I have a 00GT and the temperature is always right in the midle of the gauge, is this normal?? in my other cars it always stays at around 1/3 from the cool side... is my engine running too hot?? Thanks for your help!

 

My car is a bit older but it runs about a 1/4 up the gauge in between n and o.. she runs cool.... Being in the middle, do you run your a/c while its doing it? Or has the thermostat ever been replaced? Check out your cooling system, and even maybe your temperature sender.....

 

Mine was running about there, but I was also loosing a little bit of coolant over time. Like to have never found the leak. Turns out the water pump was leaking out the bottom and running behind the balancer. Engine was hot enough (generally) that it would dry out enough not to drip. I finally found it when it started leaking enough that green started showing up over the bottom of the oil pan and the like. Still had trouble finding the source even then.

Anyway, replaced the water pump, flushed the system, and now I run closer to where Mello said she's at. 1/2 sound a bit warm. I doubt it's your thermostat, but could be. Try this.

1. Check for leaks.
2. Have your radiator cap pressure tested.
3. Check the weep hole on your water pump.
4. Check the "play" in your water pump pulley. Make sure the bearings aren't shot.

 

I check my cooland level almost every weekend when I wash the car and it is always full, I have never seen any leaks, my car is a 00gt and it has only 38K miles. This weekend when I change the oil I will ask my mechanic to check the water pump like you say... do you think that flushing the system would help?? what is exacly the weep hole on the water pump?? thanks for your help..

 

The weep hole is a little hole that generally on the top of the pump. It will show if fluid is starting to leak around the bushings in the pump. A REAL good indicator that your pump is fixing to fail. If you look and it is dark and dirty or wet, then you've got a problem.

Have you verified your fan runs when it gets hot? Your fan runs at two different speeds. High speed when the A/C is turned on, low speed when it exceeds 210°F ( I think) and is supposed to shut off when it gets down to 190°F ( again I think) I can't remember the numbers off the top of my head, but if you've been running a while, open the hood and let it idle and make sure your fan comes on w/o the A/C turned on. Hayne's manual has a good troubleshooting procedure for testing your fan.

 

Thanks for your help! I will check that today when I get home..

 

before you do anything else, get a thermometer and check the actual temperature of the coolant in the radiator before you go off on a wild goose chase. middle of the gauge may well be normal! lots of gauges without numbers are scaled so that normal is in the middle!

 

I would like to do that but I dont think I can open the radiator cap when the engine is hot.. can I?? is there any other way to get a reading of the temperature inside the radiator???

 

you are right about not opening it when hot, I should have said open the cap with the engine cold and then let it run until it comes up to temperature and then stick the thermometer in the coolant and check the temp. you need one that reads to at least 212 degrees F.

 

I have a digital themometer that we use for cooking, I think it goes up pretty high what should be the temperature of the coolant under normal conditions?? Thanks for your help...