[GodzillaGTR34]

Hello everyone,
I have been a very old reader of Team BHP, but now I felt asking this question here.
I own a 2009 Toyota Corolla CE140 here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Recently the temperature gauge needle crossed the half bar mark, I stopped my car for a while, waited for atmospheric temperature to cool down and then started the car back on the highway. Usually temperatures here reach 45C.
Kindly find the attached picture and pour your suggestion on whether the needle position of the coolant temperature is fine or do I need to change something.

Thanks in advance.

[Aroy]

Normally you expect the engine to run hot as the FE decreases when it runs cold.

Any way if the temperature rise is recent then check the following

. Coolant level, if low top up. Low level may also point to leakage.
. Engine timing. Slight change in timing will heat up the engine.
. Colour of engine oil. If there is a leak inside the engine, the oil will have signs of moisture/water.

If the car has run over 50K, get the radiator cleaned. With time the radiator tubes get blocked due to various reasons (rust, dirt etc). Some workshops have rigs to check the radiator blockages, other wise dismantle and check. Dismantling is done in India for copper based radiatoers. Modern steel ones are just replaced.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by GodzillaGTR34

I own a 2009 Toyota Corolla CE140 here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Recently the temperature gauge needle crossed the half bar mark, I stopped my car for a while, waited for atmospheric temperature to cool down and then started the car back on the highway. Usually temperatures here reach 45C.

Standard engine Operating temperature of modern cars can easily be as high as 90 degrees centigrade.
(My 2011 Skoda Yeti’s operating temperature was actually 90 degrees centigrade)
Problem is many modern cars do not come with a temp gauge at all. My 2012 Mini Cooper S R56 for example, doesnt. But I luckily live in a temperate climate and don't tend to take it to very hot places in the height of summer.
So in your case if you are seriously worried best check all the hoses and coolant reservoir and any leakages. Also see if Toyota service can have your radiator thoroughly cleaned.

[GodzillaGTR34]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Normally you expect the engine to run hot as the FE decreases when it runs cold.

Any way if the temperature rise is recent then check the following

. Coolant level, if low top up. Low level may also point to leakage.
. Engine timing. Slight change in timing will heat up the engine.
. Colour of engine oil. If there is a leak inside the engine, the oil will have signs of moisture/water.

If the car has run over 50K, get the radiator cleaned. With time the radiator tubes get blocked due to various reasons (rust, dirt etc). Some workshops have rigs to check the radiator blockages, other wise dismantle and check. Dismantling is done in India for copper based radiatoers. Modern steel ones are just replaced.

I cleaned the radiator, changed the thermostat and filled it up with new Toyota coolant. The needle is a little below the bar now, but still my question remains, whether the needle just below the half mark all the time in any temperature and with or withot AC is fine or is it above ?
Without AC it is below the bar, with AC just below the half now.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by GodzillaGTR34

I own a 2009 Toyota Corolla CE140 here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Recently the temperature gauge needle crossed the half bar mark, I stopped my car for a while, waited for atmospheric temperature to cool down and then started the car back on the highway. Usually temperatures here reach 45C.

This is normal in extreme summer conditions; the needle will generally rise at idle during stoppage at signal or anywhere (with AC on). And will settle down a bit while driving when heat transfer will take place with air movement over radiatior. So in short the temperature needle will fluctuate a little bit, depending if the car is moving or the car is idling, if you will notice it very minutely.

However, keep an eye for unusual movement of the needle towards the upper 80/85% band. That's when you have to stop the car/engine and look for the reasons.

At times during summers, My Car's AC cuts off the cooling while idling at traffic lights and then comes back to life when the car starts to move. Indicating that the engine is heating up, but in a safe range.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by GodzillaGTR34

I cleaned the radiator, changed the thermostat and filled it up with new Toyota coolant. The needle is a little below the bar now, but still my question remains, whether the needle just below the half mark all the time in any temperature and with or withot AC is fine or is it above ?
Without AC it is below the bar, with AC just below the half now.

What the needle shows is a range. For more accurate reading get a temperature guage installed.

As suggested, as long as the needle remains at or a bit above what you see normally it is fine. In summer with AC on in a B2B traffic the engine will heat up a bit.

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by GodzillaGTR34

Hello everyone,
I have been a very old reader of Team BHP, but now I felt asking this question here.
I own a 2009 Toyota Corolla CE140 here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Recently the temperature gauge needle crossed the half bar mark, I stopped my car for a while,

I believe the position of the gauge is absolutely at a normal unless you noticed the reading crossing 96 degree Celsius on a scanner. I don't have a CE140 but an E140 and for it, the normal gauge position is half an mm above the halfway mark / 89-95 degree Celsius on scanner.

Ambient temperature is not a reason for overheating, as far as I believe. If you are driving on a highway at speeds when ambient temperatures are that high, at the most it will force a shut down for some time.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

.......................
Ambient temperature is not a reason for overheating, as far as I believe. If you are driving on a highway at speeds when ambient temperatures are that high, at the most it will force a shut down for some time.

The reason for overheating in a car with good engine is low cooling. That is mostly attributed to the efficiency of the radiator. It is affected by

. Low airflow, as in B2B traffic
. High heat load, when AC is on
. Blocked radiator tubes

[mayankk]

Two of my cars had overheating issues, so I am sort of obsessed with the heat guage.
In the fiesta and the Tucson, which had a couple of major incidents, I used to keep glancing at the guage throughout drives, it was like second nature. Anytime the needle ever moved even by half an mm beyond the usual spot, I would get it checked. That was how I was able to spot the blockage in the Tucson. Earlier, did not have this habit, and missed spotting the tiny deviations, until one day the fiesta just zoomed past the overheated mark.

