Heat soak while parked?

[AlpineWeiss]

Been driving around a lot in the 110 degree summer days here. Temp gauge has stayed welded to 12 o'clock. No recent service on the system and it has the correct amount of coolant.

Ran into the grocery store for 10 minutes after driving 30 minutes in town. Pull out of the driveway and notice temp gauge starting to go up. Cut the engine and coasted into a side street, highest the gauge got was 2/3rds of the way to the 1 o'clock hash mark.

Pop the hood and turn on the heater full blast. After about 5 minutes start the engine for 45 seconds just to cycle coolant through the heat exchangers, temp gauge now rises to dead on the 3/4 hash mark. Wait another 5 minutes, turn on the engine again for 45 seconds, after about 15 seconds the temp drops down to 12 o'clock and holds. Get the hood shut and drive it 5 minutes home, temp gauge doesn't move off 12 o'clock.

So what the hell just happened? I figure I caught everything fast enough to prevent damage but I don't want to do this again.

[Vitaliy]

Sounds like the clutch fan died. Check it for proper operation.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

[AlpineWeiss]

Sounds like the clutch fan died. Check it for proper operation.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

Just tried to check this now but there is a wind storm going on outside so think that skewed my results cold. Good news is that it can regulate temps idling for 20 minutes in 95 degree ambient temps.

[rajicase]

Temps increase dramatically after you shut the car off.

You were doing city driving which is going to lead to higher coolant Temps than highway driving.

In 110 Temps ,you could have been running around at 220f when you shut it off. In the brief period the car was off it could have climbed to 250+ which you noticed upon starting the car back up.

If your car is staying at normal temp at idle I'd assume your fan is okay.

What happened to you might indeed be totally harmless and normal. You say the gauge didn't even reach the 3/4 mark on the gauge.. it didn't run that hot. I wouldn't be concerned about it..

[AlpineWeiss]

Temps increase dramatically after you shut the car off.

You were doing city driving which is going to lead to higher coolant Temps than highway driving.

In 110 Temps ,you could have been running around at 220f when you shut it off. In the brief period the car was off it could have climbed to 250+ which you noticed upon starting the car back up.

If your car is staying at normal temp at idle I'd assume your fan is okay.

What happened to you might indeed be totally harmless and normal. You say the gauge didn't even reach the 3/4 mark on the gauge.. it didn't run that hot. I wouldn't be concerned about it..

I've experienced what you are describing in other cars I've owned, under a minute of idling or light driving is usually all is needed to get temps back in check. If I cared about this car less or had more faith in the stock temp gauge I would have tried driving it a bit longer to see if the temps came down. I have never seen the temp gauge move off the middle in this car so that why I figured I would ask here if anybody has seen it do this.

Next time I am in this situation I am going to let it idle for a minute or two after parking, hopefully that will help dump some heat out of the block so there is less to transfer into the coolant after the pump & fan stop.

I really need to get a real water temp gauge on this thing.

[rajicase]

Yes a real water temp gauge is a neccisity in a hotter climate. I have a vdo and it's been great.

[AlpineWeiss]

Yes a real water temp gauge is a neccisity in a hotter climate. I have a vdo and it's been great.

I am looking at a VDO myself. How did you do the sensor install for it?

[rajicase]

I just used a upper rad hose adapter.