QuestionHi, Roland!
Back on Jan 2, 2007 you helped me with the headlight switch on my (new-to-me) 1991 Dynasty. I've had a busy time since then -- new tires, of course, then complete new brakes, new back shocks, and now a rebuilt transmission -- but I still love the car!! Interestingly enough, two different mechanics (for the brakes and then the transmission) told me "whoever was last in there" put a part in wrong ... and I reaped the reward -- argh! But now I have a question about the engine temperature.
It has the 3.3L engine. When we first test drove the car, we thought we saw steam coming out of the radiator, but then it stopped. It never seemed to leak water, and ran fine, but the temp gauge would go up into the upper part of the operating range when the car sat in traffic (so once it was hot, and it seemed to take a while for it to get to that point). The gauge would stay up until the car started moving again, then drop. It never seemed to affect the engine performance ... no hot engine smells or rough idling or anything but a purr.
While I had the car in for the loose muffler to be checked, the mechanic said he thought the water pump was leaking. A few weeks later it was in the shop for the transmission, so I asked them to check the water pump. They saw no problems there, but under load to check that, the radiator proved its leak. So, I had them replace the radiator, and they said they saw no more problems. I got the car back the other day, only to find the temperature gauge still goes up when caught in traffic. The difference, with the new radiator, is that after a minute or two in the upper level (at the 2nd click mark, if you will, so 2/3rds up the gauge), the fans click on and the temperature drops. ??? If I stay in traffic it goes up ... then down, etc. They also had to replace a loose battery cable which corrected some electrical issues, but the two fans in front of the radiator would kick in before, so it wasn't that they weren't working.
My question is ... do I still have a problem, or is this simply the Dynasty gauge? I've never had a car where the gauge fluctuated this much. Some friends have said it's fine as long as it's in the operating range and eventually goes down ... but I don't want to be causing any engine problems! It's not burning oil, and as I said the engine purrs wonderfully and performs well -- I'd like to keep it that way < grin >. Thanks in advance for your help again, Roland! -- Lynne N.
AnswerHi Lynne,
Thanks for the rundown on the history of the car, it is quite helpful for me. I believe what you are describing as the temp gauge behavior is normal. Aside from the load on the engine and whether the car is in motion or not, both of which impact the temperature of the coolant, the thermostat and the fans will from moment to moment alter the temperature that is sensed at the coolant manifold on the top front of the engine where the sensor is located (it is located where the water leaves the engine for the radiator so it reflects what is going on in the engine). It is described as 'normal' in the Chrysler manuals for the needle to move regularly between 1/3 and 2/3 of full scale as those devices open/close and go on/off.
The tell-tale behavior would be sustained readings above 3/4 scale (or maybe even above 7/8 scale) as the point where pulling over to investigate the situation is called for. Also, of course, release of steam from either the radiator or the overflow bottle would be an alarm. So long as you don't drive-on with either of those signs present, there is very little likelihood of damage to the engine.
Best wishes for continued good service from your car.
Roland