In the Tucson though, once I got the system flushed, and almost the entire cooling system replaced, the needle never ever moved beyond the usual spot.
Same thing with the i10 and the hector. Never has the temp gone anywhere above the regular mark, not even by a hair.

My point being, the temperature should not rise beyond the designated spot. If it does, it is for sure an indication of something being a growing problem. Can go below, as I have noticed on lazy drives in winter mornings, but never beyond.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by mayankk

My point being, the temperature should not rise beyond the designated spot. If it does, it is for sure an indication of something being a growing problem. Can go below, as I have noticed on lazy drives in winter mornings, but never beyond.

It is good practice to monitor gages and have a good feeling on what the normal readings are. And a change could mean something is going awry.

As others have pointed out, there are external circumstances that might cause the temperature to increase and it can be completely normal.

The cooling liquid temperature gage on my Alfa Spider is rock steady. Unless, I drive in sub zero temperatures, or find myself in very warm climates. When the ambient temperature goes above 40oC the cooling liquid temperature sits notably higher.

Similar with prolonged idling in heavy traffic in hot weather, mountain driving and so on. So as long as there is a good valid reason for a higher than normal temperature, it is usually not a problem. You want to watch for continuous increase, rather than stable at a higher than usual indication. And as long as you are below the red arc on the dial, all should be well.

Jeroen

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by GodzillaGTR34

I own a 2009 Toyota Corolla CE140 here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Recently the temperature gauge needle crossed the half bar mark, I stopped my car for a while, waited for atmospheric temperature to cool down and then started the car back on the highway.

I have 2001 Honda City. The engine/oil temperature gauge usually gets around half-way mark after a few minutes of driving. So having the needle at halfway mark is of no concern.

However, a few times I have seen the needle creep up towards red zone/max it has always been identified as low coolant (due to leakage) mostly from some or the other pinhole in the radiator or hose.

[avinash1400]

I own a 2017 Hyundai Verna Petrol. Although I never faced any issue with the temperature gauge showing a high temperature, I started noticing a hot bonnet and engine after coming out of the car. I assumed this might be due to driving in traffic or rainy conditions. Even after the rainy season was over and during normal driving conditions, the hot bonnet problem persisted. But during the same period, the pickup rate of the car started to decrease, gear shifting to 1st and 2nd gear became problematic, and clutch paddle becoming a little hard. After a couple of visits to ASS and a local garage, it was identified that the clutch plate and flywheel needed to be changed. I was surprised because I never smelled any burning sensation inside or outside the car at any point in time. After the said replacement, the temperature of the bonnet was back to normal, even after driving more than 100 km. To conclude, in addition to the problems listed above by fellow BHP members, a worn-out clutch plate and flywheel may also cause the engine to overheat.

[sridhar-v]

One advance warning of an overheating engine is your airconditioner suddenly stops cooling while you are driving.
Immediately start monitoring the gauges and as soon as possible stop the vehicle and check the coolant levels in the overflow tank.

Reasons could range from electric cooling fan not engaging, coolant leak, faulty thermostat or relay. Another very simple cause is a malfunctioning radiator cap.

So nowadays I make it a point to change the coolant after 2 years and get the radiator cap checked regularly. I do not hesitate to change the cap even if I get a slight doubt.

[Nimz]

Hi Experts on the forum: i have a weird situation with my sister's Ford aspire (chennai location and driver driven so not the most well maintained). 5+ years old and over 1lakh kms done.

The car's radiator fan keeps running even after the car is parked in the garage. And sometimes starts beeping. This happens almost every other day.

Their driver fills up the radiator with tap water. When asked to use coolant. He says no need. My BIL and sis are experts in medicine but not on cars.

Their driver took it to Ambattur Ford - which is not the best service center and the verdict was the engine has to be opened up (seems weird to me).

Any suggestions? My immediate thought is to first top up the coolant (OEM approved).

Thanks in advance

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by Nimz

The car's radiator fan keeps running even after the car is parked in the garage. And sometimes starts beeping. This happens almost every other day.

Any suggestions? My immediate thought is to first top up the coolant (OEM approved).

It is normal for the fan to keep running once the car is parked. Once the ignition is turned off, the fan must stop working though. If it is running even after the ignition is turned to off position, then there is an issue.

Your suggestion is correct:
1. Replace the water (hope no corrosion anywhere in the cooling system as a result of filling water all this while) with proper OEM recommended coolant.

2. Observe any leakage for the next few days/weeks and rectify that leakage.

3. Also, keep an eye on the operating temperature of the engine (does Aspire have engine/coolant temperature display?).

If there is an issue with cooling system, i.e.:
1. Thermostat and/or
2. Relay
The fan will have abnormal working pattern, e.g. fan will stay on most of the time a few minutes after the car is being run, keeping the engine/coolant temperature below the operating range (usually the midpoint).

Issue with pump can be diagnosed by rise in engine temperature.

If the issue is related to the engine, it is best to take opinion of a competent independent garage first since you state that the service center is not of very good quality. The commonest engine related issues that I have observed is coolant getting mixed with the engine oil. Had this been happening in this car, the engine would have given up long back once water and (engine) oil started mixing together, causing improper lubrication inside the engine.