It is blistering hot outside and my temp gauge was too high. Not over the redline but too close for comfort. Is it from the heat or running the ac or what would be the culprit. Oh and today my ac decided to work again.
Might need a new thermostat, they keep your fluids flowing into the rad for cooling, it might be sticking and not working properly
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I am no mechanic, but if your engine is in danger of overheating, you should roll down the windows and blast the heat, because the heater draws its heat away from the engine.
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Picture of one
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I’ll check into that if I ever get money lol. I hate being poor
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I just read that. Next time I’ll try that out
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The part itself is cheap. putting it in might cost a bit
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And also you should probably slow down/pull over, but seriously just take your car to the mechanic.
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My ex husband has a backwoods mechanic and this car is 1998 so no gadgets. problem is he takes his time. That doesn’t work well for me
Running the AC on a hot day adds some strain to your engine, causing it to run hotter. This is often the case if the compressor is failing and trying to seize up. The AC making your engine run too hot is a good reason to have a mechanic look at your compressor, especially if it has been working intermittantly.
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I was watching it very carefully so as to not go too far up
Does your mechanic offer payment plans? Mine will let me pay part up front and part over the next few days, but ive been going there for years and never missed a payment. But when I tell him I honestly can’t afford a repair, and he says my car will honestly break if I don’t repair it, he lets me pay what I can afford.
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No mechanics do that here unfortunately. I’ll just avoid using the ac for now and hopefully that helps
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I am an aircraft mechanic and work on old cars. The new ones not so much but changing a thermostat isn’t hard. Any one with mechanical inclination can do it.
You can also just remove the thermostat completely and that may help also.
If there is sludge in your radiator ie the water looks really brown just flush it out with a water hose. Stick the water hose as far down the radiator as you can. You will see the dirt shooting out. Only remove the radiator cap when the car is cool though. Run the engine with the water running. And remember to add antifreeze before it gets cold.
If it’s really bad you might need a new radiator.
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Is a radiator costly?
Couple hundred bucks probably. If it’s the thermostat you won’t need it but flushing it out may help. I did that to my mother in laws car several times before I had to replace the radiator.
Rust can get really bad in an old engine and eat away at the fins on the water pump. If those get rusted you could need a new water pump also. It could be many things.
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I love my car. It has under 62000 miles/ 100000 km. Was a granny driven car to church and back. Its 1998 but drives beautifully.
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Did you get it figured out yet?
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No. Just sticking close to home for now. I am literally broker than broke. I may need to see if my brother can give me a loan. I hate asking but that is how life goes sometimes
maybe theres a mechanic school nearby, you could offer your car to the teacher for them to diagnose/fix? im not sure how risky that is though.
or maybe a craigslist mechanic.
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