What could be the cause of a car’s temperature gauge to fluctuate?
There are several possibilities.1) faulty teperature gauge. In this case the gauage will have to be replaced. This is relarively simple and inexpensive depinding on the make and model of the car.2) Issue with the radiator, coolant of the car. This could be caused due to insufficient coolant, leakage of coolant, damage to the radiator of the car. This will require extensive repair. In this case, it is advised to get the issue diagnosed and fixed at the earliest to avoid engine damage due to over heating.Hope this helps. :)
What should I do when I use normal water instead of coolant in a car radiator?
I’m very surprised, 7 answers and only one of them mentioned what I believe to be most applicable in the OP’s situation.Like Daniel Bumiller . said, since you said coolant instead of antifreeze, you are probably in a warmer region. But he failed to mention what Richard Widman mentioned which is that coolant also raises the boiling point of water.So here’s a complete answer:Freezing point - If you live in a freezing climate, water will freeze in your engine block, coolant reservoir, coolant passages and radiator.a. More than likely this will cause your expansion plugs (also known as freeze plugs) to pop out, which can be an expensive repair. The vehicle cannot be driven to the mechanic, it would have to be towed. b. Also, your water pump will be seized because of the ice, and therefore whatever is driving your water pump (whether it is your timing belt, external fan belt, serpentine belt, or drive gear) will slip or break.c. there might be other damage associated with this scenario, but I live in a tropical country. I have never had the experience or felt the need to study these effects.Boiling Point - Regardless of what climate you live in, a vehicle's operating temperature is usually higher than the boiling point of water. If the fluid in your cooling system starts boiling while you are operating the vehicle, several things can happen.a. air is introduced into the system. This can cause unreliable performance of the temperature gauge, inefficient cooling by the radiator, water pump damage, and possible overheating of the engine.b. boiling will also cause the water to evaporate, and your engine will overheat once sufficient water has been lost.Rust inhibition - the coolant is only part of the rust prevention in an engine, but important nonetheless. Improper grounding of the engine will cause electrolysis to occur, which will eat at your radiator core like acid thru steel. Good quality coolant also has the ability to absorb a certain amount of electrolysis. Along with the presence of rust inhibitors, it is imperative to use it for rust prevention.So there you have it, a combination of points gathered from different answers, broken down with explanations for each one. I hope you learned something new from this.Cheers!
Thermostat regulator temperature low?
My check engine light came on in my 2004 Kia Rio, and I had a diagnostic test done at the local parts store. He said that this means that the water is running cold, and that I may or may not need to replace the thermostat. What does this mean / could there be other problems?
What are some symptoms of a bad idle air control sensor?
Idle air control valves open to allow more air to "leak" into the intake, raising the engine rpms, or close when not needed. When your AC compressor kicks in or power steering is activated as you suddenly turn the steering wheel, the sudden drag on the drive belt will bog down the engine. These systems send a signal to the engine computer telling it they are active and it then signals the IAC valve to open, which increases the engine speed. Without this occurring, the engine could struggle, or die. The IAC valve can cause weird idle issues, mess with throttle functionality or cause the car to die. Sometimes they fail, get stuck or just get all carboned up. Sometimes people have success at cleaning them, but generally it is best to replace them when bad. Idle issues and even problems with the IAC valve may not be due to the IAC valve being bad itself. An idle issue does not mean the IAC valve is bad. It is best to pay close attention to how the vehicle is acting, and then communicate that clearly and as completely as possible to your mechanic. Intermittent problems can be very hard to diagnose. Details will help. Knowing more about the vehicle in question and its symptoms (in detail) will also help in understanding more about what it is doing.
How soon should the car cooling fans come on if you let the car idle?
Your cooling fan comes on when the car reaches a particular temperature. The trigger is the thermostat in the radiator of your vehicle. It is what sends the signal for the fan. Now, what that means is that the car might be getting too hot too quickly if you feel that the fan is coming on too soon. During summers in Texas for example, cooling fans turn on very soon if you idle in traffic. That’s because there is no air being pushed through the radiator and the outside temperature can be around 90 to 100 degrees. So, it all depends on where you live, the car you drive and how old it is.Most cars will switch the cooling fan when the coolant temperature reaches 85 degrees Celsius (185 degrees Fahrenheit). That is considering having the air conditioner on. If your car reaches those temperatures too soon you may have some issues with your water pump.
My Kia has error codes P0128 and P0741. Please advise?
Two separate issues here, no connection unless the trans coolant line4s are leaking into radiator. YOU still have a warranty going on. Do NOT try to fix this yourself! THere MIGHT be a recall on your trans or trans sensors. Let KIA do this for you! You already have a grip on the situation. You might have faulty computer on board. Sounds like you have wrong coolant or clogged up cooling system. Should ONLY have genuine Kia/Hyundai coolant in there. Some cars rely on signals from the temp sensor to get trans to shift correctly. You are SURE they replaced your thermostat with original factory part?? you may still have AIR in the sytem that requires some bleeding off. POWER WASH engine and clean terminals with electric cleaner spray, CRC. Perhaps they did NOTHING about your thermostat. AS a used car, you can rely on the lemon law to return car or get fixed correctly. INSIST upon a WRITTEN WARRANTY!! Did this car come from a KIA dealership??? Take it back and INSIST that KIA check this car over before you get into some real trouble. Believe it or not, have them clean your throttle body, since some trans operations get signals from there. Engines must be fully warmed up for transmissions to wrok correctly as well. DEALERSHIP should have ALL the necessary testing gear for this thing. Kia's are usually pretty good cars.
What happens when the Big battery in the prius dies? Can you still drive the car?
Our Prius has 120,000 miles and still going strong with the original batteries. There are more than one battery. I forget now how many there are, something like 25. They go out one at a time and you replace them one by one. A whole set is like $3000. I'm remembering these numbers from when we bought our Prius in the early 2000s, so they're not totally accurate.