While at the return end of a camping roadtrip, my Loyale Wagon starts running hot. Not too noticably on surface streets or at idle but quite obviously when on the freeway at 60+mph when it hovers between 3/4 and the red line. This started at around 4PM and by 8PM it was red lining and I had to pull over. Checked oil and coolant levels, they're fine. Decided to have a garage look into it in the morning.

 

The garage does a coolant check, I told em to go ahead and swap out the thermostat. The electric fan is coming on. And when sitting at idle in the garage, it's not acting up. I pull out on the freeway and it's hot again.

 

So here's what I've gathered:

 

- Not noticably hot in idle or up to 40mph.

- Heats up to 3/4 or red line at 50+mph.

- It seems to cool slightly or at least manage itself through air cooling, e.g., going down hill the temp eases a tad.

- Engine strain while going up hill increase the temp to red line but it will cool slightly again on the down hill.

- I can continue this for over an hour or two without actually red lining but remaining above 3/4.

- Electric fan is fine

- Coolant levels and oil is fine

- Don't know condition of the radiator yet

 

I had to ditch the car at my families house in order to immediately get back home and to work. They're helping out but it's all going to be through an unknown garage.

 

thanks,

-Michael

Feel the radiator (where you can) when it's up to temperature.

 

The entire radiator should be a fairly uniform temperature. If there are significantly cooler spots, you've got a clogged/bad radiator.

 

The good news is that a brand new radiator for an EA82 is only $90 or so, and about a 20-30 minute install.

 

-=Russ=-

What Syonyk said. It's most likely a clogged radiator.

+1 on the radiator. You don't have to check the entire surface, just top to bottom (coolant runs through horizontal tubes). Radiator changeout is easy, though more complicated if you have A/C and/or Automatic tranny.

I have the same problem, but my radiator doesn't have any obvious cool spots. Any other ideas? I've flushed it twice already.

Check the clutch fan, I had one of these fail and gave me the same headaches...

Really does sound like the radiator. If you flushed it, yourself, with chemicals from a parts store, sometimes they loosen up some sludge, but then it gets stopped up somewhere else. ONLY way to really clean a radiator, is to remove & take to a shop.

I took it out today to really check it out. I drove it on the highway until it started to overheat. I pulled off and found some cool spots in the radiator this time. Actually the entire radiator seemed somewhat cool, but especially in the center.

 

 

Really does sound like the radiator. If you flushed it, yourself, with chemicals from a parts store, sometimes they loosen up some sludge, but then it gets stopped up somewhere else. ONLY way to really clean a radiator, is to remove & take to a shop.