Pathmaker0912 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Hey guys, so I've had this problem for a while now where my coolant gauge never gets above ~1/4 of the way up... which is weird because before I did a coolant flush it would settle at ~1/2 up. I figured the cold winter was to blame but I've been looking into it more and all my radiator hoses are hot and everything feels as though it is normal operationg temp (~210 F) I am thinking that it could possibly be my Coolant Temperature Sensor/Sender (there are 2 on my WD21, one for the gauge and one for the ECU) because of my poor cold morning starts and relatively bad gas mileage, but Im not sure what could have caused a simple thermo-resistor to fail, possibly the Prestone coolant flush solution I used? Ive considered the thermostat but I drive 90 miles from Fort Collins to Centennial for school everyday so I feel like it should at least warm up more than that... any help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 (edited) The stock temp is 170F, with an alternate thermostat available for 180F. I would change the t-stat if you haven't done it (good maintenance). Other than that I think your gauge is probably normal, a lot of people say they read low like that. Do you have good heat? If so I wouldn't worry. Edited April 13, 2013 by adamzan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathmaker0912 Posted April 13, 2013 Author Share Posted April 13, 2013 Oh wow thats a lot lower than any other vehicle I have.. I plan on changing the thermostat in a few weeks when I do my timing belt, tensioner and water belt...my heat is good, I just recalled seeing a TSB regarding tough cold weather starts due to the CTS/S.. is there any reason you can think that the coolant flush would cause that drastic of a change in my temperatures? As stated before I was reading halfway on the gauge and now its 50% of that.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Unless the flush did something to the thermostat (removed deposits, improving flow) the issue is most certainly with the gauge/sender unit. Apparently the gauge position in relation to the voltage sent is not linear so it is not the most accurate system and small changes from the sender unit can make big changes in the reading. Do you have access to an IR sensor or even a simple cooks thermometer? When you are done with a long drive measure the temperature as best you can so you at least have a baseline and something to go off of. I tried to look up the resistance values of that sensor, but was unable to find it just now and I have to get going on something else. I'll see if I can find it tonight if no one else has chimed in. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathmaker0912 Posted April 13, 2013 Author Share Posted April 13, 2013 Unless the flush did something to the thermostat (removed deposits, improving flow) the issue is most certainly with the gauge/sender unit. Apparently the gauge position in relation to the voltage sent is not linear so it is not the most accurate system and small changes from the sender unit can make big changes in the reading. Do you have access to an IR sensor or even a simple cooks thermometer? When you are done with a long drive measure the temperature as best you can so you at least have a baseline and something to go off of. I tried to look up the resistance values of that sensor, but was unable to find it just now and I have to get going on something else. I'll see if I can find it tonight if no one else has chimed in. B I have to drive down to Centennial in a couple of hours so I will check the temperature then... I doubt that a lot of gunk came out of the tstat, the car has had regular coolant flushes and its never been effected like it has this time, also the flush was almost spotless when I disposed of it. Just some brown gunk... Ill check back again tonight and let you know the temp. I had. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 might want to look at the temp sensor on the inlet as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Did you do the flushes? Did you mix the coolant correctly to a 50/50 mix with water? Too much coolant(mix) will keep your temps down. Thermostat is a good idea to start. You can pull the two sensors and inspect them for contamination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Did you do the flushes? Did you mix the coolant correctly to a 50/50 mix with water? Too much coolant(mix) will keep your temps down. Thermostat is a good idea to start. You can pull the two sensors and inspect them for contamination. I thought straight water cooled better than antifreeze itself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Coolant has a different boiling point, differs between coolants. Heat absorption and dissipation is key. Different climates do different things. That's why 50/50 is recommended. It can differ in more extreme climates. Straight water might get you down the road, but instability of the metals around it cause large issues. Coolant acts as a lubricant also. Incorrect mix can cause lots of different things to happen. Sorry if it sounds like rambling, I got kids pulling on me at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 I think it was the way you said too much coolant will keep temps down, I figured straight water would keep it down further. My old bike ran really hot here in the summer (110 some days) when in traffic, I would drain and refill like 75 water 25 antifreeze with water wetter and it would be much happier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RF600 Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 I'm running 33% coolant in my car. I think about 15% coolant in my bike. Too much coolant is bad. Yes water cools better than antifreeze. The summers get hot here. There are people who only run water and water wetter during the summer months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krmiller07 Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 My 89 started doing this. I read a TSB from Nissan, on Identifix.com, where I work. And Nissan actually recommended that after the warmest t-stat was installed, to actually partially obstruct the radiator from air flow! This is no BS. I verified this with our hotline tech's who are specialized by OEM, and the Nissan Master L 1 tech told me about this. He has over 25 years of Nissan experience to draw from. So I went to a big bow store and bought an 1/8" thick piece of mica board, and started cutting out some area's to find the right balance of air flow (cooling) to heat. Taking a trick from road race and NASCAR, I started to close off the open areas with duct tape until the temp gauge would stay steady at 1/2 way, after the truck idled stationary with no air moving across, except from the fan. It's inexpensive, easy and only takes 10 minutes to pull the tape off, by taking the 2 bolts off the top of the radiator and tilting it back far enough to remove the mica board and add or remove tape. Sounds kinda hill billy, but it works. I live in central MN, and sub zero temps are mot un common. My cabin temp was always toasty, but the engine seemed to run cool. I'll see what happens in a few weeks when the temp moves the other way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 I would do this only after verifying the actual coolant temperature and that the sending unit was functioning properly, but yes, my experience over 20 years 3 different models/4 different trucks is that Nissan trucks have very capable cooling ssytems (assuming everything is functioning correctly). B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 That's no BS, the cooling system works too good even with such a thin radiator. The only issue I ever had with it was a fan clutch that always got stuck at full speed. After changing to an e-fan with a digital controller, the problem went away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathmaker0912 Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 Went ahead and replaced the sensors (both the temperature sensor and sender for the gauge) seems to run better with the new sensor and the gauge went up a little. Yes I did a 50/50 mix of Prestone coolant and water. I would experiment with different ratios but I live in Colorado and use this car for my 2 hour everyday drive plus for things such as elk hunting up in Gunnison....way too much temperature fluctuation. Has anyone ever seen the covers that go over the grill? (http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=745995) My buddy has one one his Ford Excursion and it seems to heat up a hell of a lot faster, especially up in the mountains after not having the diesel block heater plugged in... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I have one of those covers for my pathfinder. I used it all the time on my old one because the heat never got hot enough for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Gunnison? Where do you live at? My parents are in Creede. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathmaker0912 Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 I live in fort collins and drive to centennial everyday for school, I only go to Gunnison for elk hunting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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