Overheating....

Ok, first off, i wanna say that i know our temp guages arent exactly accurate, but as long as it actually movies, it tells me something. The numbers its telling me are probably wrong, but it does show me that they are changing.

ok, so my car normally runs at 170 degrees, almost like clockwork, regardless of outside temp, unless its really hot or really cold. if i get caught up in heavy stop and got traffic, it will get up to 185. Well yesterday i drove to visit my mom, 65 miles away, on the way back, cruising at 75 on open highway, 65 outside, i notice im running about 185 degrees. 15-20 higher than normal, no biggy, but it still worries me. but then again, 20 degree change on the gauge could mean 30 or 40 on the motor. i get back into town and first redlight i stop at, mind, this just a normal stop, very light traffic, it jumps up to 190, start driving again, goes down, next redlight 200, so i pull into a parking lot. while I'm rolling around looking for a spot, it goes to 210.

I get out, check my coolant dipstick, which is filthy, cant read much, but it is wet, so there atleast something in the overflow. check my oil, I'm 1.5 quarts low. I remembered i had a quart in the trunk, so i put it in. start driving again, and im back into the 180 range, still high, but not as high.

So...whered my oil go? and, would that cause the temp spikes?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Spikito

Ok, first off, i wanna say that i know our temp guages arent exactly accurate, but as long as it actually movies, it tells me something. The numbers its telling me are probably wrong, but it does show me that they are changing.

ok, so my car normally runs at 170 degrees, almost like clockwork, regardless of outside temp, unless its really hot or really cold. if i get caught up in heavy stop and got traffic, it will get up to 185. Well yesterday i drove to visit my mom, 65 miles away, on the way back, cruising at 75 on open highway, 65 outside, i notice im running about 185 degrees. 15-20 higher than normal, no biggy, but it still worries me. but then again, 20 degree change on the gauge could mean 30 or 40 on the motor. i get back into town and first redlight i stop at, mind, this just a normal stop, very light traffic, it jumps up to 190, start driving again, goes down, next redlight 200, so i pull into a parking lot. while I'm rolling around looking for a spot, it goes to 210.

I get out, check my coolant dipstick, which is filthy, cant read much, but it is wet, so there atleast something in the overflow. check my oil, I'm 1.5 quarts low. I remembered i had a quart in the trunk, so i put it in. start driving again, and im back into the 180 range, still high, but not as high.

So...whered my oil go? and, would that cause the temp spikes?

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i have a 97 GT as my DD car ( POS junk slowass motherf**ker) and everytime i check the oil it says im low......... i have the same ? as you have weres my oil going hmmm i would say out the exhuast hahaha :screwy:

As far as the temp spiking my car used to the same thing, it turned out to be a sticking thermostat. As far as oil,higher in mileage w/ more blow by?

thats what im guessing, ive got 103K on the clock, im thinking about getting my thermostat checked out though

excuse for new car??? I've been checking out t/a's again--I miss that damn break-every-week-POS-sexy fast as hell-t-top'd mf'er!! They're cheap enough now I might have my reliable and semi-fast DD car AND my broke-ass fast as hell and eye catchin side car!!

this sounds basic, but check the underneath the car and make sure nothing is caught up in the radiator, I remember my car was overheating a month or so after I had bought it. We were sitting in traffic on a hot summer day and the temp just kept climbing. We pulled off to the side of the road and I looked under the car and a plastic bag was covering 3/4 of the radiator.

I had similar overheating problems a couple of years ago and it turned out that I needed to replace the radiator cap. The cooling system was no longer maintaining the correct pressure. There was nothing obviously wrong with the cap, but I had heard the tip on an auto show and since it was a cheap replacement I tried it out. Things have been great since. Good luck!