Maybe you folks can shed some light on what happened... Got up the other day to drop my wife at the airport. Outside temp was 38 degrees. Car started fine, but I noticed after a few minutes that it wasn't warming up at all. Just cold air blasting, and the temp gauge hadn't moved from it's bottom position. Tossed in the luggage and hit the road. About five minutes into the drive, temp gauge still pegged at the bottom, cold air blowing. Hit the freeway and saw the temp gauge shoot to above the H position, then slowly fall to midrange, then suddenly drop to the C again. About one minute later, it shoots to the highest point, above the second line and the H mark and stays there. Looks to me like the gauge was maxed out at the highest spot. Figuring that maybe the thermostat was blocked, I put the heat on full blast to vent as much as possible away from the engine compartment. Five more minutes at 60mph, and the gauge still pegged at the top. Outside temp was 39 degrees. Dropped my wife, got out of the airport and pulled over to a parking lot, then shut down to let it cool. When I popped the hood, the coolant was bubbling in the plastic container, but I didn't see any steam or other indication of problem. The car eventually puked a couple oz of antifreeze on the ground and the gauge went back down to C after about 20 minutes. I called AAA and got a tow to the local shop we use, where it now sits pending diagnosis.
Should an idiot light have come on? There were no chimes, idiot lights or warnings whatsoever. I don't think it ran hot enough long enough for damage, but what should I look for? Any ideas as to what caused this? We're in CA, and this is about the coldest the car has ever seen. Thanks! TP
