hey guys recently my tl has been overheating. It happened this past week when we had some pretty high temperatures. The gauge seems to show that the temperature is being regulated and then all the suddent it rises all the way up. I took it to the shop and they checked for a blown head gasket and said that was not the problem. they said that they thought it would be the thermomostat so they changed it. Got it back yesterday and it seemed to be regulating the temp untill i started accelerating hard then the temp went up again. dont know what to do. does anyone know what this would be? help would be great dont have the money for the dealer to swap parts out! thanks

 

when you say regulating the temp- is the guage moving all the time or does it sit stable until sudden rise?

the TL prefers an acura thermostat.. and I hear its possible to install a thermostat upside down in the TL
doesnt work very well that way~

look in the rad for flow of coolant change with rpm increase
water pump operating properly

look for debris in front of radiator- paper or plastic can clog it

ck hose inside res cap is attached firmly

 

^Good start, unusual, but also check for a collapsed radiator hose. This will be evident after the rise in temp, but not while the car is operating normally. As the RPM's increase, the suction can close the lower radiator hose if weak, but I've also seen upper hoses collapse.

 

yes it sits regulated and then all the suddent it goes up. thanks guys this is great. thanks for all the help.

 

Goes up how far? Into the red?

 

you can feel the hoses when cold for soft spots or bulges- give them both a few squeezes along the length

The lower hose feeds the water pump so if it closes itself--no coolant flow

I recall a ziner had shop install aftermarket thermostat and prob remained- took it back and the thermo was in upside down!!!

redline temp the TL a few times and you are looking at head gaskets,, or worse.
maybe not today,, but in 6 months--boom

 

ck the radiator cap- rubber seal inside--parts store can pressure test if for you- free!
Weak cap will not pressurize the system to ~14 pounds and flow wont happen correctly
Causes freaky problems, and is a cheap thing to try
If the temp has gotten hot the cap seal may be damaged

make sure the res bottle is at the right level cold- and attached to the inside of its cap is a rubber hose that goes into the coolant- so it transfers as needed
If that hose falls off--bad news

 

The gauge is buffered. It's designed to stay right in the middle unless there's a serious rise in temp. It can vary +-35 degrees without the gauge moving.

Check what has already been posted, it's a great start.

Turn the heater on next time and see if it's blowing hot air or ambient air.

Check water level, radiator cap, hoses, whether or not the fans are kicking on.

These aluminum engines are not very tolerant of overheating. Do not let it get all the way to the hot zone.