2002 sporty orginal owner,all orginal,135,000 miles.....she is running great but after going like twenty miles she creeps towards the 3/4 hot mark and i turn on the heater fan to 3 or 4 and she cools right down to half way mark...running heater fan on two mostly keeps her cool unless pulling big hill...my multi tester showed 190degrees at 3/4 mark..... i have seen it go past 3/4 mark but heater fan cools it down quick,,,but i fear i will forget and let her overheat,,,,,,,,it seems to take like 5 more mintues to warm up........any ideas or trouble shoots,,thanks in advance..........

DO NOT forget and let it overheat! warpage can occur. these engines don't take well to it. 1st things 1st. Thermostat. Don't let the parts guy talk you into a Thermostat gasket. You won't need it. it's metal and reusable. I should rephrase that. Don't listen to the parts guys except for Londart. A Forum member that knows better. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> anyway. The thermostat is common to fail on these, but they're cheap and easy as hell to replace. You'll need uh.. a 10mm socket and wratchet! That's about it. And it's right at the front of the motor. I'd rather do that twice to doing the spark plugs, lol. Anyway, that very well should be it. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

3/4 on both of mine is 240-250 F.<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />

I would think the thermostat should be the first to check. If it were the fan clutch, it should drop after hitting highway speed.

Everet <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

It could be that your fluid level is just low. With the engine cold pop the radiator cap off and have a look at your fluid level. If it's low top it off. Also, if it's low before topping it off, check the tubes to see if you are getting build up causing a reduced flow. Mine is almost completely blocked off from using tap water one time while out wheeling and I over heated. I forgot to flush the system when I got back and now I'm looking at having to replace the radiator because it's so plugged up. I had a radiator shop do a flush on it and that helped for a little while, but they said it really needed to be replaced. When I get enough money to order an all metal one from Phoenix I'm going to replace it. The factory and replacement units have plastic ends that tend to leak where the one I found in Phoenix is all metal.

Another thing it could be is the water pump could be failing. If you see the temp drops real quickly when you change engine speed then IÆd check the water pump. If you replace it, replace your timing belt while you are already in there. You should replace them every 60,000 miles anyway.

One last thought, check the wire going to the thermostat. Mine broke one time and was an intermittent connection. It would be fine for a while and then would spike out of the blue. IÆd lose power and it would run rough for a second or two until it cooled back down. I just pulled back the wire loom and put on a new connector.

Hope this helps.

Logansportage <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

And if all else fails, make sure your radiator is clean. The only times I have overheated was when my radiator got plugged with mud from running through mud holes off-roading. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> I have to pull off the air intake and my electric fan and spend a good half hour with the nozzle on the garden hose to spray her out, but she always runs cool again afterwards. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

thanks to all for help info,,,,,wondering how you got the 240-250 degrees at 3/4 mark reading,. a guy i know said hhe figured it needed flushing as it was probably stoping up at bottom of radiator.........however when i was flushing i noticed a fan front of the air condition radaitor and i wonder if is bad or the thermostat for it is,,i turned on air and fan didn't run,,unsure if it is cooling fan for cooling system or just for air condition. anyone know?

That fan only comes on with the AC as far as I know, anyway that how mine works.

Dennis

I got it from gauges installed (look at pillar) When I my testing on the new gauges installed (not ones in photo), I verified with a Calibrated Pyrometer from my work and gauges were spot on at 245f,220f,195f, and 180f.

All 3 of my Sportages exhibit similar characteristics on the temp gauge (yours may be different). I strongly suggest installing an aftermarket gauge to have a better perspective on the water temp.



Everet <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Holy Crap Ev?! I didn't even notice the gauges in the pic! Normally that would be the very first thing, but the guns strapped to the roof is awesome! My neighbors are gun guys and they approve this picture! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for your neighbors approval!!

Just me personally, I wouldn't bother flushing a 9 year old aluminum radiator. At the price of a new one and the ease of replacing, I would drop a new one in and replace all the belts while the room is available, and put in an electric fan and junk the fan clutch than is prone to issues. I do most all my own work, so labor is just the price of cocktails!!! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />
Everet