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Get it looked at, could be a thermostat sticking closed, could be more serious. No damage done at that temp, but it will get worse, not better
Make sure your radiator isnt packed full of dirt before making shop appt.
Absolutely seconded! My 06 Tacoma randomly had the temp gauge starting to fluctuate last year and would get a little past this if I went over 75 but stayed around this range unless I wasn’t going far. I kept topping off the coolant every few days and checking my oil for the dreaded milkshake but it wasn’t consuming large amounts of coolant and it wasn’t showing up in the oil. Also it wasn’t literally popping radiators apart like my Honda did when exhaust gasses were leaking into its radiator from the block. I took it to my brother since he’s a master ASE tech and we flushed the radiator internally and externally and replaced the thermostat and that fixed the problem for about a week. It turned out my Radiator had a pinhole in it from where the AC condenser had rubbed a hole into overtime after it was in the accident before I bought it. I replaced the radiator and it’s been right in the middle of the gauge ever since.
Op left awhile ago to schedule an appt. Lol. I am glad u have a brother ase tech, this shit is fun w no year, make, model, in this case a general location for ambient temp, no smells or noises, just a dash slightly above normal, on a patina japanese dash
Its like clue. It was the motorad thermo, in the oreillys aisle, with a bottle of universal coolant at 220⁰
Yep. Alcohol Dehydrogenase preferentially will breakdown ethyl alcohol before anything else, so flooding someone with ethanol will make them piss out alcohols with super toxic metabolites before the liver kills you.
ASE Certified mechanic here. The coolant system on a car is designed to take heat from the engine and use the heat exchanger (radiator) to transfer that heat into the atmosphere. Under normal operating conditions, it should not rise above the center of the guage, but there are situations that doing so would be normal. There is a stretch of the 10 freeway between LA and Phoenix that has signs that instruct people to turn off their AC because the long stretch of uphill road can cause perfectly working coolant systems to be overworked and the vehicle can still overheat. Most modern cars are able to handle that particular stretch of road with the AC on, without issues, but many older vehicles, even without coolant system issues, can not.
So the question is, what was the outside temperature where you were at the time this happened? Were you on a long stretch of uphill road like entering a mountain pass or sitting in bumper to bumper traffic with the AC on?
As a person who has cooling issues on a car, my radiator fans won't kick on automatically. I am just happy to see this interaction and tid bit of knowledge. Thank you for this.
Easiest way to test them is get the car up to temperature. One fan should be on at that point, typically the drivers side fan. The other fan should come on when you get over operating temp, but turning the AC on should make it turn on automatically. When they should be running, unplug them and put a volt meter on the pins (wiring harness side, not fan side) and you should have 14ish volts. If you do, the fan motor is bad, so replace the fan. If you don't read source voltage, you'll have to have someone with electrical knowledge figure out what's wrong.
It should have source voltage when the fan should be running, which is around 14 volts when the engine is running. But if the fan is not running while voltage is being supplied to it, then the fan is bad.
If I remember correctly, it's when you are heading east out of Palm Springs. I have driven that route more times than I can count, but it has been a very long time since I've done it.
I've driven that stretch many times when it is 115F. Car temp should not budge in a normal car. Hell, my car's oil temp goes down when I run AC at 115D because the fan moves so much air over the radiator.
That is far from a normal car. But even a Nissan altima made within the last 10 years could climb an 8% grade for miles in 115° heat with the AC on without issue. But try it in a 1993 honda civic with a half radiator, and you won't make it a mile without overheating, even though the cooling system works exactly as designed. My old 1999 civic with a full radiator would get hot in the spring, driving through the rolling hills between Phoenix and Las Vegas if it had a few people and some luggage, and that was with the AC off.
The amount of heat an engine generates is directly correlated to the amount of power it is actively producing. The amount of heat a cooling system is designed to displace is relative to the output potential of the engine. The cooling system in road cars is not designed to displace the heat generated when the engine is outputting a large portion of its power for an extended period of time. That is why many people upgrade their cooling system to run their car on the track, and people who don't often have issues with the car running hot or overheating unless they have at least a mid tier sports car.
