Occasional Overheating

[xdavesmithx]

my car is overheating once in a while, but only while driving. at highway speed, the temperature stays just slightly to the right of the halfway mark. however, while driving around town, the temperature sometimes goes into the red, but never for more than a few seconds before moving back to the middle. the temp gauge sometimes flickers, so I don't know if that has anything to do with the issue. I haven't noticed any milky substance under the oil cap and I haven't yet checked the expansion tank for combustion fluids. I might just be paranoid, but I may be smelling coolant through the vents. I haven't done a compression test, but I want to make sure it's not a simple solution before diving into the head gasket. I had plans to do the timing belt soon, so I'm thinking of doing all the gaskets anyway since there is 206k on the motor. any help is much appreciated!

[ButtJuice]

Sounds like the grounding nut behind the gauge is loose.

Next time it gets hot, slap the dash above the cluster and see if it goes back down.

[jlevie]

The engine running hot at speed sounds like a bad thermostat or bad radiator.

[xdavesmithx]

I contemplated the thermostat, but I know they usually fail open, so it would run cold. though on the way to work today, it stayed just shy of the halfway mark even during city driving. slapping the dash sounds like my mind of solution! haha

[xdavesmithx]

well tapping the dashboard seems to get the needle back to where it should be. that's a huge weight off my shoulders

[SmokeE30]

If you smell coolant in the car check the heater core and heater control valve for leaks. Running hot in traffic is usually a failing fan clutch not moving enough air when the vehicle is stationary/ at low speeds. You can test the fan with a rolled up newspaper to see of you can make it stop spinning

[bddog]

If you keep driving it while it overheats, you will ruin the engine.
Water pumps seem to malfunction frequently on these cars.
Often they will leak while they are going bad. This could the coolant smell.

[ringmeister81]

Occasional Overheating

Any solution to this problem? Mine just started doing the exact same thing yesterday. We're getting really cold weather up here in RI so I thought that's why my temp needle was bouncing all around. It usually stay at the 1/4 mark, but now it settles at 1/2, and if left stationary it climbs a little higher. I also thought I could smell a little bit of coolant through the vent, but then thought I was paranoid. It was -4 the other night and the engine didn't seem hot at all. Thought it could be SI batteries, but now I'm not so sure…

[Nutzy]

Ground nut, behind the gauge itself, as stated.