skizot722
Well-Known LVC Member
I've read a lot of the previous posts on overheating, but nothing seemed to match up with what I experienced yesterday.
I got in my car after it had been sitting overnight, started it up, and drove to my friends house less than a mile away. Picked him up and started heading down the road. I heard a really loud fan noise I hadn't heard before, and figured it might be coming from another car around me. A few seconds later the "Check Engine Temperature" text displayed on the diagnostics screen. I looked over at the engine temp gauge and it was 3/4 the way up (it always sits a tad bit under half-way). I then glanced back over to the diagnostics screen to see if it was saying anything else. It wasn't, so I glanced back over at the temp gauge, and it was already pegged at the max temp end. I pulled over immediately.
I figured maybe it might have stored a code, so I ran over to the parts shop to pick up an OBD II scanner (after walking back to my friend's house and grabbing his vehicle ). Car sat for maybe 20 minutes during that time, and when I got back with the scanner, the temp gauge was sitting at about half-way (close to where it usually sits). No codes were stored. So, I decided to start it up and get under the hood to listen for different sounds (nothing was leaking anywhere). When I started it, the temperature had lowered enough that the "Check Engine Temperature" message was gone. I let it run for about 10 minutes, and all was good. I held it at about 2200 RPM for a minute, and the temp held steady where it usually does.
I decided to drive it home, which was about a mile away, and it made it home just fine. The car is a 2002 LS V8 with 32,000 miles on it, and has never had a coolant leak. The temperature outside was in the lower 70s, and I didn't have my A/C on.
Given that:
1. Radiator fan was running just fine.
2. Water pump is mechanical (if it went bad, car wouldn't have been fine after starting it back up to drive home).
3. Coolant temp rose very quickly (radiator fan being bad would have caused a lot slower rise in temp).
I'm thinking the thermostat just got stuck (closed). What do you guys think? I assume the tstat is still mechanical on these cars, or is it electric? Is it sticking closed a common problem?
I got in my car after it had been sitting overnight, started it up, and drove to my friends house less than a mile away. Picked him up and started heading down the road. I heard a really loud fan noise I hadn't heard before, and figured it might be coming from another car around me. A few seconds later the "Check Engine Temperature" text displayed on the diagnostics screen. I looked over at the engine temp gauge and it was 3/4 the way up (it always sits a tad bit under half-way). I then glanced back over to the diagnostics screen to see if it was saying anything else. It wasn't, so I glanced back over at the temp gauge, and it was already pegged at the max temp end. I pulled over immediately.
I figured maybe it might have stored a code, so I ran over to the parts shop to pick up an OBD II scanner (after walking back to my friend's house and grabbing his vehicle ). Car sat for maybe 20 minutes during that time, and when I got back with the scanner, the temp gauge was sitting at about half-way (close to where it usually sits). No codes were stored. So, I decided to start it up and get under the hood to listen for different sounds (nothing was leaking anywhere). When I started it, the temperature had lowered enough that the "Check Engine Temperature" message was gone. I let it run for about 10 minutes, and all was good. I held it at about 2200 RPM for a minute, and the temp held steady where it usually does.
I decided to drive it home, which was about a mile away, and it made it home just fine. The car is a 2002 LS V8 with 32,000 miles on it, and has never had a coolant leak. The temperature outside was in the lower 70s, and I didn't have my A/C on.
Given that:
1. Radiator fan was running just fine.
2. Water pump is mechanical (if it went bad, car wouldn't have been fine after starting it back up to drive home).
3. Coolant temp rose very quickly (radiator fan being bad would have caused a lot slower rise in temp).
I'm thinking the thermostat just got stuck (closed). What do you guys think? I assume the tstat is still mechanical on these cars, or is it electric? Is it sticking closed a common problem?