All About Auto

Car trouble symptoms: Temperature gauge reads hot after starting the engine this occurs in a short period of time after starting.
Car trouble diagnostics: Temperature gauge that read hot after starting is an indication of three possible reasons, lack of coolant, damage radiator hoses, or a bad water pump or thermostat. The first thing to do is to check your car if there is sufficient amount of coolant, look into the radiator fill hole (after the engine cools down) and check if the coolant level covers the metal fins inside the radiator, if not then the radiator lacks coolant and this causes the problem.

If there is a sufficient amount of coolant the next part to look at is the radiator hose. Start the engine and observed the radiator hose, look for the collapsing hose. If you found a collapsing hose then this prevents the flow of coolant from the radiator into the engine thus making the coolant heats up shortly after starting the engine causing the temperature gauge reads hot.

However, if the radiator hose is in good condition then the problem is either the bad water pump or thermostat. The water pump is the one that circulates coolant from the engine into the radiator and back into the engine. If the water pump is defective there will be no circulation of coolant and it will become too hot. This will make the temperature gauge reads hot. Likewise if the thermostat is bad this can cause the problem, thermostat is the one that keeps the coolant to reach the radiator when the engine is cold. When the engine warms up the thermostat will open then it allows the coolant from the engine to reach the radiator.

Car problem diagnose: Insufficient amount of coolant, collapse radiator hose, or a bad water pump or thermostat

All about auto zone repair tips: For the insufficient amount of coolant just ad the necessary amount of coolant, a 50/50 mix of water and anti-freeze will do, however you must also take into consideration why the radiator lacks coolant? There might be a leak somewhere in the system. It might also possible that there is an internal leak usually causes by a blown head gasket you can easily determine if this is the cause when there is a white smoke that comes out the exhaust while your driving, have your car check by a mechanic to make sure. As for the collapsing radiator hose, no other option but to replace the affected parts.

As for the bad water pump or thermostat, bring your car to a reputable auto repair shop and ask the mechanic to inspect the water pump and the thermostat to determine which of the two is the cause and replace if necessary to avoid temperature gauge that reads hot after starting the engine.