What is normal water gauge reading??

I think it is exactly half or slightly below?? We'll on the way home the other night from a 60 mile trip, the hand was at half, and I made a turn and the incline I went up was probably about 45 degrees. And when I made it to the top which takes about 10-15 seconds, the water hand was 1/4 inch above half.

I did another trip up the same hill after that and the hand was either on half or slightly lower. And this wasnt the first time it happened either.

To accelerate up this hill the car would have to downshift to second. Any way thats just to give you an idea about the hill climb.



This car has a New water pump, T-Stat, Head Gasket, Radiator, Coolant. No leaks, top hose was leaking but I tightened the clamp up. Also there was a little movement on the overflow..

The fans are on when I check, and I found out in the manual they are variable speed via the ECU. The speed at which they are turning are slow, pulling the heat. But when the AC is on, the fans are full power.

Oh and it has done this before couple times cruising at 50 mph but not as much past half.


Be sure for anyone with any info or comment please post where your water hand stays or how much you ever noticed it move. In all the searching and reading, I found one person on this site, posted to another thread, that their hand stayed at half and never moved. And they also stated that the fans should keep the hand from moving past half. Thanks for any and all info.



2002 Galant 2.4L



These pictures below are my Gauge readings, I took them (today 13th) I havent been to car wash, since no splash shields lol so dirty cluster.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...0minslater.jpg
http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/...neoffkeyon.jpg
^^^^Key turned on before cranking after engine being operating temp

Here are the threads where I've pretty much written about the same problem. In the first one, you can see the pictures I've posted with the level of the gauge that seems to be similar to what you're describing -

https://www.thegalantcenter.org/showthread.php?t=45648

List of things I've changed, but haven't fixed the problem yet -

https://www.thegalantcenter.org/showthread.php?t=45623

Is this what you're saying?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tamim13

Is this what you're saying?

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Nope. Mine is only happening at different times. It deff does not happen at idle with or without ac on. Like i said, itll do one time and then not the next time. I climbed a steep mountain last week and I left the heater on because I noticed it was wanting to go up. So on the way back I thought well, I will leave heater off on the way back over the mountain. What do you know, the water hand stayed slightly below half and never even tried to go above half. THe engine load was even more on the other side. And this was evening hours when it was warm. It comes and goes lol.

I forgot to add, that I even have a new radiator cap.

I havent tried replacing fans or ECT sensor, but I have thought about air in the system. When I installed my Tstat it had a jiggle valve, but I put it to the top and just topped of coolant and squeezed tops hoses a little.

Btw I had allready read those posts, because I thought your user name looked familiar. The more info the better thou.


If it keeps happeining I will probably do the resistance test to the ect sensor. Can I use an autozone sensor??? Or do i have to use an Dealer part? Thanks for the help.

It seems to happen to me in traffic. Yesterday this is what I did. I was driving home and was driving on cruise around 60 for about 20 miles continuously. As soon as I reached my exit and turned off cruise, even before braking, the engine temp gauge started rising, by the time I reached the traffic light it was like in the picture I had posted. Then all the while I was at the light, it stayed there, but once I started moving again, it went down again. Then when I reached home and parked, it went up again.

I have replaced the fans and ECT, so don't go that route. I thought about air in the system too, but there isn't. I've flushed the radiator twice and changed the t-stat twice after this problem started. I've changed the radiator cap as well.

Someone did mention that it might just be the gauge itself. Somewhere else I read, the ECT has a wire running from it to the ECU and that wire might need changing. Did yours start happening after your t-belt/water pump replacement?

Are your gauge readings similar to the pictures I had posted?

mine has never gone over half way until 2 weeks ago it hit the red, I was low on Coolent but also think I have a leak in my heater core, so I got home and flushed the system out, disconnect the heater core and flushed that out too, since then I been fine and haven't over heated, I also have a ultraguage that reads every sensor on the car half way is 200-207 it the red was 250 ,
straight water

did you turn on ur heat full blast when u added new Coolent ?

I've never thought about that, could this be symptoms of a bad heater core? Anyone had similar symptoms when they have changed theirs?

my pass floor been wet since I got the car could be from my heater core but lately I notice my head liner filling up with water from rain so I gutted the car out to fix the leak in the windshield and see it my core is leaking. so far its been two weeks and the core is not leaking but I get a smell of Coolent sometime it the cab I'm just gona replace the core for shits and giggles

I would recommend "burping the system" If your overflow tank went empty your cooling system possibly took in air.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tamim13

It seems to happen to me in traffic. Yesterday this is what I did. I was driving home and was driving on cruise around 60 for about 20 miles continuously. As soon as I reached my exit and turned off cruise, even before braking, the engine temp gauge started rising, by the time I reached the traffic light it was like in the picture I had posted. Then all the while I was at the light, it stayed there, but once I started moving again, it went down again. Then when I reached home and parked, it went up again.

