14
votes
Accepted
How long should I wait for engine to cool down before I can check coolant?
The exact time taken depends upon various factors:
The ambient temperature
The amount of heat insulation in the engine bay
Volume of coolant in the engine
How hot the engine got while driving
...
- 10.5k
8
votes
The purpose of covering the grill during cold weather
This is old, but some of these comments annoy me. I live in Fairbanks AK and drive a 90's diesel Chevy. It takes a 15 minute idle period (in addition to at least an hour with the block heater plugged ...
8
votes
Accepted
Water temperature randomly drops while car is in motion (VW Golf Mk6)
It can be:
a sticky thermostat
Hard to diagnose properly without an independent thermometer, because a lot of modern cars show 90C at the dashboard while the temperature varies between 75C and 125C.
...
- 2,385
7
votes
Accepted
Grille cover for '95 civic EG without AC for cold weather protection of engine
From what I remember from my Civic driving days, the radiator in that car only extends half way across the grill of the car, and the other half is blocked off by a plastic cover as you mentioned.
...
- 6,017
7
votes
Water temperature randomly drops while car is in motion (VW Golf Mk6)
I think you can probably boil it down to (no pun intended, lol) a bad thermostat. It sounds as though its just not working as intended. You can pretty much eliminate the ECU as part of the problem, ...
- 162k
6
votes
What effect will replacing manifolds with headers have on oil temperature?
I would seriously look at improving your oil cooler.
I doubt going "larger" is the immediate solution, I'm betting it's the airflow across the heat exchanger. Relocate the cooler, modify/improve the ...
- 12.4k
6
votes
The purpose of covering the grill during cold weather
An anectodal answer to this...
Back in the '70s I owned a Moskvich 412, a Russian car built to survive in Siberia. This had a brass venetian blind arrangement in front of the radiator that could be ...
- 1,432
6
votes
Is it normal for the wheels to be over 100C hot after a few kilometers of driving?
Let's see. 80 km/h is 22.22 m/s, and the kinetic energy is 0.5*1200 kg*(22.22 m/s)^2 = about 300 kJ.
Brake rotor is initially at 20 degrees Celsius and now rose to 100 degrees Celsius. That's a 80 ...
- 15.3k
6
votes
Why does my engine temperature go all the way up before coming back to the center when I start my car?
My first suspicion is with the thermostat. It may be failing "slow" which means it's not opening when it should and it takes the much higher temperature and pressure of the hot coolant to ...
- 12.1k
5
votes
Accepted
Can improper coolant concentration increase coolant temperature?
The coolant ratio does affect how the system cools the engine, but probably not as you'd think. Water is a better thermal conductor than is the antifreeze, so it will do a great job of shedding the ...
- 162k
5
votes
Is it better for your vehicle to let it warm up before driving it?
Both of you are partially right.
The engine oil should be warmed properly before hauling ass. Most cars don't have an oil temperature sensor and display for it, so as a rule of thumb it can be said ...
- 15.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Is it bad to immediately crank the air conditioning all the way up when you start your car on a really hot day?
I live in a very hot climate. There is no issue in turning on a properly-functioning A/C to its maximum setting at startup.
Turning the A/C on activates the refrigeration cycle, which at startup will ...
- 39.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Is it normal for the wheels to be over 100C hot after a few kilometers of driving?
The hottest part of the wheels after driving will be the brake discs which can easily exceed 100 °C.
In this video, Jason puts a thermal imaging camera to good use. Temperatures exceed 140 °C:
- 39.2k
5
votes
How long should I wait for engine to cool down before I can check coolant?
If you have any doubts, don't do any of this, just wait til the system is cool to the touch. Steam is extremely dangerous!
With that said, you can open the system a lot sooner than a matter of hours, ...
5
votes
Should I be pumping air to a higher pressure when the weather is hot?
Vehicle manufacturers quote recommended pressures with the tire cold (meaning: not immediately after driving) and at "typical" atmospheric conditions. Essentially, they're quoting the pressure at room ...
- 1,144
4
votes
Car temperature drops to a little less than 1/4 at highway speeds. Any reason to be concerned?
I'd lean toward the thermostat. It sounds like it may be getting warmed up and opening up in the city driving, then staying stuck open once you're on the highway.
Depending on conditions (primarily ...
- 3,264
4
votes
Accepted
Does the dash temperature sender unit also provide input to the ECU?
For your 626, I'm seeing two different temp sensors listed. I'm seeing this single bladed one:
Which shows to be associated with the gauge. I also see this two bladed one:
Which I assume is for the ...
- 162k
4
votes
Accepted
Does outside temperature sensor affect the HVAC system?
No, the outside temperature sensor should not affect the HVAC. That sensor is only there to give you the outside temperature reading on your dash. Modern climate control systems use temperature sensor(...
- 909
4
votes
Temperature gauge goes down when I drive for a distance, but is usually in the middle driving in town
It "sounds" as though from your explanation your thermostat is staying open partially when the engine is cooled to normal levels. When you're travelling down the road, there is a greater flow of air ...
- 162k
3
votes
Is it better for your vehicle to let it warm up before driving it?
It depends primarily on the oil. If multi-viscosity,i.e. 5W30, the oil will effectively be of lower viscosity when cold and a greater viscosity when hot. So once you have oil pressure the system is ...
- 294
3
votes
Thermostat or temperature sensor (2011 Town & Country)
The most likely cause is the thermostat. The on the road temp is the clue, it should be at the thermostat open temperature which is specified to be 180 deg F. This is the lowest temperature that ...
- 11.7k
3
votes
Audi temperature gauge not working correctly
One option would be to fit an aftermarket temperature gauge - You can buy various sorts for fitting to kit cars and classics, and a full kit will also come with a suitable sensor to fit into one of ...
- 28.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Water temperature sensor location
I would suggest neither - the best location is at the thermostat.
This is because, in a properly functioning engine, the thermostat shuts off most of the flow to the radiator while the engine is cold ...
- 28.9k
3
votes
How to replace the transmission temp sensor?
First and foremost, check the fluid level. Ensure it has enough, but NOT over full.
Check the transmission lines to the cooler (radiator) to make sure they are not damaged or pinched off. If there ...
- 9,005
3
votes
Accepted
Standardised engine oil temperature range?
Operating temperature of most modern car engines is ~90C (about the same to the thermostat opening temperature) and oil temperature in the sump will be around 10C less than that.
More and more modern ...
- 346
3
votes
Is it normal for the wheels to be over 100C hot after a few kilometers of driving?
You will probably find that it was the brake disc that was hot and stopping a car from 80Km/h produces a reasonable amount of energy to store as heat in a small piece of metal.
DON'T try touching the ...
- 34.7k
3
votes
Accepted
Engine coolant hot, but oil temperature normal
I assume you have more than one coolant temperature sensor. There probably are two: one for the ECU, another for the gauge. The sensor for the ECU may be creating this warning due to a fault, whereas ...
- 15.3k
3
votes
Engine temperature not as stable after radiator change
I agree that it is something to not get too frightened about.
The answer to this lies within the recent cooling system changes and the answer to the following questions.
Is the replacement radiator ...
- 634
3
votes
How long should I wait for engine to cool down before I can check coolant?
The reason you wait is that when the engine runs, the water absorbs its heat, and transfers it to the radiator where it is released to the environment, and cools. The water becomes pressurized and the ...
- 381
3
votes
Is this MX-5 running too cold, and could that explain poor emissions?
… the car is running at 85 deg C. Is this still too low?
Without getting into MX-5 specifics (for which the model year needs to be known), 85 °C isn't a crazy low value for engine coolant temperature ...
- 39.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible