Probably not. It could be the cooling fans, or the water pump. Does the temp go down to normal when you are going down the hwy? If so, its probably the fans. If the temp gets to 260 the fans should kick on, if not, I would look at the fan circuit, fan module, and fan assembly.
The coolant temp. sensor could be bad....or the thermostat could be stuck shut.....there are a few things it could be actually
The light is not a coolant light, it is a temperature light which comes on when the temperature of the coolant is above the limits. In other words you engine is overheating. Can be defective thermostat, bad water pump, clogged radiator, or blown head gasket.
yes, leaking coolant is what happens before the pump totally dies, then you have overheating and possible engine damage soon after the leaking.
coolant fan not working change the temperature sender located on the engine ( follow the wires from the fan ) failing that the cylinder head could be warped check for water in the engine oil ( oil looks like mayonaise)or check if theirs any trace of steam from the exhaust when hot Try replacing the water pump too.
If you have a V8 the thermostat is located under the coolant inlet tube. The tube is located on top of the engine, in the front about center. The thermostat is hard to change, I changed mine when I installed a new water pump. Hope this helps. Lou
stop an engine
The coolant temp. sensor could be bad....or the thermostat could be stuck shut.....there are a few things it could be actually
Failed thermostat.
your thermostat is closed. needs to be replaced. inexpensive part but can save your engine from overheating.
could be your thermostat or you have no antifreeze coolant or your water pump is going bad
Overheating is due to, well, the coolant in the cooling system getting too hot. In a normally operating engine, this should never be a problem. First, check that the coolant level is correct. If it is correct, I would suspect a problem with the thermostat. When the engine is cold, the thermostat closes off coolant flow through the engine until the coolant reaches a pre-determined temperature. When that temperature is reached, the thermostat opens to allow the coolant to circulate at that exact temperature. Thermostats are known for failing and either not opening or not opening enough at that pre-determined temperature. This causes coolant to get trapped too long in the engine coolant chambers, heating it beyond limits, causing the engine temperature to increase and possibly overheat. If my Maxima was overheating, I would check the coolant levels and then possibly replace the thermostat. It usually is no more complicated than that.
A thermostat that is stuck in the closed position is a very common cause of overheating. A new thermostat should be installed every time the coolant is changed.
If the engine is overheating, the thermostat is stuck closed. If the heater is not putting out enough hot air the thermostat is stuck open. Change the thermostat as a normal part of maintenance when changing coolant.
If the temp gauge reads normal and the engine is not overheating, the thermostat is doing its job. The thermostat maintains the coolant temp by opening and closing allowing the coolant to flow or not to flow. When it is closed the coolant doesn't circulate.
How is your heat? Overheating can cause damage generally to head gasket, cylinder head or thermostat. See other posts regarding headgaskets in this forum. answer you can damage whole engine thru overheating but if u had no coolant leak when overheating occurred, u need to check water pump and thermostat in engine
In very short: If the thermostat stays open, the warm-up time for the engine will be significantly longer, resulting in unwanted start-up wear. If the thermostat stays closed, the engine coolant can not circulate through the engine and cooling system, resulting in the engine overheating, as the coolant is used to keep the engine in a specific operating temperature.
Thermostat may not be opening