11bluemn

2011 ls 89000 miles
Very cold here -10 f today
Coolant was changed this summer 2000 mile ago.
It's nearly all original, except recommended belts, filters, fluids, never had trouble.
Except for my earlier post about the door lock issue I am still living with. Hasn't happened too often lately.

Two days in a row the temp dial would climb to the red mark, with no inside heat.
I never went far, when I noticed it just parked it. Second time it went into cool down mode before I got it turned off
So brought it in to a shop, of course it worked fine. They kept it for two nights and each morning everything worked.
They checked coolant level, looked for leaks saw nothing, figured a bubble somewhere caused it.
They were not willing to do anymore, plugged it in and said it all looked fine.

So picked it up yesterday - ran fine, had heat almost immediately.

Today cold again, and doing it again drive around a couple blocks. Temp dial heads to the red, and no heat.
I don't want to run it too long.

I think it must be the thermostat sticking (its original), and think it's worth trying.
But the first garage was sure a sensor or bubble in the line. Because the thermostat was working there.

Going to try dropping it off again.
Too cold to do myself, garage is not heated. And I am not much of a mechanic anyway.
Any thoughts what I should have them look at/replace

Thanks

Oldblue

donbrew

T-stats don't usually get stuck closed, if it did the heat should still work.

Assuming you have aged coolant, you may have a frozen radiator. That's about the only thing I can think of.

11bluemn

Ok, thanks
Coolant was changed this summer only 2000 miles ago.
if they don't get stuck when closed. That may be why they wouldnt just try changing t-stat. Maybe its just too cold now reads 28 below out there where it's parked. Strangely i can't drive far before it gets too warm, a mile maybe.

DrLoch

Maybe coolant was frozen....

Cat Man HHR

That is a possibility.
Wonder what brand coolant was installed and its protection level.
I do see RV coolant is supposed to be good for -50F.
If the coolant did freeze in the radiator I guess it never broke it or anything else in the cooling system.

donbrew

The heater core gets fed by a bypass tube it does not go through the t-stat.

frozen coolant somewhere in the system. A freeze plug won't unfreeze from engine heat since it is blocking the flow.

It was probably parked inside or near a warm building when in the shop.

whopper

If he is driving just a short distance each time like he says, as it begins to head into the red (and also no heat yet) it could be it is not overheating at all - it can be a bad sensor causing the gauge to read high.

It would be interesting to see if the digital temp gauge shows it at normal temp, or is actually matching the analogue gauge.

11bluemn

I have not watched the digital every time I tried it. But I am doing it now.
Dial at the large mark - normal mark I think 180 -190 not exact though seemed to vari
When it get up to the red over 210 ish
Was above 210 when it went to "cool down mode"

the very first time I had this problem the dial went to red, then heat started coming out. And it dropped right down to the normal spot.
But I was not watching digital that time.

If I don't figure it out today, it will be left at another shop overnight tonight.
This shop will look harder, independent place they try harder.
First place was Firestone tire shop, only place open on weekends. Usually OK luck there but their people are not always as well trained.

I will try burping it, but would think 2000 miles it would have worked out by now.

donbrew

Limp mode starts at around 230F-240F. The computer starts shutting cylinders down randomly. 250F is "catastrophic". You may have killed the engine.