Hey all,

I have encountered a small issue with my car.

After my car warms up, the temp gauge used to sit one bar below half.
For the past month or so, the temp gauge now sits one bar above half.
However, when i stop at traffic lights, the temp gauge returns to normal just below half.

It has never gone higher than one bar above half.

My mechanic recons its the thermostat and its not an extremely urgent matter but will be replacing it soon.

The fans are all working. Could it be as simple as one the relays? Or is it indeed the thermostat?

Thanks guys.

Here is a picture of where the needle sits:

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/4251/14012009ms9.th.jpg (http://img115.imageshack.us/my.php?image=14012009ms9.jpg)

I think ANYTHING to do with engine temps is urgent, just replace the thermostat, not expensive and not hard.

Yeah would get onto it asap. I would start with a coolant flush and replace thermostate. Its rather odd that temp goes down when u stop at lights and not up. Its usally up when you stop and lights and down when you drive off.:)


Im assuming if you have checked fans and all you have checked water levels.? :)

Mechanic checked radiator and fans and all that jazz.

I really hope its just as simple as the thermostat.

Mechanic checked radiator and fans and all that jazz.

I really hope its just as simple as the thermostat.

Well, take it out and have a look. It's fairly easy to do... Check here: http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63528

Mechanic checked radiator and fans and all that jazz.

I really hope its just as simple as the thermostat.
From the information I know, there really isnt THAT much to diagnose in a cooling system persay. My moneys on the thermostat mate. Get it done asap aswell as a coolant flush. should be tip top ready for summer then!

']From the information I know, there really isnt THAT much to diagnose in a cooling system persay. My moneys on the thermostat mate. Get it done asap aswell as a coolant flush. should be tip top ready for summer then!
Seconded, putting a thermo in (ran without one for a week :P), replacing the rad cap (my busted) and a coolant flush it now sits 2 notches below where it did before the thermo jammed (half-way exactly)...

And paul... WTF do you mean "get it done!?" ... DIY!

Also look at the cap as well, at only 10 bucks might as well do it as well

Also look at the cap as well, at only 10 bucks might as well do it as well

If there is a problem with the cap, wouldn't it be dramatically overheating?

If there is a problem with the cap, wouldn't it be dramatically overheating?

Only on hot days, mine ran for a good 2 weeks without boiling over - Hit a 40 degree day and it spilled all over the road. Thing is though, the temp guage stayed at half... Watch out for that, if your rad cap is busted the temp guage doesnt work properly... Look for steam under the front passenger guard after driving ;) It smells like dead fish.

If there is a problem with the cap, wouldn't it be dramatically overheating?

depends, because the cap acts as a valve for water expansion when it heats up, it could be stuck half open meaning it is running dry when its hot. pull it off and check the spring and rubber seal on it, if they arent falling apart then it should be fine.

Had this problem too - turned out to be a defective voltage regulator on the instrument cluster. Does the fuel level guage drop by the same amount -ie a couple mm - when the car idles as you described? If so, could be volt reg

apparently even a mild shift northwards (as in the OP's pic) in the 6G72/74 engine indicates either a broken thermostat or sever overheating. My old mechanic said to me when I had the 2nd gen "if the temp gauge ever gets up to three quarters on the gauge, pull over and let it cool down otherwise it will warp the heads"

Had this problem too - turned out to be a defective voltage regulator on the instrument cluster. Does the fuel level guage drop by the same amount -ie a couple mm - when the car idles as you described? If so, could be volt reg

Yeh, it does do this...

How much did this cost ya to repair?

Same thing happened to me, randomly went up to 3/4 then back down to midway. Ended up being the thermostat, i'd start there. Even if it wasn't that wouldn't hurt to put a new one in :)

Yeh, it does do this...

How much did this cost ya to repair?

Got another cluster from the wreckers - but check with dealer.

Spoke to my mechanic last night - he starting to doubt it's the Thermostat. Basically because the temp gauge goes UP when I'm moving and DOWN when I stop - and not the other way around.

My car does not seem to actually overheat nor am I losing coolant.

I'm gonna take it to him at the end of the week so he can have another closer look.

Definitely keep us informed on this mate, mine has done this a few times recently but it only occurs when climbing large hills that require constant throttle for extended periods of time....(Mount Ousley Rd for the Wollongong members reading here)

If it helps, the week I was running WITHOUT a thermostat my temp guage sat where yours is now... This would have the same effect as a thermo being jammed open.

If it helps, the week I was running WITHOUT a thermostat my temp guage sat where yours is now... This would have the same effect as a thermo being jammed open.

