Running hot

[pmansson]

One of my cars, whose engine was supposedly fully restored a few years back, is running hot in traffic jams. Not into the red area but a bit outside, and well above its normal position (on the temp gauge). It has happened just once, but it was very hot outside and the traffic was creeping or at a standstill for about half an hour. As soon as traffic cleared, the temp went back to normal. Poor waterpump or clogged radiator or????

 

[michael]

Change your thermostat to a lower temperature rating.

 

[psychrunner]

fan

My csi ran hot when stopped for more than a few minutes until I had the radiator recored and replaced the original red fan with (I believe) a nine blade fan and a new thermostat. Stays cooler at all times with this setup. The fan seems to be the crucial aspect.
psychrunner

 

[AndyM]

Since you say it happens in traffic, start by checking the fan clutch. If its bad, then the fan never really turns at the speed it should. Mine did the same thing in traffic until I replaced the clutch.

 

[Honolulu]

rap on hotness

If it runs hot in traffic, it can be that the tstat isn't opening. Remove it, dunk it in boiling water and visually observe that it opens.

It could also be that your radiator isn't getting sufficient airflow to which it is intended to transfer the heat. Check that nothing has blown in front of the rad, blocking airflow. Check that your fan spins at the correct speed - engine speed for those that have directly coupled the fan to the pulley; engine speed for those of us with fan clutches. It can also happen that your radiator tubes are plugged and in this case it needs to removed, the top or bottom tank unsoldered, and a thin metal blade passed through all the tubes to clear out crud. This costs about 50 clams last I had mine done.

When your copper E9 rad finally goes Tango Uniform, E28 aluminum radiators fit, I believe, though you may have to adapt upper or lower hose a bit. Use the Search function okay? E28 aluminum rad about $160 last I bought one, vs over $450 for copper. Shop around.