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Looking for help on possible '93 over heat issue
Hi all...new to this forum and hoping I can get a bit of help on my newly acquired 93 Altima SE.
I got this car last week and drove it home about 45 miles or so..no overheating signs at all. Then the next day I detailed the engine bay (as I always do on my cars) and then the day after that on my first drive it started to show as overheating on the dash temp gauge and has continued ever since. Now I have been trying to figure out if it's actually overheating or if I somehow hosed (literally) the temp sending unit..or if my my gauge went bad. The temps I am getting from my infrared thermometer do not seem to hot to me BUT the one thing I don't like is that when it's warmed up and I try open the radiator cap fluid does come out..under pressure. I would think if there's this much pressure then shouldn't it go into the coolant reservoir? I have also bled the system (once) and checked the fans are indeed kicking on but only after the temp gauge redlines as far as possible. Here are the temps I am reading when it says it's over heating. Top of valve cover from left to right next to each plug. 173, 157, 155, 170 Radiator hose outlet (left hose) 194 Radiator hose inlet (right hose) 180 Shorter hose next to inlet (not sure what this is yet) 184 Radiator cap 194 Engine head, left side directly above exhaust heat shield and just under valve cover 281 Engine head, right side directly above exhaust heat shield and just under valve cover 267 So my questions are.. 1. Does this sound like it's actually overheating? 2. Should there be pressure like this when I take the radiator cap off this running hot engine? or should it go into the overflow? 3. If it's not overheating..should I suspect the gauge or sensor?..reason I ask about gauge..even when unplugged the gauge reads to half way point..again I don't know if this is normal or not. Thank you very much for your help or input...I really enjoy this car and it's fun to drive :) |
#2
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None of your temperature reading suggest an overheating condition. The radiator cap will only vent coolant into the reservoir when the system exceeds its pressure rating, which is usually around 12-13 psi. You should never remove a radiator cap from a hot engine; this is a good way to get burned, besides making a big mess! There is usually a sticker that says this on the radiator cap, but they do fall off over time...especially after 20 years.
What I would do is disconnect the wire from the engine coolant temp sensor (for the gauge). With the key on, the coolant gauge should read full cold. If you run a direct ground to that wire, the needle on the gauge should slowly rise to the full hot position. This is how you test the gauge and its circuit. If the gauge is working correctly, you could replace the coolant temp sensor (for the gauge); they aren't that expensive. You can get them for around $5 from Rockauto.com. See link: More Information for BECK/ARNLEY 2011328 |
#3
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Thank you much for the reply...I am guessing now it has to be the gauge BUT..this problem has happened with both the clusters I have so that's why I am still a bit worried.
Today I checked the OHMs on the temp sending unit (sensor) and it was close to spec but I went ahead and ruled that out by installing a new one..I also did a pressure test on the cooling system and it checks out just fine. Then I followed all this with a full flush and air bleed...and it still shows overheating. Compression is great..no steam..good temp readings etc. So now I will wait and see what my next cluster reads...sigh..lol I need a new one since the speedo died in the 93 and the one from the 96 is exactly the same cluster but the pulse is different I guess so the speed is way off (by about 3 times). Again this is strange to me that BOTH clusters would have bad gauges..but I have checked everything many times now and all seems well. Thanks again. |
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heat, issue |
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