?


Check fluids and make sure they are good. Is the liquid clean? No oils or anything else besides water and coolant?

liquids are clean and circulating fine. what makes you suspect the water pump?

Originally Posted by iandsm77

i had the same problem. When I would stop or sit at idle my car would slowly overheat. The problem was the upper and lower radiator hoses and had to flush my radiator fluid. CHECK to see if your hoses feel soft...thats a good indicator that they need to be replaced. gluck

radiator hoses are about 45 days old, and they are stiff as hell. what would cause them to get softer and why would this be bad( given that there are no leaks)?

thank you everyone you have helped me out alot!!! i just got back from out of state so im gonna get to work on it using your advice tomorrow... ill check back to let you guys know how it went!

so heres how it went. i decided to start off with the thermostat! and bingo just like that! replacing the thermostat seems to have fixed the problem. i no longer over heat at a stop! however, i took it out on the highway and i still noticed the temp rose up! so as far as that its still up in the air!

[Jeff99GS]

Take your radiator out and spray water/air though it to clean out the fins...it may be clogged with dirt or something.

Wire your Fans to a switch and turn them both on

Go to autozone and rent a cooling system pressure tester. do a pressure test on the system...I believe the correct pressure should hold around 13 to 14 psi

Also Check that little heater hose that is directly above your exhaust manifold. That hose goes bad alot from the heat of the mani

[Street 2G]

Thanks alot bro ill be out there bright and early tomorrow morning to check that stuff out, ill post up how it goes!

ok so after the longest time it turned out to be the simpilest thing, i checked the fans again to make sure they were coming on after everything else checked out ok. that was it! but i checked them not even 2 days earlier and they both came on. so now i have to find out why they pic and choose when they want to work! but any way its gona be a quick fix so thanks for all the help everybody