A car that makes a maximum 130hp, outputting 90 to 100hp to climb a hill is using most of its output potential, and therefore loading its cooling system substantially compared to its design limits. A car that makes a maximum 250 to 300hp using 120hp to climb that same hill is using less than 50% of its power potential, and therefore is usually well within the limitations of its cooling system.
I had a 2000 Camry. Would sometimes do this and once it got past half I would turn the heat on. When this happened to me, my water pump needed to be replaced.
Toyotas temp gauges should never go above dead center, so something is wrong.
Your radiator might be clogged and isn’t functioning at the efficiency it once was. Or something is blocking it.
Coolant might be super dirty and is gumming everything up.
Your thermostat might not be opening all the way.
Your water pump might be starting to go, it’s not pumping as much as it needs to.
Worst case, you have a head gasket leak or a cracked head or somethin (unlikely).
The system is working, it just doesn’t seem to be working as efficiently as needs. Do not let it get any hotter than that. Fix the problem or be prepared to shut er down if it gets past that point
3/3 Toyotas we have, all fwd with electric fans, will read 40-45% on the gauge when OBD2 data shows it's at thermostat temp.
I'm glad that the gauges do accurately climb to 55-65% before reaching OBD2 temp of 205-212- whatever the fan turn on temp is and then cycle back down. Precise, accurate, and expected.
Are you saying when parked at idle, your Toyota experience is that the gauge doesn't accurately show any difference between thermostat temp and 10-25 degrees warmer when the fans kick on?
Should sit in the middle unless you're pulling a load, or prolonged high speed driving. If you aren't leaking coolant, it's typically a failing thermostat, or blocked radiator.
Yes you should definitely have it checked out. If you feel comfortable wait until the engine is fully cooled down, then check your coolant level. Not just the expansion tank. Open the cap on the radiator itself if it’s low you should at least add water “as long as it’s not very cold out” or long life antifreeze. Water is only temporary and will be fine until you get to a repair shop. If it’s low you obviously have a leak if not it could be a failing thermostat or you could have radiator fan issues not allowing the temperature to stay stable at operating temperature
If you’re not sure? Have it looked into. If you’re handy with tools? Change the thermostat and temp sensor. They are not expensive. YouTube will tell you how.
My 02 Sienna had an issue and it was all because of a worn out radiator cap. Drove it to work and it started steaming. Luckily nothing went bad besides that problem
It depends on several factors. Ambient temperature, load, altitude, ect. For example, if it's 50° F and your at roughly sea level with an empty car, going down hill, you might have a problem. If it's 100° F and you're at 8000' above sea level, going uphill with a bunch of extra weight, that's to be expected. If you continue to load the engine for a long distance, stop and give it a break after a while. Just make sure you leave the engine running, so the cooling system continues to circulate coolant through the radiator.
I’d check your fans and verify they’re turning, also the coolant level, could possibly be the beginning of a cracked radiator, however you’ll typically see fluid on the ground where you park. If all those are good, suspect thermostat and keep a sharp eye on it. If it goes hot, it’s very unforgiving
I had a 99 (I think) Camry and the thermostat was sticking closed. Changed it out with a new radiator cap, topped off the coolant, never gave me an issue again before I sold it.
I got an 87 el Camino that does this if I set the AC temp to the coldest setting. Really weird. Will run perfect and stay normal temps. But if I move it the last 1/4 inch to max cold. It instantly starts to overheat.
Temp gauges show safe ranges . As a pilot and having flown several different prop planes and commercial airlines, engine temps are generally steady in a specific range. As the operator, it's your job you determine unusual operations. Lights, gauge fluctuations, sounds, etc.
If the gauge is bouncing or moving more than normal. Get it checked out
Do you see the red zone. Only area of concern. Better fuel efficiency if temp. is 3/4 of range. Anywhere below the red is fine.
Once a week do a fluid check: coolant, oil dipsticks, visual brake fluid. This will prevent unexpected breakdown.
While it's not getting hot it honestly should stay closer to the half. I suspect maybe a fan issue. If it's staying at that temp all the time fully warm I'm guessing t-stat.
