[hardwareguy]

Anyone here know what temp the tic marks on our temp gauges represent?

It usually sits right in the middle or just below, but tonight I got it beween the middle tic mark and the next mark above that.

I had the A/C on and I wan't playing around TOO much, having a little fun but not an excessive amount. There was a LOT of stop and go crap tonight, I hit every left lane granny and red light in town.

It almost hit the tick mark above the middle one, that's when I shut off the A/C. The temp goes back down right after turning off the A/C and will slowly climb back up when i turn it on.

The question is, about how hot was the coolant in my car? Is a tranny or oil cooler in my future or is this temp OK?

 

[Ronbo]

Maybe one of your radiator fans or the control relays might be a problem? Also the AC pressure transducer. Typically when the air conditioner compressor clutch is engaged the radiator fans kick in for cooling. If the compressor is running and the radiator fan(s) aren't then that might explain the rise in temperature gauge. Off hand I don't know the exact circumstances on which fan is supposed to operate when. I'm sure there's someone on here that does know!

 

[hardwareguy]

Seems to be OK now

It seems to be working OK now, but I'll keep an eye on it.

I'm going to check the fan relays and the pressure cap. This might also be a sticking thermostat.

The coolant level is fine, a tiny bit of sediment in it but not bad. The previous owner of my car didn't put tap water in!

The water pump is working OK too!

Thank GOD the water pump is OK!

 

[buffalo r/t]

The previous owner of my car didn't put tap water in!

what do you use then, distilled water?

 

[hardwareguy]

what do you use then, distilled water?

Yeah actually, you do use distilled water. Using mineralized water causes scale buldup in the cooling system.

The book calls for a mix of 50% of Mopar HOAT coolant and 50% distilled water.

 

[hardwareguy]

Additional Clues

Ok, this all started last night after I filled up my tank. I noticed that the fuel had a distinctly DIFFERENT odor than the last time I filled up, a much more pungent odor.

I wonder If my engine knocking a little bit, thus the extra heat? It doesn't seem to be as perky today.... Ill check the OTIS instant econ to see if I can get more clues. Long term timing retard should kill the milage, so we shall see.

I may pull the plugs and see if there is evidence of preignition, if so, Chervron is getting a NASTY call!

No PCM codes are present. If I recall correctly, A/C transducer problems set a code.

It doesn't overheat, but it is running a bit warmer than usual. The needle has a long way before it gets to red, but I still don't like this.

 

[jamieandtroy]

Yeah actually, you do use distilled water. Using mineralized water causes scale buldup in the cooling system.

The book calls for a mix of 50% of Mopar HOAT coolant and 50% distilled water.

"scale buldup in the cooling system". What kind of problems could this cause to the car itself? and if so, how could you fix this? All I have ever used is regular tap water, I didnt know that it was bad for the car.
Thanks, Jamie :thumbsup:

 

[TERMINATOR101CA]

It could block the coolant passages , thus restricting flow and preventing cooling of the engine . Final result ????? Kabooommm, engine get's red hot and pistons seize in the sleeves. Not a pretty view. Cure ?? I don't know if there's much to do about it unless using CLR for a flush would work or it would make it worse by eating away at the block.

 

[hardwareguy]

Scale Cleanup

Double flush the engine with distilled water and something like Prestone Super Clean.

That should take care of it.

 

[hardwareguy]

Cooling Fan!

On further inspection, I found that the passenger side cooling fan was NOT operating when the car was fully warmed up and the A/C was on. The driver side fan was spinning at full tilt.

Aren't both fans supposed to run when the A/C is on?

 

[hardwareguy]

Houston, we have a problem!

Thou hast consulted the Book Of Armaments (LH service manual) and thy number of thy running fans shall be TWO, no more no less! None is right out!

Catch the above Monty Python reference? What Monty Python movie am I referring to?

Anyway, back to the fun:

I put another relay in from autozone, it wasn't an exact fit but it was electrically identical. Both fans ran while the A/C was running

The realy they gave me was quite pricey, so when I got home, I replaced the pricey one with one I had in hopes of returning said expensive relay, well that realy MUST be special because after I replaced the special one with a normal relay, NONE of the fans worked and the A/C refused to operate!

I'll be putting that special gray relay back in tomorrow so I can drive my car...

Monday, I'll be heading down to the dealer for a new fan relay assembly, this consists of two relays with the proper watertight connectors and a nice little bracket. Just the thing the dealer will LOVE to rape me with...

You can't remove the relays from the bracket, you must service the thing as a replacable unit. Sometimes DCX really pisses me off....

The two relays, the special one and the normal one differ slightly in the schematic on the top. One is a normal relay, the special $9 relay has what looks like a resistor in parallel with the coil on the schematic. It is not a diode symbol.

Why would a little resistance in parallel with a coil make any difference to the PCM?

 

[vinnie1069]

Catch the above Monty Python reference? What Monty Python movie am I referring to?

Pick Me!! Pick me!! Holy Grail. i love that movie. in my opinion it is the best movie ever made. "and saint atilla raised his hand on high and said, lord, bless this thy hand grenade, that with thy may blow thine enemy to tiny bits, in thy mercy!!" Anyway, i hope the temp goes down. Later, David

Look up there, i have 69 posts! HAHA.​

done being immature for the day.

 

[Ronbo]

Luckily I wasn't in the ballpark when I made my earlier suggestion! Good luck on your dealer visits.

 

[hardwareguy]

It WORKS!

The spare relay I had turned out to be bad!

2 good relays and a fuse and everything is back in order! I have 2 fans running with operational high/low speed control and A/C!

The temp gauge now reads normal.

:bouncgrin

Thank goodness it was just a relay!