stock temp gauge readings??

[boost69]

hey guys i have a 95 tsi and im wondering about the stock temp gauge and at mid point what temp is it at and at 3/4 what temp is it at??? cause some times my car gets up to 3/4 and im wondering if thats too hot?
let me know
thanx

 

[1995gsx20g]

the middle of the gauge is around 180F at the temp sensor.

180F at the temp sensor could still mean 210F else where in the system if it is not properly functioning.

so imo anything over 180F or the middle of the gauge is rolling the dice for surprises..

 

[ChillinGST]

Mine runs right in the middle and I belive its right around 200* and yes 3/4 way up is running to hot in my opinion.

 

[boost69]

then im not sure if my thermostat is acting up cause my fan works, and the coolant is full, altho last time it did seem to eat some coolant, what would that mean?

 

[VTEC_THIS]

When does the gauge read 3/4 of the way, sometimes or all of the time?

With the hot weather we've been having lately it's not uncommon for either of our cars to do that when sitting in traffic or idling but when we start driving it again (especially at higher speeds like on the highway) it will go back down and the gauge will read at 1/2 way or a hair over 1/2 way.

If it's always reading at 3/4 of the way you most likely have a problem though. Just for a start I would make sure you have enough coolant and the coolant system is properly "burped".

EDIT: If your car lost a little coolant it would mean that you have a leak somewhere or there's air in the system and when the car runs and gets hot the air bubbles come to the top making the fluid appear to be lower.

 

[boost69]

its only in stop and go traffic and when idling, you live in the same area so yea the hot weather has been scaring me

 

[1995gsx20g]

With the hot weather we've been having lately it's not uncommon for either of our cars to do that when sitting in traffic or idling but when we start driving it again (especially at higher speeds on the highway) it will go back down to 1/2 way or a hair over 1/2 way.

i agree but it doesn't mean it's safe.. front mounts/insufficient fan(s) power are the leading cause of this problem..

 

[boost69]

if it eats coolant whats that mean?? and im going to pick up some wetter water and hope that helps too

 

[1995gsx20g]

eating coolant = leak = overheating

 

[cookmeup272]

Its probably eating coolant because it is blowing it out of the overflow containter. Whens the last time the Cap was replaced? Those things are cheap, should probably get a new one anyways.

 

[boost69]

the cap would be the problem??

 

[1995gsx20g]

it could bee many things..

 

[cookmeup272]

the cap COULD be the problem. So many things can make your car run hot. That FMIC can make it run hot, stock/autozone fans, stock/clogged radiator....

 

[boost69]

o of coarse i know a bunch of thing can make it run hot but i never considered the cap as a poss. problem i will get one of those when i get the wetter water

 

[cookmeup272]

Try it out and see what happens

 

[pitt97gsx]

I would do the cap first since it's the cheapest

 

[nsrmotorsports]

They are right with coolant system, there are so many ways for coolant to come out, My car was doing the same thing. I replaced the T-stat. Hooked up my scan tool. The reading were about 195-210. my cooland temp sensor is about to be replaced, HINT. But also i've had leaks from the heater hose to the coolant return hose that connects back to the thermostat housing. so just have the car running and take a look and see what you see. But i know what you mean, the Texas heat scares me too about the temp of the car sometimes.

 

[viprez586]

The stock gauge is so inaccurate and varies car to car. Buy yourself a datalogger or a good quality coolant temp gauge/sensor.

For example I've seen coolant temps up to mid 230*F and the stock gauge needle read just past the halfway mark.

Don't rely on the stock temp gauge!

Its probably eating coolant because it is blowing it out of the overflow containter. Whens the last time the Cap was replaced? Those things are cheap, should probably get a new one anyways.

He said consuming not leaking. Also, if your "pushing" coolant, that is likely a blown headgasket - so now the partial consumption of coolant leads to pushing coolant to a leak from cylinder pressures escaping the combustion chamber.
Check for oil in coolant or vise versa. If your open your oil cap and it smells like coolant it's rebuild time!

then im not sure if my thermostat is acting up cause my fan works, and the coolant is full, altho last time it did seem to eat some coolant, what would that mean?

If the thermostat is bad you'll easily be able to tell as one radiator hose will be much cooler then the other when the car has warmed up to "operating temperature". This will definitely cause cooling issues.
You have to be careful here - how much did it "consume"? Air pockets in the system will block coolant from being added - over time the pockets slowly start to disperse by the design of the system.
When adding coolant you should warm up the car with the radiator cap off and turn your heat on max blower speed at whatever you prefer - this ensures the highpoint(heater core) get's coolant running through it and helps push out whatever air is in the system.

One of those spill free funnels for cooling systems makes this task 100x easier and less messy.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00914136000P?vName=Tools&cName=Auto&MechanicsTools&sName=Auto%20Specialty%20Tools&sid=IDx20070921x00003a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=00914136000P

 

[cookmeup272]

Yea but unless he checks to see if its leaking coolant on the ground, he won't know the difference

 

[knochgoon24]

I've been having the same sort of problems this month with all the heat.

-First the coolant cap was leaking, so the system wouldn't hold pressure and would boil off coolant.
-Then the upper coolant hose cracked. Replaced it.
-Then it started to leak from the hose behind the alternator to the OFH. Replaced that.
-Then the clamp on the upper hose started leaking. Tightened that.
-Then it started overheating yet again. This time it was the warm weather. I had replaced my stock main fan with a OEM pusher fan off some European car during this last winter. So I wired the stock on back in with a relay so
-I now have 3 fans. I have zero issues now. Or at least for now.

But as far as my temp reading go, on my car:
1/2 way is ~180* to 215*F. It doesn't really move much.
3/4 way is ~250*F. Getting toasty.
Just under the 'H' mark was ~260*F. I cranked the heater on once I hit that. I pulled over and found the leaking upper coolant hose that time.


And if you replace the thermostat, remember to orient it so the notch is at the top to air bubble can get out of the system.