I have replaced the fans and ECT, so don't go that route. I thought about air in the system too, but there isn't. I've flushed the radiator twice and changed the t-stat twice after this problem started. I've changed the radiator cap as well.

Someone did mention that it might just be the gauge itself. Somewhere else I read, the ECT has a wire running from it to the ECU and that wire might need changing. Did yours start happening after your t-belt/water pump replacement?

Are your gauge readings similar to the pictures I had posted?

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Mine didnt start till about last week. My water pump was replaced last year by a shop. I replaced the headgasket myself around March with another new timing belt. And I even double checked my timing even an hour after installation of the hydraulic tensioner, and all was good.

I thinking my problem could have been air. Because yesterday while itwas running, and top hose was really hot, I tried squeezing the top hose to burp the system like oakrdrs187 said if i did it right. Anyway I seen bubbles coming to the top of overflow from bottom while squeezing the hose. So i could have had air in my system. I even turned heater on high because i forgot to when adding coolant like finald8ta mentioned. However thou I had the heater on high that one early morning on my long trip to the mountain I mentioned earlier hmmm....

Maybe it could be the gauge, or the wiring, but I reread your posts/ You never mentioned or I missed it, that if your fans cycle on and off? Mine did cycle on and off (both at same time) and that was while the gauge was slightly below half and after a hour trip. And When the AC is on, the fan/s 1 or both are on full power because I can hear them a roaring lol.

Your first picture, in the other posts looks normal to mine, maybe a hair lower than mine. On the second picture was your AC on? Because your idle looks like it? Next time you get home or something, park and look under the hood to see if your fans are running and also see where your overflow is at? Also look with AC on and off. I know you probably allready done this because you said you replaced the fans and blade, Im just double checking. To me yours seems like an either an airflow problem or water flow problem. Keep in mind thou I aint no mechanic lol. Is you condensor restricted? I didnt clean mind but yestereday I checked and it looks clear. I have heard of bad timing can cause over heating but If i get a timing light Im gonna check mine cause right now I dont feel like taking the timing covers off. If my problem persist then I will then take the covers off and recheck the timing belt. I might try and post a picture of where my water hand stays if i can get it to work. BTW how come so many water pumps? Also check to see if your bottom radiator hose is hot while checking fans, watch out for your fan if it aint turning cause it could start any time the PCM wants it too.

^ Bubbles when squeezing the hose is normal, because as you squeeze it sucks air in and then lets it go. To do a quick burp and see where you are, try on a cold engine, uncapping the radiator and starting the motor. Turn on your heat to highest setting so coolant can travel into the core an push any air out, let it reach temperature (can take anywhere between 5-15 mins). If air is present it will bubble out of the radiator opening as the thermostat opens and coolant cycles through the engine and radiator.

Thanks, i had no idea you could do that. Im gonna try it and see what happens.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by oakrdrs187

^ Bubbles when squeezing the hose is normal, because as you squeeze it sucks air in and then lets it go. To do a quick burp and see where you are, try on a cold engine, uncapping the radiator and starting the motor. Turn on your heat to highest setting so coolant can travel into the core an push any air out, let it reach temperature (can take anywhere between 5-15 mins). If air is present it will bubble out of the radiator opening as the thermostat opens and coolant cycles through the engine and radiator.

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I tried it, and coolant started dripping all over the fan. It didnt seem like it was going to stop so I turned the car off. And I dont have extra coolant right now to let it run while dripping. My drain pan is at someone else's house so I couldn't do that. Was the coolant suppose to be pushed out with Tstat closed and heater core open even thou water pump is running with the engine?

Ok according to the PCM operating temp should be around 77 Celsius 170.6 Fahrenheit. The Tstat opens up after the engine fully warms up around 82º Cº 179.6 Fº and coolant will flow thru engine back to radiator back to the engine "cycle". Yes the Tstat will open after warm up and you will see coolant flow out the radiator if you have cap off. It should flow out before the fans kicks in. i will do a fully coolant engine and radiator flush to take all the bad deposits on the engine.

x2 on flush.

Just did a flush on my wife's 2002. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't really see much nastiness come out. Just greenish brown fluid.

Hers has a problem with overheating a lot, but that night on the way home (1.5 hour drive) it seemed ok, it started creeping up a bit when we were driving over 80, but didn't go more than 1/2 way between the center and 3/4.