My cars engine temp is going wacky

[HeavensWarrior]

Today i was driving to work as usual and noticed i was starting to run a little late. Well i decided to go a little faster than usual and cruise at about 75mph. When all os a sudden my engine temp is all the way up and is flashing. so i freak out and slow down and get off the nearest exit. Just before im about to pull over it goes back to normal. i drive at 60 and all is fine when i accelerate again wait a few minutes it comes back. I shut off the engine coast for a few seconds restart and its fine. I check my fans theyre both working and i have a full resevoir in my coolant box. Anyone have this happen to them im afraid to drive home today. well i might need to change the coolant because the car is 2 years now but i have 55,000 miles. anyone have any ideas??? oh and i added a bottle of redline water wetter a few months ago when the coolant was a little low. Could this have caused the problem? or could it just be that my water pump needs replacement? either way i'm stumped.

[autxr]

First thing to remember, there are basically two settings on the temperature gauge. Normal and overheated. Look closely, and it will jump the whole 2nd half of the gauge.

I doubt it is the "quality" of the coolant, replace it if you want, but that won't solve the problem. I also doubt it is the water pump, a bad water pump leaves the coolant on the ground, they tend to work until they fail entirely (the bearings go bad in them and they spring a terminal leak).

The watter wetter is also not the likely culprit (not the additive itself).

It is possible you got a big air bubble trapped in the system and that is causing some overheating (I doubt this too).

IMHO, the first thing to do is replace the thermostat. Those have a pretty unpredictable life span (and typically cost under $20). If it is sticking, then it is possible you are not getting adequate coolant flow.

I assume you checked up in the front grill opening for grocery bags and such. Blocking the airflow to the radiator could certainly be a problem.

This is a problem that needs service one way or the other, overheating a cr is a very bad thing...

Scott

[HeavensWarrior]

*gasp* it's often the little things we forget to check ... a bag might be stuck there i havent checked. but the thermostat is another. Thanks scott as usual you are the guru of celica maintenance and repair. Oh and is the thermostat on the block by the upper or lower radiator hose on the celicas??

[twanmoney]

ok lets break this down:

it was sudden and irradic.
the coolant overflow tank showed no loss (but why was it low when you added the WATERWETTER?)
i doubt highly the REDLINE wetter had anything to do with it, but why was it low in the first place a few months ago....did you check for any small leaks at that point?

I would monitor the gauge closely under different driving conditions over the next few days. do not take any long trips.
check your radiator and fan area for any leaves /debris.

p.s.
i hope thats a finance deal there if you have 55k miles in 2 years.

[HeavensWarrior]

yeah im always looking for leaks whenever i move my car from my driveway. and no the car is paid for in full was paid last year. i needed an everyday, reliable, to goto work car, cause i drive from queens ny to secaucus new jersey for work...takes about an hour each way.

[Chris25NJ]

HeavensWarrior check this thread, and come to the meet :)
http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30924

Sounds like you've checked all the obvious probs. Therefore, my first guess is the thermostat as well. However, it would be smart to flush the cooling system anyway. Most people do it at 30K. And don't feel bad about your milage, 2 years for me and 45K miles, long work commute for me as well.

[Brett]

Personally I would say it is airbubbles in your coolant line, cause that is exactly what happened to me. Car overheated then subsided.

[HeavensWarrior]

ok i just checked and my coolant is now way way below low almost empty...but i see no leaks no liquids under my car or on my plastics..where could it be leaking to.. oh and my oil is clean as well, i think it might be leaking from the pump and might need to replace it. and the freakin thermostat is behind the alternator.. that will be annoying to work on....... chris 25 sounds good but i need to check my work schedule for august...

[Chris25NJ]

it's apparently normal for coolant to disappear like that in this car (no leaks)....i remember way back when everyone was having this problem around 30K, everyone was complaining about a slushy sound coming from the dash, cause there was air in the coolant lines.

flush the coolant system, do it yourself and make sure you refil with toyota's pink coolant, and also do a search about this cause it's very tricky to make sure you fill it properly.

[HeavensWarrior]

Yeha i had that problem before.. i looked close ly there seems to be some caked on coolant around the belt area. looks like a leak somewhere but i cant see it... ugh it's so frustrating. ANyone know where it might be leaking from??

[HeavensWarrior]

since there is no puddling of coolant i think its a pinhole leak somewhere in the tubes when the car is hot and the system is under pressure. does anyone know where all the coolant hoses are located near the pulleys.

[SingleCamCivic]

if your low on coolant then its leaking..the coolant is sealed and cant evaporate because of the mixed anitfreeze with the water

[chameleon]

...unless you have a bad head gasket and the water is actually entering the combustion chambers. If that is the case, you will usually see a huge cloud of white smoke coming out of your tail pipe as you drive, so I doubt that this is the case. Maybe it is a small leak though, and it just isn't noticable. It is somthing that might be worth checking into though.