Did it drop down when you stopped at lights, etc?

Spoke to my mechanic last night - he starting to doubt it's the Thermostat. Basically because the temp gauge goes UP when I'm moving and DOWN when I stop - and not the other way around.

Thats what i said its doing the wrong thing when u stop & Go. Doesnt sound like cooling system...:)

I think that everyone is looking at this ass about face

The temo should rise when at a stand still as the coolant is flowing slower and not as much air is getting through the radiator.

I would be looking electrical as this can happen when you have a faulty reg and there is an over charge which can happen at faster alt speeds. Have seen this a few times in the past

Best way to test is at a stand still, measure voltage output. Then hold 2500 rpm and test again, you may be surprised.

If is cooling system issue, you may check the thremostat but the symptom is very irregular for a cooling system issue as most will cook when running slow or at ilde and at high speeds, normal driving will tend to keep the temo down

Another way to test is to have a manual temp guage rigged up on a temp basis to check your car actually overheating and not just an electrical problem

I am happy to have a look for you if you wish mate.

I think that everyone is looking at this ass about face

The temo should rise when at a stand still as the coolant is flowing slower and not as much air is getting through the radiator.

I would be looking electrical as this can happen when you have a faulty reg and there is an over charge which can happen at faster alt speeds. Have seen this a few times in the past

Best way to test is at a stand still, measure voltage output. Then hold 2500 rpm and test again, you may be surprised.

If is cooling system issue, you may check the thremostat but the symptom is very irregular for a cooling system issue as most will cook when running slow or at ilde and at high speeds, normal driving will tend to keep the temo down

Another way to test is to have a manual temp guage rigged up on a temp basis to check your car actually overheating and not just an electrical problem

I am happy to have a look for you if you wish mate.

Hey Mal,

Would love to take you up on that offer. I'm away for a week as of Thursday, but perhaps sometime next week?

I'll PM you when I'm back.

Yeah, you have a voltage fluctuation problem rather than an overheat problem. Alternator reg or cluster reg is the problem.

My car is experiencing similar issues. I was just wondering what the outcome of this problem was?

it could also be very simple... and might sound stupid the radiator isn't full of crap??? (in the fins) u haven't put anything like a trans cooler infront of the radiator have u??? both of these would result in heating up when stoped as less cooling area across radiator

AS ABOVE:
If the car is overheating the guage will creep up when stopped at a light and the fans will cut in for a lengthy time. If it goes down when stopped I'd suspect something else - next time when stopped and the temp guage drops down, see what the fuel guage does. If it dr ops as well suspect a voltage drop on the instrument cluster. If it is,it is nothing to worry about.

It would be nice to get some feedback from the OP about this problem - it has been 7 months!

I've seen cars with radiator water & air flow issues where the temperature gauge follows the speedometer ie: 60kph = temp gauge sitting at roughly the normal position then 60kph + = temp gauge reading hotter & hotter as the road speed increases.

Cheers

Very similar problem i have. No other gauges are effected just the temp. Mechanic had a look and doesnt know which was a good waste of money.
I would think is it is a faulty reg then fuel gauge would be playing up too?

Was the thermostat. Its was taking too long to open.
So if anyone has this problem i would suggest looking there first. Under $20 to replace

where did u get a thermostat soo cheap? i went to mitsubishi and it was like $70!
whent to go aftermarket and it was even more!

where did u get a thermostat soo cheap? i went to mitsubishi and it was like $70!
whent to go aftermarket and it was even more!

Dude what the hell are you smoking.. Mits price is like $20-$30 for a thermostate. If you go to Repco u will get one for about $12-$15.

Dude what the hell are you smoking.. Mits price is like $20-$30 for a thermostate. If you go to Repco u will get one for about $12-$15.

Super cheap Tridon thermostat 3.5L magna around $70 mark so wow...good price for genuine

Dude what the hell are you smoking.. Mits price is like $20-$30 for a thermostate. If you go to Repco u will get one for about $12-$15.

think i might go to repco then, the mitsubishi parts over at kirawe charged me nearly $70 and im like err no thanks,

where did u get a thermostat soo cheap? i went to mitsubishi and it was like $70!
whent to go aftermarket and it was even more!

Not sure sorry. Just asked my mechanic to look at the overheating problem when i got my service and the invoice had the price for thermostat

I had the thermostat done last week. Mechanic thought it would be like $20. When I picked up car he said it was $70, he was quite shocked himself.

