Hi all... This is my first post here on the form after reading plenty of your informative post.


I have a 2004 3.8SC Monte... Has about 175K Mi. I've noticed that as of the last few weeks that my temp gauge goes up to about 205-210. Is this something I should be worried about? I do live in Las Vegas and lately it has been about 105 or hotter out. So maybe the hot temperature is the problem?


The only reason that I am alarmed is because my wife has a 2002 Nissan Altima and her temp gage never moves beyond the half way point so does my moms Fiat who also lives in Las Vegas. Only my cars Temp gage moves up so much. Today I changed the T-Stat. I buy my T-Stats directly from the dealership. Two weeks ago I changed the Radiator (which was the second time in the last year I might add) and I also flushed the coolant twice within the last two weeks.


I've had this car for about 8years now and it normally has run anywhere from about 185 to 197ish and in the summer it gets up to about 200ish. However either I'm just getting older and my memory isn't what it used to be or the temp gage seems to have crept up a little higher this summer to about 210. Unlike most when I'm at a light at idle it comes down to about 190 however when I am driving with my foot on the accelerator is when the temp gage starts to heat up. It never goes into the red however...(yet) and the A/C runs fine. Doesn't blow hot air. Coolant levels are fine.


Any suggestions...? I keep telling myself that its 105+ degrees out so of course its gonna be hot however when I'm in other peoples car I make a not to look at their temp gage and it doesn't run as hot as mine.


One last thing I just thought of... A few months back I bout some 20 inch chrome wheels with low profile tires. Not to mention I keep a big batter booster pack in the trunk with a floor jack as well... Maybe too much in my load I'm carrying around in the summer....?

 

Could be a combination of things. It's best to use a scan gauge to see what temperature it's actually running - I changed my coolant temp sensor and now my gauge reads different than it did before, which is why I love this little Aeroforce gauge. Tells me exactly what the temp is. And of course several other things. But yes, it being very hot does make the car run hotter (especially in stop and go traffic). If you want to make it run cooler, you could get a 180 degree thermostat.

 

theres another member on here that had kinda the same issue as you with the temp going up AS he was driving instead of the other way around....he had work done to his water pump and everything started going berserk after that. now if i could remember where that post was... my mechanic told me that the fans will turn on at 220 and drop it to 195 before they shut off. (on normal cars, but we all know that half of us dont have "normal" cars lol) my monte usually runs around 180-185 while im driving down the road above 35mph.

 

Yeah...


Its still doing it... I figure I'll take some of the load out of my trunk and see what that does. it was 110 degrees out today and my temp car got up to 210. I have a leaky valve cover. The intake manifold gasket also needs to be replaced. Its not super bad however because I've been down that road before and I know what a bad intake manifold gasket will do... My coolant levels are normal (for the most part) and no over-heating...


Like I previously said though... My Monte has seemed to always run a little hot... It never over heats just gets up their in temp. In non-summer months here in Las Vegas I'm usually around 190 down to about 185. But this summer its getting up to 210 especially on a incline. Very strange how at idle/stop the temp comes back down to 185/190ish...

 

I noticed mine is missing the extension under the radiator which re directs airflow when moving. It is a hard plastic piece that could have been ripped off the car in a parking lot when parking. Not that 210 is that high, but you know your car, and would be able to notice if something was out of the normal. 110 degree air does not help either.

 

I just changed the radiator about a month or so ago... which actually is the 2nd time in the last year...(kinda weird but like I said I live in a hot climate). I'm thinking maybe I should just get a 180 T-stat and call it a day. The strangest thing about my car and always has been... is that when I'm driving on the freeway is when the temp gauge goes up. At lower speeds or a complete stop it comes down.


I changed the intake manifold gasket about 4 years ago... But has been leaking again for about a year now. Plus the Valve cover gaskets are leaking. I did notice my pully was a little loose about a year ago. I tightened it and never gave it a second look since. Maybe its fine... Its just I get a little self conscious about it when I'm in my civic or my wifes Altima and the temp gauge never moves regardless how hot it is...


Is it just the design of the car that causes the temp gauge to fluctuate so much...? Taking it to a dealership could help but they are just going to tell me " You have a leaking valve cover and intake manifold gaskets" as if I don't know that... Could that be causing the temp to rise a bit...?


The car just goes up to 210 with too much regularity. years back I used to drive back in fourth to Utah from Las Vegas in the dead of the summer in 108 weather and it would get up to 210 but that was expected... Now just driving around town on the freeway it gets that hot...

 

"The strangest thing about my car and always has been... is that when I'm driving on the freeway is when the temp gauge goes up. At lower speeds or a complete stop it comes down."

That is an issue for me. It means you have an airflow issue, air not getting to the radiator at speed. I would look under the car to make sure that deflector piece is in place, and not bending. I have a 180 degree failsafe t'stat in a box, ready for install. Good move there. It cannot hurt, may be an issue getting thru a smog test.

 

I think your on to something with that... For years I have gotten the Major Air flow leak code... I've replaced everything and it still pops up. I've just learned to live with it over the years... At smog time I just reset the code and it passes.


Thnx... I'm gonna check under the car. Do you know where the deflector piece is at? middle of car or towards the front?

 

If its the black rubber or plastic strip that runs across the front bottom of the vehicle right underneath the Radiator. Yeah I know what that is. I was fooling around with my radiator a while back and I removed it and never put it back.... Its been off for a few months...


I read up on it and it does help keep the radiator keep the engine cool... I'll slap it back on and see if that helps. Thanks!

 

Just figured I would update for anyone having a similar problem...


So I put the airdem back on the bottom of the car under the radiator and sure enough my car is back to normal temp 195.


Thank you for the help.