temp rises and falls
#1
10-31-2004, 07:40 PM
temp rises and falls
I know this is a little long, but please bear with me,
Ok, I just bought a 96 neon SOHC yesterday. I already new it had a couple of problems, but overall good. But one thing is conscerning me, thugh it hasn't proven to be dangerous yet. When I first start the car, it's fine, but after the car has ran and heated up, and has been drivin or whatever and then turned off, when I start the car again, the temp guage goes way up ( like near hot, but not there.) and then slowely but consistantly settles down to normal running temp ( takes usually about 15 seconds from when I start the car.) While driving it stays there normally, but sometimes when I slow down and sit ( and I mean sometimes, doesn't happen everytime.) it heats up a little (guage goes up maybe half an inch, no where near hot.) then settles back down, it just wavers basically. This also happens when I take turns, like I said sometimes. But like when I stop the car completely and it sits running, like say I run into a house for like 2-3 minutes, the gauge hasn't moved. I checked the coolant, there seemed to be plenty in there, but I don't know the last time it was flushed, so I don't know if the coolant is bad or good. Could this be the thermostat? one of the problems with the car is that the cluster is messed up ( the speedometer and the odometer is messed up, though I think it's just the speed sensor.) The other 2 gauges work fine I guess ( though the gas gauge also goes up and down when turning also, but not a whole lot.) if anyone knws any possibilities, that would be very helpful.
One more question, I know this is long, but this ones easier. My car didn't come with an RPM guage, and I was told all the neons came wired for the cluster that has one, is this true? as in I can buy a 96 neon cluster with the tach guage in it and it should plug right in or what?
Thank you in advance for any help that can be provided
Ok, I just bought a 96 neon SOHC yesterday. I already new it had a couple of problems, but overall good. But one thing is conscerning me, thugh it hasn't proven to be dangerous yet. When I first start the car, it's fine, but after the car has ran and heated up, and has been drivin or whatever and then turned off, when I start the car again, the temp guage goes way up ( like near hot, but not there.) and then slowely but consistantly settles down to normal running temp ( takes usually about 15 seconds from when I start the car.) While driving it stays there normally, but sometimes when I slow down and sit ( and I mean sometimes, doesn't happen everytime.) it heats up a little (guage goes up maybe half an inch, no where near hot.) then settles back down, it just wavers basically. This also happens when I take turns, like I said sometimes. But like when I stop the car completely and it sits running, like say I run into a house for like 2-3 minutes, the gauge hasn't moved. I checked the coolant, there seemed to be plenty in there, but I don't know the last time it was flushed, so I don't know if the coolant is bad or good. Could this be the thermostat? one of the problems with the car is that the cluster is messed up ( the speedometer and the odometer is messed up, though I think it's just the speed sensor.) The other 2 gauges work fine I guess ( though the gas gauge also goes up and down when turning also, but not a whole lot.) if anyone knws any possibilities, that would be very helpful.
One more question, I know this is long, but this ones easier. My car didn't come with an RPM guage, and I was told all the neons came wired for the cluster that has one, is this true? as in I can buy a 96 neon cluster with the tach guage in it and it should plug right in or what?
Thank you in advance for any help that can be provided
#2
10-31-2004, 07:56 PM
#3
11-01-2004, 04:05 PM
RE: temp rises and falls
I would change out the cluster, or repair it. If you do a search on here there was a thread with diagrams on how to repair the cluster, its not that hard. Any cluster from the same gen is interchangeable to your neon. I have a 98 and my gas and temp sensors do not move when I go around corners, I would say yours is bad. The temp will go up and down a little when you are sitting still, the neon has such a small cooling system that it will do that, its not a big deal. When it goes up when you shut it off and restart it shortly after is also normal, what happens is when you turn the car off the motor is hot, and there is no coolant circulation, so the coolant in the motor where the temps sensor is gets hotter, once it starts to circulate again it evens out.
#4
11-02-2004, 05:45 AM
Legend
RE: temp rises and falls
This is normal. Most crap factory gauges only go up so far and stay there without ever moving unless the car is overheating. Your gauge just seems to be more sensitive and seems to be functioning like a good gauge does. As an engine heats up it will reach the thermostats opening temperature at which time it will open and allow the cooler fluid in the radiator to cycle through the engine lowering it's temperature. When it gets lowered enough the thermostat will close again and stops the fluid from cycling through from the radiator. Then the heating and cooling cycles repeat as long as the engine is running.
When you come to a stop, especially in hot weather, the cooling system has a harder time disipating the heat and it may run hotter than usual or take longer to cool down. When you shut the engine off the coolant cannot cycle since the engine isn't running and the water pump isn't spinning to pump the fluid through the engine. The coolant will cycle somewhat when the thermostat opens after it has been shut off, but not very much at all. This is one of the reasons cars have overflow jugs for the coolant. When you go back out and start the car it is and should be hotter than usual since the fluid has not been able to cycle as it does while it is running.
The only time to worry is if and when the temperature does not drop and if it starts to rise and goes to the hot mark, then you've got big problems. If you're ever driving around and the temperature keeps steadily rising and not dropping at all, get off the road and shut it off as fast as possible to keep from damaging the engine itself. Cooling problems are usually cheap and easy to fix, it's usually the thermostat, but an engine or a head will cost you well over $1,000+ to fix or replace. And if your truely worried about the gauges readings, then go to a good parts store or a performance shop and get a good Auto Meter temperature gauge and have it installed. This way you will have a reliable gauge that will tell you the exact temperature at which your engine is running at and you can compare it to what the manual or the mechanics say it should be running at.
When you come to a stop, especially in hot weather, the cooling system has a harder time disipating the heat and it may run hotter than usual or take longer to cool down. When you shut the engine off the coolant cannot cycle since the engine isn't running and the water pump isn't spinning to pump the fluid through the engine. The coolant will cycle somewhat when the thermostat opens after it has been shut off, but not very much at all. This is one of the reasons cars have overflow jugs for the coolant. When you go back out and start the car it is and should be hotter than usual since the fluid has not been able to cycle as it does while it is running.
The only time to worry is if and when the temperature does not drop and if it starts to rise and goes to the hot mark, then you've got big problems. If you're ever driving around and the temperature keeps steadily rising and not dropping at all, get off the road and shut it off as fast as possible to keep from damaging the engine itself. Cooling problems are usually cheap and easy to fix, it's usually the thermostat, but an engine or a head will cost you well over $1,000+ to fix or replace. And if your truely worried about the gauges readings, then go to a good parts store or a performance shop and get a good Auto Meter temperature gauge and have it installed. This way you will have a reliable gauge that will tell you the exact temperature at which your engine is running at and you can compare it to what the manual or the mechanics say it should be running at.