JspecSC3

iTrader: (4)

Let me note that before anyone points me to the direction of the search button I just want to say that I have searched but this particular problem hasn't seemed to be discussed so I will bring it to everyone's attention in this thread.

My car is not overheating or anything like that. I can still drive it fine and everything. I own a 93 SC300 with about 240k miles on the motor. Now, you know how when you are running your car at normal temperature the needles is usually right in the middle? Well mine is at this level:



Can anyone tell me what might be going on here. It stays at that level at all times even when im punching it. What can I do to bring it down to a normal level?


*picture show above was used from Lextech.org.

PERRYinLA

Your engine may already be at a normal operating temperature, but for whatever reason, your gauge tends to read higher than the rest. Maybe the owner of that Lextech.org site you referenced will chime in with his opinion eventually.

If the gauge is accurate and you are hotter than normal, my first guess is your thermostat is not opening as much as it should. As a former BMW owner I know that many of us have drilled holes in the thermostat to bring the temps down.

VJ RC51

or you can just take the needle off and move it to a place where it makes you more comfortable

Last5Spd

your thermostat might be stuck closed... at 240k miles it might be due for a change.. althought u say its not overheating but is there coolant spills or anything? or rushing out into the overflow?

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Radiator could also be clogged and not flowing as well as it should.

I guess SC owners responding should also answer the question the original poster asked... is your needle right in the center at normal operating temp? or is it above center?

AURELIOMK3

i would just buy a thermostat that is a lower temp maybe around 180 degee thats what i did on my supra cause i just did not like where it was a normal temp and that fix my problem or you can make small holes on the thermo like the first post that works also or you may just need a flush and new water pump and etc with 240xxx miles things tend to get old i would replace everything just to make sure good luck

PERRYinLA

Dave- on my SC400 the temp gauge usually reads right past 3 o'clock (or as Jspec calls it, "the middle"), but I think Jspec already knew that since it has been posted before, and he's just confirming that in his rhetorical question.

Blk1jz

iTrader: (1)

when i had my stock NA if i drove the car hard on a cool day.. like at night my temp gauge would drop to about 1/4 from the bottem which put a smile on my face since the car was running cool as hell.. Normal driving would yeild a halfway mark on the gauge.

LexAnt

iTrader: (2)

recently do a coolant change? maybe it's the mixture ratio?

JspecSC3

iTrader: (4)

Hmm yeah thats what I was thinking too. But in the back of my mind i was just saying to myself that it couldnt be because I had had it replaced almost 8 months ago. But I will give it another shot just to make sure. Also there is no coolant leaking or anything. My engine has tons of miles on it but surprisingly it does not leak anything.

Also, about what AURELIOMK3 said, I didnt know they made lower temperature thermostats?? I'll definetly go and check those out tommorrow when I visit Autozone. I just want to get my tempurature back to normal levels or even a bit lower but not too lower than the middle notches. High temps are making my motor consume my oil quickly.

SPORTcoupe

iTrader: (2)

Even though your car is not overheating, the place where you're showing your needle to be is actually really really hot.
Don't drive with your needle there...it'll kill your motor.
Try the thermostat and if that doesn't help, have someone check out your radiator.

~Alan

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

If it is really running hot - to help slightly, you can also add some stuff called 'water wetter' from Redline that may help knock off a few degrees. Can pick it up at most auto parts stores like Advance, Autozone, etc

SPORTcoupe

iTrader: (2)

Good stuff, but it's not all that cheap.
When your car starts heating up, it's almost guaranteed you're gonna be doing some repair work that will require you to lose some coolant so I'd wait till after the problem is eliminated to add anything to the coolant.

~Alan

mikeloc24

My guess would be your fan clutch needs repalcing. I had the same exact issue and I changed out the water pump, thermostat, and radiator...only to find out it was the damn fan clutch. It's a relatively easy part to replace and it's not very expensive. I wouldn't recommend doing this but the way to tell is to grab the fan while it's spinning, if you can easily stop it and it seems to spin freely it's time to change that fan clutch out.

Do you hear the sound of rushing water behind the dash in the morning when you first start the car? Does your overfill jug continuously run out fo water?

Do a search (I know I know) using my screenname and "fan clutch" and read away. I think I talked about this problem at length when I was experiencing it. Good luck man.

SwampFox

mikeloc24 must have been on the pipe when he wrote his recommendation. Never grab the engine fan before you have first called 911 and arranged an appointment.