over heating

[Hussain]

If I have my car parked and started, it gets really hot. The temp gauge goes pretty high. As soon as I start driving, it drops back down to regular temp. my friend has an E36 BMW and was telling me with those, thats how they test if the fan needs to be replaced. anyone else having issues?



yesterday it actually got a little hotter then in this pic. The car was started with the A/C on for about 10-15 min.

[el_blacky06]

With the mileage you have, take it to the dealer. Do the fans turn on when it gets hotter than normal temp?

[Hussain]

ya they do. my warranty already expired though.

[Irvxing]

See if you can get a temperature reading though the OBD-II port.
Hopefully its just the Gauge giving you a hard time.

[mikethemike]

perfect timing for a water pump =\

But heres a quick test, check the radiator cap. That can cause it to over heat if the cap is bad and can be a cheap cheap fix. Check the rings on the inside.

[hungs]

might be a bad thermometer. should be a simple fix if u can locate where it is in the engine bay.

[RicerX]

I'm leaning toward thermostat myself.

I would get an OBDII bluetooth dongle (they can be found on amazon for about $20) and download a free app on your smartphone (TorqueOBD or DashCommand work well) and run a diagnostic on your car to get the actual temp readings off your ECU. Cheap diagnostic that you can run yourself during your normal driving routine to get the most accurate data.

[Jlor1002]

I had the exact same issue in my Jeep and it turned out to be a cracked head gasket. Fortunately it didn't need to be replaced ($$$), I just had to put water or coolant in the radiator every 4 months or so.

[wade001]

dont think it's the thermostat. I think a few things that it could be are; bad radiator cap (when the engine is cold take it off and see if theres air in the system), cooling fan not working (see if it runs when warmed up n parked), bad water pump (+1, think this is quite possible). start with those, doubt the thermostat as the issue, wouldn't go away with driving.

[atikovi]

Could be trapped air in the system. If it's out of warranty I assume it's old enough to have had a coolant change by now? If so how was it refilled?

[Hussain]

been busy and havent driven the car much lately, so I never did a coolant change.

[Mr.HacKeR]

I kind of have the same problem, but it doesn't get too hot. It won't get past the halfway mark.
Surprisingly, turning ON the AC helps