Coolant temp

[Deleted member 30519]

I just realized on my way to work that my coolant temp was like 215°, so I popped the hood and it never occurred to me like a dummy to check my coolant and it's a little bit below the minimum line. I'm sitting idling about 190° right now after shutting it down for a few minutes. Do you guys think I'll be okay for the ride home tonight or try to get someone to drop me off some so I could fill it? I'm working till like midnight tonight

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[JTBurns]

From what i understand 210 isn't terribly hot, I see that when sitting in traffic, or idling a lot, 190 is pretty much normal operating temp. I've been below the min and have topped it off a couple times now. I don't see why you couldn't get home unless you saw a more dramatic spike

 

[Kevin_D]

I’ve seen mine spike up into the 230-range before.
I wouldn’t worry too much about it: top it off when you get home.

Kevin

 

[Deleted member 30519]

From what i understand 210 isn't terribly hot, I see that when sitting in traffic, or idling a lot, 190 is pretty much normal operating temp. I've been below the min and have topped it off a couple times now. I don't see why you couldn't get home unless you saw a more dramatic spike

I was thinking exactly what you just said about how it not being overly high but I've had this for almost 2 years now and I've never seen it get that high and I usually monitor it frequently. Thanks for the reassurance though I'll just get some tomorrow.

 

[Deleted member 22728]

Within normal operating range. Pull-up your oil temp if you want a second indicator of where the overall engine temp is, also.

 

[MrZappo]

A "little below the fill line" ?

It is not that sensitive ... There is a ton of coolant in there still ... That is the buffer tank anyways ...

I wouldn't sweat it one bit ... And 215 is a non issue ... A couple of ounces is not going to make that much of a difference ...

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Coolant under about 14 pounds of pressure (normal for many vehicles) and the correct coolant or antifreeze mix won't boil until over 260 degrees.
220 is NOTHING! I used to see my Comanche 4.0 run 215-220 on a hot day while working it.
My Gladiator has been seen at 235 and I didn't worry - it was a hot day and AC was on.
Towing I saw 220 once in a while - no big deal. Still over 40 degrees away from boiling and plenty of buffer. After a while the PCM must have kicked the fan on as it dropped down to under 200.
These computers control things to the Nth degree - controlling the fan and other functions to keep the temperature in check.

I'm OCD to the max so I hate seeing my coolant level below that ideal line I have in my head but the trained tech in me knows that when cold, that coolant can be down to the bottom of the tank and I'm still ok. I also like a slight buffer in case it does ever develop a small leak - so that's why I like the middle mark but yours is in no danger at all. I suspect there's a reason that temp gauge in the center of the cluster stays in the middle whether engine temperature is 190 or 235 - otherwise drivers used to old-school would freak out!

Just be sure when you check it - you aren't checking it cold and then over-filling that reservoir as you risk blowing coolant out and making a mess. I strive for that seam or a touch below and mine has stayed there nicely for months without messing with it.

 

[dcmdon]

A bit below the fill line - irrelevant.

215 Coolant temp - most likely irrelevant.

Its run at 190 for the last 2 years and now its at 215 - relevant.

You said you tracked your coolant temp, but never mentioned the value.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I just realized on my way to work that my coolant temp was like 215°, so I popped the hood and it never occurred to me like a dummy to check my coolant and it's a little bit below the minimum line. I'm sitting idling about 190° right now after shutting it down for a few minutes. Do you guys think I'll be okay for the ride home tonight or try to get someone to drop me off some so I could fill it? I'm working till like midnight tonight

Idling won't get the temp over 190 unless there's an issue or it's a really hot day with AC on full.
215 is nothing, ignore it. That's often seen when a vehicle is moving, there's a load on the engine and it's not idling. 215 is something many of us have seen on our vehicles for decades - those of us with full instrumentation anyway.
It simply means there's a load on it, the engine is working, the fan isn't running because the PCM didn't see that it was called for and so on.
Seriously - don't sweat 215. It's not hot, it's not even working hard at all!

I've never seen it get that high and I usually monitor it frequently.

You monitor it frequently, but do you stare at it, do you obsess over the temperature enough to keep a real eye on it?
I'd bet a good steak dinner it's been 215 before. These things cycle the fans to save energy, save fuel, keep noise down, etc. - you are 50 degrees away from boiling and almost that many degrees away from any possible damage.
If I got concerned each time mine hit that, or for that matter, any of my cars hit that - I'd park 'em all.
Unless you ran it to the point of not seeing any coolant at all in the reservoir (and even at that there's a bit of a buffer zone), you've nothing to be concerned about.
If you routinely see it 230 or over, not a hot day, not towing, not driving it hard, then talk to a dealer, but not at these temperatures.

 

[johnparjr]

As others have said your good

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Just went for a drive - Christmas shopping for my wife. She's impossible to buy for, gets whatever she wants when she wants or needs it - anyway, it meant some running around and a bit of a trip to an antique and collectible shop.
Ambient air temp started at 32 degrees. Truck cold, has been sitting, so assume it's also 30-32 degrees.
Cold start, took right off. It took about 5 miles to hit 188 degrees, at which point I could see things "regulating". Oil temp was still low 100s.
After 15 miles oil temp reached 180s and engine temp continued to slowly climb up to about 206. At that point ambient temp was 34 according to the Jeep's weather station LOL
After hitting 206 it dropped pretty quickly to 190 and then to 188, then back up. From there on the coolant ranged from about 192-204, up and down, up and down. oil temp finally almost caught up with coolant temp. For a few miles oil temp was 192 and the coolant dropped to 188, then they leap-frogged. Typically oil was lower by anywhere from 2 to 24 degrees but here and there they met and oil hit a degree or two warmer while coolant dropped to 188-190, but normally oil was about 190-192 and coolant stayed above that.
The truck hits 188 here and there, I'd suspect just by observation the thermostat on these must be open at about 190......... give or take.
Coolant temps will rarely be static because you always have factors changing it - like the thermostat opening and closing in cooler conditions, fan on, fan off, engine load higher, engine load lower. You are measuring a moving river of coolant in the system.
Once the engine block and heads are thoroughly warmed up and the engine oil is thoroughly warmed up its temperature will stay more stable under most conditions. Yes, it's being pumped and flung about but you are measuring it in a pool, unlike coolant where you are measuring a moving target.

Since I was not in traffic, I mostly kept moving except when in town in stores and parking lots and at intersections, my truck had little real load. The wind is like it usually is in Iowa - moving briskly, and I live where it's hilly so the thing does downshift and rev a lot to make the next hill, but not a real load by any sense. That and the ambient temp in the 30s and I still hit 205 multiple times....... no worries.

Unless your engine is working harder putting out more BTUs than the cooling system can handle, or unless there's a fault with your cooling system, the thermostat sets the minimum temperature. So if the thermostat is a 190 for example, that's the coolest you should see (an occasional drop of a degree or two is no worries) How hot it runs will vary with load, air temperature, speed and so on.

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