Help! Help! Engine Temp.

[Titanium_Alloy]

Hi, guys.

I need immediate advice on engine temperatures and oil viscosity.
I have 96 Kia Sportage 2.0 DOHC engine. During normal driving temperature stay very still. But when it's hot outside (it now in Bay Area) above 90, temperature starts rising rapidly, especially in city driving. I'm not even talking about using AC. Temperature jumps even faster. Temperature stays above normal even on a freeway during hot day with AC on.

I'm using Mobil 1 15W-50. Manual allows using 10w-40 and 20w-50 in hot climates.
What puzzles me is that it's the Mazda's engine, which also went on Ford Probe in 90's and both Ford and Mazda recommend using 5w-30 or 10w-30 in it.

Do you think that the temp will go down if I switch to Amsoil 10w-40? Have you ever had this kind of experience? Have you ever switched to lighter grade and noticed temp drop?

I know that it might be a thermostat. But why temp is normal when it's a bit colder outside. If you think I should change thermostat which temp should I pick? Standard is 192. Should I go with 180? I'm using Dexcool mixed 50/50 do you think that it's the right coolant for this car?

Thank you,

 

[turbochem]

Hey, I also have a sportage. Mine is a 2002 and has the 2.0L DOHC. I ran 15w-50 Mobil 1 this month during a trip to Phoenix (100+ everyday). The temp never raised above the halfway mark. I realize my truck is practically brand new...so it's hard to compare my Sporty. But, I'm not sure the oil is the culprut.

Check out Kia Sportage forum. Lots of knowledgeble people who know how the Sportage runs, etc.......

Turbochem (Chemical Kia)

[ June 27, 2003, 05:42 AM: Message edited by: BOBISTHEOILGUY ]

 

[Drew99GT]

You obviously have some kind of cooling system woe. If your thermostat was stuck closed, you'd be at redline on your temp gauge and boiling over probably. There's so many things to consider.

1) If temps rise in stop and go traffic only, your radiator fans may not be turning on at stoplights and such.

2) some kind of internal blockage/sediment

3) shotty water pump. I've replaced a few that looked like someone literally cut off the blades on the pump but bearings etc. were fine (no whining noises).

4) occasionally I think a bad radiator cap will cause moderate temp increases because of a lower boiling point.

5) Debris blocking your AC condensor (leaves/dirt etc.) and not allowing air to pass through to the radiator. Very noticeable upon the first very hot days of summer.

Other than that, it would be hard to figure out without looking at the car in person.

 

[JohnBrowning]

I agree with Drew99GT 100%. I wanted to add that your oil only contributes about 20% to engine cooling. THe weight of oil would never make enough difference to be seen on cluster temp. gauge. THe composition of the oil normaly only makes a difference at WOT. Example Redline tends to run 15-30 degrees F cooler in LS1 and LS6 engines under WOT but no difference is seen at normal(legal) driveing speeds. You need to trouble shoot the cooling system!

 

[vvk]

I think most likely cause is blocked radiator. Clean it out with high pressure water at a car wash.

 

[Titanium_Alloy]

Problem found!!!
Hard to believe – it was faulty thermostat.
Why didn’t temperature go to all the way to redline? It wasn’t a regular thermostat. It had 2 valves – usual main valve which you can see in any simple thermostat, and relatively small auxiliary valve. Probably small valve was working but the main stuck in so I did get some cooling, but not enough of it when driving in hot weather or using AC. I replaced it with new single valve Stant SuperStat thermostat. Works perfectly. Temp goes up in heavy traffic only by a small fraction, which is normal for any car. Price for thermostat and gasket with tax $10.26

Thank you all guys. You really posted helpful information.

 

[satterfi]

Perhaps next time you can post this in "Mechanical Problems, Tips, and Trick"

In the ideal world, I'd also like posters to use something "searchable" in their topic line.

For example; a title like "1970 GTO" might get a few hits. In this forun, "Sour Milk" would probably yield twice the results if you wanted to know about a '70 GOAT.

Go figure?