In normal driving, my temp gauge points in the middle. When driving in very hot weather in heavy traffic with lots of idling, the gauge climbs into the red. Is this normal or is there some issue with the cooling system that needs maintenance? The fan clutch works as I can spin the fan by hand when the engine is shut down. Any ideas?

 

no it is never normal for the temp gauge to climb into the red.. post a new thread about your problem as this thread is over a year old.

and that might just be your problem, the clutch fan might be bad. if you can spin it with your hand that just means its not locked up.. my guess would be that the fan isnt engaging when the motor heats up.

 

Thanks for the reply. An acquaintance of mine pointed a laser thermometer around the radiator and told me there's blockage inside it and I should replace it.

 

Work on the cheaper stuff first. Fan clutches are not expensive and relatively easy to replace. When the motor (and the air) is hot, can you turn the fan? If so, it's likely not engaging properly. If it runs hot in traffic, but not on the highway, the radiator is probably still OK.

 

We are having the same issue. We have even drained the radiator and filled it back up and its still running hot and overheating. There is now water coming from the muffler as well. So ours is not only leaking water from the front but the back as well. We do not know what could be causing it. We know the water pump is new. Our top hose is hot but our radiator is cold to the touch. We aren't sure why though.

 

Is the water pump turning the correct direction? (belt routing) How much water are you getting out the tailpipe? It might just be condensation, which is normal, or, it might be a blown head gasket.

 

Yes it is. The water is pouring out of the muffler.

My dad spoke with a few mechanics and they said it might be a blown head gasket. Before we replaced the starter, we didn't have all of these problems. But after we replaced the started, all of these problems are starting.

Even with it idling in Drive, it still runs hot and shuts off when in the driveway. We aren't sure what else it could be besides a blown head gasket, leak in the radiator, or a leak in the radiator hose for the leak up front either.

 

If you are getting that much water out the tailpipe, need to fix that first.....