Anybody ever have an issue where their car runs warm on the highway? Mine always seems to be towards the upper end of the temp gauge (still in the normal range, but close to being out). It hasn't always done this, but in the past few months it has. It hasn't overheated yet on 2 hour highway trips at 75-80 MPH. Pull off the highway and drive at 40 MPH and it drops back down to normal. Water pump is 1 year old (NEW not reman), thermostat is 3 years old. Could the thermostat be sticking closed or not opening all the way? Car is a 1997 2.2 with 267K miles.


2000 Ford F-250 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4 - Not stock
1973 16' Tahiti Speedboat
1983 200 HP Mercury BlackMax
1997 Chevy Cavalier with 275K miles

When I had the base model cluster in mine it always red high, but when I swapped to cluster with tach it was dead center. Best bet would be to hook up a scan tool that can do live data and check the accuracy of the gauge.





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

I have had the same issue with my 96 sunfire with the 2.4. I can drive 45min on the interstate and I'll be just under the yellow,but as soon as i get off it drops back to normal. I never had an overheating problem, and this has been going on for about 2 years now.

Mine used to run dead center. It just started doing this recently... I know I should just buck up and change the thermostat, but it's such a pain in the ass to burp the cooling system on these things...


2000 Ford F-250 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4 - Not stock
1973 16' Tahiti Speedboat
1983 200 HP Mercury BlackMax
1997 Chevy Cavalier with 275K miles

I think either the reservoir is leaking or the pressure cap is bad. It was running really hot the other day, like almost overheating, but didn't get into the red. Let it sit all weekend, then today the low antifreeze light came on. Filled it up, drove it, and there's antifreeze all over the reservoir. Low antifreeze light is still on, stupid car.


2000 Ford F-250 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4 - Not stock
1973 16' Tahiti Speedboat
1983 200 HP Mercury BlackMax
1997 Chevy Cavalier with 275K miles

my 2.4 does the same thing when i get to 70... i thought thermostat too

Do you guys still have that shield on the bottom of the front of the car below the radiator? If not add one and all your troubles will be miles away.


1994 Saturn SL2 Home Coming Edition: backup car
2002 Chevy Cavalier LS Sport Coupe: In a Junk Yard
1995 Mazda Miata R-package Class=STR
Sponsored by: Kronos Performance

WPI Class of '12 Mechanical Engineering
WPI SAE Risk and Sustainability Management Officer

what does that shield have to do with it????

Because that shield directs most of the air onto your radiator.


1994 Saturn SL2 Home Coming Edition: backup car
2002 Chevy Cavalier LS Sport Coupe: In a Junk Yard
1995 Mazda Miata R-package Class=STR
Sponsored by: Kronos Performance

WPI Class of '12 Mechanical Engineering
WPI SAE Risk and Sustainability Management Officer

the sheild is called a lower air dam without it you will run hotter



JBO since July 30, 2001

wasnt aware of that i totally dnt have mine

if you are running warm i would start there



JBO since July 30, 2001

mine is on and well intact.. thermostat?

You taking about the plastic flappers on each corner? Mine are on...ish. 270K miles and me not being nice to the car (mainly off roading it) have put a beating on them. I zip tied them back on a few months ago, and I think they're still on there pretty well. I'm thinking my issue was a bad coolant tank cap. Its stopped pissing coolant, and while I haven't had it on any long road trips yet, on short highway trips it hasn't ran warm or overheated.


2000 Ford F-250 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4 - Not stock
1973 16' Tahiti Speedboat
1983 200 HP Mercury BlackMax
1997 Chevy Cavalier with 275K miles

Damn... no edit button here. But, has anybody ever had to deal with a low antifreeze light that won't shut off?? Been on for 2 friggin weeks now.


2000 Ford F-250 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4 - Not stock
1973 16' Tahiti Speedboat
1983 200 HP Mercury BlackMax
1997 Chevy Cavalier with 275K miles

Zaairman wrote:Damn... no edit button here. But, has anybody ever had to deal with a low antifreeze light that won't shut off?? Been on for 2 friggin weeks now.

Unplug the sensor. Either that, or get a new one. They're a cheap POS sensor that goes bad quite often. But if you simply unplug it, the light will just cease to work.





i find it amusing that SHOoff has nothing better to do but follow me around & be an unhelpful dick in even cross-forum. - Jon Mick

I had a similar issue and it was the coolant cap, the spring got lazy and would piss antifreeze out of the overflow hose.

Car never ran hot though


"Oil Leak ? What oil Leak ? Oh, Thats Just The Sweat From All The HorsePower!!"

I see it a lot at work where people run water in the coolant, mess up the coolant passages and fill the sensor with rusty sludge and then get mad when we tell them what exactly is going on.

Usually a good cleaning will do it, or some tapping on the bottle if your lazy i guess.


- Your not-so-local, untrained, uncertified, backyard mechanic. But my @!#$ runs

So... the light randomly shut off this morning. Hasn't come back on, and from a 5 min drive at 70 MPH, the temp hasn't been rising like it was before. Guess the cap fixed it. Coolant level hasn't changed either, which is fantastic, cause I was worried that I had popped the headgasket again.


2000 Ford F-250 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4 - Not stock
1973 16' Tahiti Speedboat
1983 200 HP Mercury BlackMax
1997 Chevy Cavalier with 275K miles

part of the problem too is the AC condenser sits infront of the radiator, if that has taken a lot of damage that limits the airflow through the rad behind it. once in a while mine starts to peak that 90c mark if its really hot out. I need to do a coolant flush on mine, the Dex-"kill" is starting to go deep orange, which could be some of the issue.

Coolant tank definitely fixed the problem. Put 800 miles on it last week without a problem, needle was straight up and down the whole time on the highway.


2000 Ford F-250 7.3 Powerstroke 4x4 - Not stock
1973 16' Tahiti Speedboat
1983 200 HP Mercury BlackMax
1997 Chevy Cavalier with 275K miles