93foxgt

My car is hot as hell under the hood and the temp guage read 2 lines over half to a line and a half over half. I don't know what to do, it's just REALLY HOT. I have no idea if it's boiling water underneith but it is REALLY HOT.

I just got a new thermostat at lunch today and I'm gonna put it in tomorrow, hopefully that was the problem. What should I do right now to ensure that I don't crack a head, my block, or warp something?!

FiveLiterRiceEater

put the t-stat in, check your coolant level and check your fan operation. and if it still does it, flush the system and put in a 50-50 mix of coolant and water

PRO50SC

Well what are you gauging the "Really Hot" by? Do you think you're temp gauge is inacurate?

lookinforastang

how do u know it overheated?

ive overheated a car before and it cracked or blew the t-stat

then my radiator overflowed and coolant went everywhere i thought i blew headgaskets or cracked the block ended up cracking the radiator and only needed a new 1 and a new tstat cost me like 400 bux

93foxgt

Well, water wasn't all over the place, but I popped the hood and heat was rising like crazy. I know the stock guage is innacurate, but it was at the line above half and it was climbing a tiny bit over by the time I shut down.

I'm gonna put in the tstat either tonight or tomorrow.

I am already running 50/50 premixed prestone antifreeze with the demineralized water... it usually works REALLY well. I think my T-stat is dead... I HOPE that's it. I am so worried that I broke my car... it was running alright, but I am so terrified. I still have the hood open 2 hours later in the front yard.

By really hot, I mean it was at the line above half on the stock guage... at the O in "NORMAL" (you know, with the N starting at the top and the L on the bottom).

It usually runs at the A which is a line below normal, but for the last week it's been really running hot.

This is the first time it's got up there tho, usually just around half or a little over.

PRO50SC

Well was it unusually hot in your area today and were you using the a/c, if you have it of course. Just a lil above half way does not constitute overheating.

93foxgt

I hardly ever use the AC, and certainly not when I am running hot.

It got to the line over half!

what temp is that, it was 1 line under the red... it was almost right at the N of normal.

I can't really understand the temp guage, never could. Half way is what temperature?

And what would constitute overheating then? I am running a stock engine with a CAI, so it should be running cool like usual.