Dolphin Lungren Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 Hello everyone! Thanks again for the constant help. My wife and I are doing a major cross-country trip and the engne temperature gauge is starting to run hot. When we are on the highway in cold montana it stays in the middle of the gauge but after about 10 minutes in town it is in the red. I have been to a few auto parts stores and everyone tells me something different but I am just trying to start with the most obvious and go from there. This is our home right now so I am trying to do the least invasive fix and work our way up from there. thanks in advance for your help! kerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnynshare Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Hello everyone! Thanks again for the constant help. My wife and I are doing a major cross-country trip and the engne temperature gauge is starting to run hot. When we are on the highway in cold montana it stays in the middle of the gauge but after about 10 minutes in town it is in the red. I have been to a few auto parts stores and everyone tells me something different but I am just trying to start with the most obvious and go from there. This is our home right now so I am trying to do the least invasive fix and work our way up from there. thanks in advance for your help! kerry Sounds like it might be the fan clutch or maybe something dumb like the fan shroud. It sounds fan related cause it is okay at speed (where fan not needed). Here is a checklist but there may ge parts missing cause I just came up with it. Good luck. Check coolant level. Check radiator cap. Check fan belt for slippage. Check fan clutch (I bet this is the issue but I have yet to find a way to check other than replace). Check thermostat (or replace). Pull dipstick and look for coolant (head gasket). Check timing. Check bottom rad hose for collapsing. Check radiator. Check water pump. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tumolt Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Check for fluid leaks in hoses, water pump, etc. A radiator can get clogged. Put your hand in front of the radiator and feel if there is uneven temperature across the front of the radiator with you hand. Get the radiator flushed if it is clogged or replace it if you cannot get it to flow. If one side is cooler than the other then you may need to replace it. It maybe your fan clutch which cools the motor as well. A bad fan clutch can cause overheating. Also check your oil to see if it is clear. If it is milky you may have a warped head or bad head gasket. Get the radiator flushed if it is clogged or replace it if you cannot get it to flow. You may have a bad heater or heater hose. Check the carpet on the passenger side for wetness. Whatever you have to do, do it or you'll end up with a bigger problem with a bad engine. Good luck, Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted November 21, 2010 Share Posted November 21, 2010 Hello everyone! Thanks again for the constant help. My wife and I are doing a major cross-country trip and the engne temperature gauge is starting to run hot. When we are on the highway in cold montana it stays in the middle of the gauge but after about 10 minutes in town it is in the red. I have been to a few auto parts stores and everyone tells me something different but I am just trying to start with the most obvious and go from there. This is our home right now so I am trying to do the least invasive fix and work our way up from there. thanks in advance for your help! kerry I have a 1985 Dolphin with the 22RE engine and I live in Northwest Montana. I had the same problem with my engine overheating. I took it in to a radiator shop in Kalispell, MT. and they completely rebuilt the radiator including a new top tank after completely flushing out all the tubes. The cost came to about $230.00 Best thing I've done so far for the engine. Even in the middle of Summer the gauge stays right where it should be. Have your cooling system checked out. Its worth the expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Lungren Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 I have a 1985 Dolphin with the 22RE engine and I live in Northwest Montana. I had the same problem with my engine overheating. I took it in to a radiator shop in Kalispell, MT. and they completely rebuilt the radiator including a new top tank after completely flushing out all the tubes. The cost came to about $230.00 Best thing I've done so far for the engine. Even in the middle of Summer the gauge stays right where it should be. Have your cooling system checked out. Its worth the expense. Thanks y'all. I didn't really want to admit this but I guess this is the point of a forum...it just needed anti-freeze. I feel like an idiot! haha I rebuilt two old cars before I graduated highschool. I thought of everything you suggested and the other day when it was like 8 degrees and a blizzard was blowing across Washington State, I decided that I was gonna see how much steam I could get to pop out of that radiator. So I grabbed a towel and I braced myself and there was nothing. Not even a pop or a bubble. So I poured this small amount of antifreeze in that I had in my rig and I started her up to drive to get more and instantly, the Dolphin cooled off, idled better than it has in weeks, and the heater blew hotter air! Amazing! I went to O'Reilly's and got more antifreeze. Topped her off and perfect. Just remember, sometimes it actually is an easy fix! Here's my two biggest complaints. I was just in a Jiffy Lube the day before getting my service and the kid said he checked all the fluids and everything looked good. Also, recently when the Toyota overheated I saw anti-freeze come out from under the car. So I just assumed it had antifreeze and it was either a clog or my thermostat. Anyways, all is well now. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Ah. I know that hind sight is 20/20 and that it's easy for me to say so now, but had you mentioned originally that the heater was blowing cold air, my first suggestion would have been to check the coolant level! Glad you found the problem before getting ripped off by a garage selling you a rebuilt engine.. Nothing worse than getting stuck on the road far from home. Happy trails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Lungren Posted November 26, 2010 Author Share Posted November 26, 2010 Ah. I know that hind sight is 20/20 and that it's easy for me to say so now, but had you mentioned originally that the heater was blowing cold air, my first suggestion would have been to check the coolant level! Glad you found the problem before getting ripped off by a garage selling you a rebuilt engine.. Nothing worse than getting stuck on the road far from home. Happy trails. Thanks, me too! It definitely makes you wonder about past problems and easy fixes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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