Eratic Temperature Readings
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Eratic Temperature Readings
1996 Dodge Stratus 4dr Sedan 4 cyl 2.0
Ok, so I went into Pepboys the other day for new tires...(first mistake). Normally I would have done the tires myself, but I lent out my ramps. Anyway, today I am driving to work (only about 10 miles), and my dash temp gauge starts spiking up to the H. I turned on the heat and put it on full blast, and this helped bring down the gauge to mid-way, where most cars operate at normally. When I get into work, the first thing I look for is how much anti-freeze is in the reservoir. I find the reservoir is nearly empty. This confuses me since I have had this car for over a year, and it never once has spiked beyond mid-range. I assume Pepboys had something to do with that.
So, I purchase some coolant from the store near me, and run the car a little bit more to bring it back up to "hot". I then added coolant to the appropriate level, and let the car sit for about an hour.
So, now it's time to go the bank for the day, and as I get to the bank, the car again starts overheating to the "H" mark.
There are no signs of any coolant leaks. The cooling fan comes on normally, which I can only assume also means the pump is coming on. Can someone explain to me why my temperature gauge still reads the car is getting overly heated, and why the cooling fan comes on and doesn't shut off? And doesn't cool the engine at all.
Oh, and when you pop the hood, there is no physical sensation of any huge amount of heat build up at all. Only the radiator cap and the coolant pipes are hot, very hot to the touch.
Ok, so I went into Pepboys the other day for new tires...(first mistake). Normally I would have done the tires myself, but I lent out my ramps. Anyway, today I am driving to work (only about 10 miles), and my dash temp gauge starts spiking up to the H. I turned on the heat and put it on full blast, and this helped bring down the gauge to mid-way, where most cars operate at normally. When I get into work, the first thing I look for is how much anti-freeze is in the reservoir. I find the reservoir is nearly empty. This confuses me since I have had this car for over a year, and it never once has spiked beyond mid-range. I assume Pepboys had something to do with that.
So, I purchase some coolant from the store near me, and run the car a little bit more to bring it back up to "hot". I then added coolant to the appropriate level, and let the car sit for about an hour.
So, now it's time to go the bank for the day, and as I get to the bank, the car again starts overheating to the "H" mark.
There are no signs of any coolant leaks. The cooling fan comes on normally, which I can only assume also means the pump is coming on. Can someone explain to me why my temperature gauge still reads the car is getting overly heated, and why the cooling fan comes on and doesn't shut off? And doesn't cool the engine at all.
Oh, and when you pop the hood, there is no physical sensation of any huge amount of heat build up at all. Only the radiator cap and the coolant pipes are hot, very hot to the touch.
Last edited by Twinreaper; Apr 4, 2011 at 11:25 AM.
