heat guage issue

[austin]

I have a 99 dodge neon 2.0 dohc when I start the car the heat guage goes straight to hot and it uses a lot of coolant any help?

Topic

[Shaun Flichel]

Does it leak coolant or burn it (white smoke)?
Did it overheat to cause this to happen?

[austin]

I cant find a leak and it don’t smoke. never over heated. when I got the car it had a thermostat laying in the seat

[Shaun Flichel]

How much fluid does it use? Seems like a small amount since it’s not noticeable on the ground or out the pipe. Does it have antifreeze in it?. Unplug the temp sender and see what the gauge does. How does it run otherwise?

[austin]

it uses about a tank a week. it does and antifreeze in it. and to dark right not to do that and no clue where to find it

[Shaun Flichel]

See if this helps. http://repairguide.autozone.com/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images/0996b43f/80/21/ee/bf/medium/0996b43f8021eebf.gif

Also you may want to get your hand on a pressure tester. Hook it up to your system and pressurize, then look for leaks. Probly a good idea to test in a quiet spot so you can listen as well.

[austin]

I changed to coolant temp sensor and thermostate doing same thing. I hope its simple cheap fix

[Shaun Flichel]

You will have to check the wiring to the temp sensor. What does the gauge do with it unplugged?

[Frank Heiser]

Don’t rule out the gauge itself being bad. I had a similar issue on my Kia, as soon as I started the car the sensor would jump up about 1/4 of the way and sit there, turned out that the gauge itself was bad. Luckily Kia replaced it under warranty.

Like shaun I’m curious what the gauge does when the sensor is unplugged too. Now that the sensor is new, it has to either be a wiring issue somewhere along the way or the gauge.

As far as the coolant, check the weeping hole on the water pump for any signs it’s been leaking. I had disappearing coolant on my Mercury, turned out the pump was leaking only when the car got hot and the leak was slow enough the heat of the engine burned off the coolant. So no drips on the driveway.

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