Hi everyone, So glad to hear others are having this problem.... My beautiful Magna is a 2000 model TH V6 3.5 advance... bought her 8 months ago and never been so happy with a car until about a month ago... Travel the gateway motorway everyday and do about a 100km all up round trip... temp gauge has always stood between middle and next line down without fail, it has never moved even in two hours of stop start and idle when the highway is a blinder... was idling in traffic one day on my way home and I noticed the temp needle sitting at half and slowly start moving to the next line above half... pulled over straight away and sat there for the next hour for her to cool down and then travelled home with the needle in its normal spot, checked all fluid levels the next morning and they were normal. Morning trip was fine, but the evening one back home the same thing again. Called my mechanic and told them I was bringing her in as I figured she had a sticky thermostat. Had the service done at the same time and they replaced the thermostat and seal. She drove normally for a week and then it started again. Called the mechanic and told him the thermostat had failed but he reckoned it may be the radiator had a blockage. Booked her in with radiator guys after they said yes it looked like a blockage and they replaced the radiator and the top hose as it was too soft for their liking. Car had to be towed back the following day to them as they forgot to connect the ATF line and the fluid ran out all over my garage floor. They reconnected and washed the motor down with a huge apology and said thankfully I got her towed in or he would have had to buy me a new transmission. Left and drove fine for the day. Again the following day on my way home from work the needle started creeping over half again. My son and I have checked the fuse for the electric fan and its fine. Dont know how to check a relay, so might take some advise on that too.... does anyone know anything further about the previous posts and their end result? It's friday night, and I am already dreading driving for the next week... I have been through almost $1000 so far with all these process of elimination findings but keeping in mind that the next bit of advise may be the answer.... please advise ... Ta

I would of assumed mechanic would of checked your Fan. Quick way to test the fan is turn the Air Con on as it will trigger the fan aswell. That way you can see if the fan comes on. If it does you know it works. From there you need to check if the fan is coming on when it is supposed too. you can leave it idling int he driveway to get the temp up and fan should kick in when it get up to temp.

My Pajero temp has been all over the place laterly too. Must be the season for it. Turns out to the guage in the dash. Its been driving me crazy for the last two weeks.

As above, if it starts to get warm make sure you turn on the aircon and see if that bring it back down, that will then at least point to the fan not coming on at the correct time and may be a fan or ecu issue as the ecu runs the fan for temp. Remember that the fan acts differently with the air con on but this way rules out another issue as the fan may operate with the aircon but not with overtemp

Hi Guys. I know it's been ages since this thread has started, But I noticed The temp rising on my car the other day. When in normal driving the temp returns to normal but rises in stop traffic. Noticed the water level was down & I topped up with radiator coolant. Now I notice that there is radiator coolant dripping under the front passenger side footwell carpet (from under the dash). Any help appreciated guys as I need to get this sorted ASAP but funds are real tight at the moment.

Hi Guys. I know it's been ages since this thread has started, But I noticed The temp rising on my car the other day. When in normal driving the temp returns to normal but rises in stop traffic. Noticed the water level was down & I topped up with radiator coolant. Now I notice that there is radiator coolant dripping under the front passenger side footwell carpet (from under the dash). Any help appreciated guys as I need to get this sorted ASAP but funds are real tight at the moment.

Heater core and/or heater pipe/o-ring leak. Get it looked at ASAP. Search on the forums, there is stacks of threads about it.

Cheers Ammerty. I'm looking for a thread that Madmagna did a while back detaing the repair of these. Hopefully I'll find it.

Cheers Ammerty. I'm looking for a thread that Madmagna did a while back detaing the repair of these. Hopefully I'll find it.

It's a dash out job, but there are a number of good threads detailing the process, if you're planning on doing it yourself, Mal's one is the most comprehensive.

I had mine done this week (I didn't do it myself). The heater pipe snapped off where the hose from the engine connects at the firewall. I replaced the core, pipes and o-rings all at the same time as it wasn't something I wanted to repair more than once.

I've bought the o rings today and have started the dash disassembly taking photos along the way ;). It is a prick of a job though. I found the article that mal wrote so cheers for that. I have removed the seats also as it makes the job easier. Should have it done by Sunday arvo.

I've bought the o rings today and have started the dash disassembly taking photos along the way ;). It is a prick of a job though. I found the article that mal wrote so cheers for that. I have removed the seats also as it makes the job easier. Should have it done by Sunday arvo.

Did you buy the pipes as well? These are known to become brittle over time would be highly recommended to replace in addition to the o-rings.

Cheers. I'll get some pipes on monday as I still have the dash out.