operating temperature?

[squattingDuck]

Hello. I'm a newbie to the pathfinder. I bought it back about a year ago and it sat. The previous owner overheated it severely on the highway due to a break in the radiator. So I ended up buying another pathfinder as a donor. It too was a 1995 automatic with lower mileage. I swapped the motor from the donor into my se. I've had her up and running for a little while now and noticed that the temperature on the dash gauge sits around the middle for a while but if I do some hill climbing or run at 70+ on the highway that the temps will rise to about the 3/4 mark. It won't go any higher but that is a concern to me. I'm thinking of changing the thermostat fairly quickly but I wanted to get some idea of what people here are experiencing when in the same situation as mine? So basically my temps rise when I push the pathy hard and drop some when I don't, but I'm guessing that the temps should "hold" at about the midway point or a little higher but never go as high as mine does.

 

The catalytic converter is original and since it was overheated, I might ask if I should swap that out too as a possibly clogged condition from over heating could case my temperature problems in the pathy?

[Kingman]

3/4 is way too high, that's when your engine should be running the coolest. Change the thermostat and have the radiator rodded and flushed to make sure it isn't clogged.

The temperature guage normally sits between the 1/3 and 1/2 mark. Anything higher is a concern.

 

Overheating a cat will cause it to start to break down and clog up, which begins to restrict your exhaust flow and hamper your power and fuel economy.

 

Here is the recent thread covering some of what your issue is:

http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=23018&st=0

[BowTied]

It sounds a bit like the stat is not opening all the way when it needs to.

 

I agree, flsuh rad / new hoses, stat, and rad cap if older.

 

I presume you are running a stock fan and fan shroud, and correct grade of engine oil, and there are no check engine codes.

 

If the temp is climbing at freeway speeds after a flush and new stat, I would wonder if the fan clutch is not operating properly and creating an air flow restriction at higher speeds (guess).

[daver123]

I have overheated mine badly once (also almost froze the block too... oops remember check your coolant for anti freeze every winter kids) and it had no ill effect as far as i can tell but as of late the summer heat here has been making my pathy run a little hotter than normal under load like hill climb and such but it still isn't reaching 3/4. Not to suggest that you don't maintain your vehicle but check your air filter, i had a problem after a long road trip with it getting hot, turned out to just be that the air filter was chalked full of dust.

[MY1PATH]

for reference, incase your guage is wrong, you should be able to stick a thermoeter in your radiator near the top hose and read between 170-190. The closer to 180 on the VG the better the results.

[squattingDuck]

OK, I have put the new thermostat in that I bought from Napa and I'll test it for a few days and report back the results. Out of curiosity there was a support structure that sits on the thermostat on one end that looks like it helps center it in when you put it in there. Is that all that piece does?

[squattingDuck]

So after some burping and bleeding air out of the system and some heat cycles, The problem seems partially solved. If I run with the a/c on full blast with outside temps of 95c the temperature will rise about two needle widths above 1/2 but just a little short of 3/4. If I turn off the a/c then it will drop to right at 1/2.

[Precise1]

That still seems high though, both my pathys stay at about 1/3 no matter what; rain, shine, AC, ice, 100 degrees, etc...

Maybe the sender unit is off??

 

B

[squattingDuck]

where is the sender unit?

[squattingDuck]

I found the problem. Simple but I overlooked it. The problem ended up being a plugged up radiator. I put a radiator from a junk yard in and put some barrs radiator sealer in it. I don't know if I really trust that stuff though and I'm thinking of getting a new radiator. Anyone here use this stuff and how long?

[beastpath]

I would junk that radiator fast, get a new one, and before you put it in flush the block as much as you can to get the barrs crud out.

 

A member on here, Slick, used barrs and it did about 10x more harm than good. In the end she had to get a new engine.

[squattingDuck]

I junked the old and got a new radiator from Napa. My temps are about 1/3 and up to 1/2. I will try and push her harder this weekend and do some towing. I put in two transmission coolers, one humongous. I noticed my temps in between the front seats have really cooled off. It has been cool sinch before I put the radiator in and only had the transmissions coolers. Great site, I've got alot of help by reading. I'll have to start a new thread and ask how to get the a/c clutch off as them stupid metal ring shock absorbing things have sheered.

[BowTied]

Glad to hear it is fixed. Keep an eye on your coolant, it may need another flush soon if the system was that gummed up before. Good luck.