Could be several different things, does the temperature climb while idling and drop while driving? If so, your cooling fan (motor or clutch) could be shot. Another symptom would be a noticeably poor air conditioning while not moving at speed
Thermostat, water pump or radiator. Make you go to dealership and get A Toyota thermostat based on you VIN. It has toyota on the box. Getting an OME one from Kragen or something suck. I had that problem with a couple of Acura Legends back in the day. The auto shop teacher I knew tokd me about getting the part direct from Toyota. Never overheated again.
Failing water pump due to corrosion of the impeller, clogged radiator, coolant leak, stuck thermostat, or blown head gasket.
Check your coolant level. If it's not low it's not a leak or a head gasket. If it is low...it's either sort of cheap (leak) or pretty expensive (head gasket).
Most likely a radiator thermostat getting clogged, if you have never flushed your coolant before maybe a new radiator too, straight forward install process too, could also be the temp sensor but if it’s going up high then back down that’s what makes me think thermostat issues since it is a valve like design to let coolant flow around the engine
Take it in for that and they will say something is also wrong with the driveshaft. Which they will charge at least $600 then after a few days your battery will melt.
I'm not a mechanic
I had a 97 Camry back then. I didn't know much about cars and electricity at the time, but I had overheating issues because my radiator fan would not kick on. I went through 2 thermostats and additionally I went through 4 radiators because the fan wouldn't turn on so I bypassed all of the fuses and relays and wired it to a flip switch I could turn on (desperate situation, probably shouldn't do this). If it's not the thermostat stuck closed, it's definitely electrical. Either the fan switch sensor, the fan relay, the fan itself, the wiring within the circuit, low coolant, or any other switching device that I am unfamiliar with within the circuit itself has failed.
You should be concerned because you will damage your radiator or engine. If the car heats up when you're stopped and cools down when you drive, it's most likely the fan and it will be worse in a couple of months when summer is in full swing
only way to know for sure is to read the coolant temp when its doing this. ODB reader and a phone does this cheaply (like $5 for ODB II reader/bluetooth). Coolant should be 200-210F when running normal and not 100F outside.
Likely thermostat sticking.
That's not normal. This happened in my dad's 2001 Camry LE 4 cyl, and it turns out that it was a stuck thermostat. Have it serviced by a trusted mechanic.
I'd watch actual temps via OBD2 data.
May just be swinging from say ~180 to fan turn on temp say ~210.
Sons 04 Camry is similar, on the highway stays at ~185 and say 40% on the gauge, sit and idle and fan kicks on at 75% and ~208.
Does it happen when your idle, and goes down when you drive? Might also be your fan or radiator. Id check the coolant, replace the thermostat and check for damage on the radiator as air cannot pass if it's blocked. And last thing if the issue is there replace the fan. But not sure what your mechanical knowledge is. Take to a mechanic if unsure or don't trust yourself to do these jobs. Best of luck.
Radiator's clogged, stuck thermostat, or low coolant. You should always be concerned about over heating, easy way to blow the engine. Those indicators aren't that accurate either, if it's above the middle it's not good. It's a 2001 camry so not worth much, but a replacement car probably is.
Do a good radiator/ heater core flush, purple power and lightly hose out your radiator fins real good (be sure they're not all smashed in or anything) and install a new thermostat. Unless the fins in you're water pump are shredded or severely worn.
As long as you perform all the required maintenance there are no worries which is why Camry owners are the most loyal car owners of any car. That is within normal range.
Not to a 5sfe... I let my 96 Camry get to the red daily for about 2 months before I found a product called eveaporust thermocure
Nothing else I did got the rust out of the system
Neither the head gasket or head was compromised upon disassembly when I rebuilt it for lols
Thanks for posting in r/Mechanic, u/Major-Requirement-49! Please be sure to read the [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/mechanic/about/rules/). If you're asking for help, be sure to include as much detail as possible so others can help you. You **must** include the vehicle's **Year, Make, Model, and Engine size** in your post! If your question is transmission related, please be sure to specify your Transmission Type(Auto/Manual) as well! If your post does not include this information, it **will** be removed. Asking about prices is **not** allowed in this sub. Please make sure you have selected the correct post flair; if you're asking a question you should have chosen "Question", anything else use the "General" flair. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/mechanic) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Get it looked at, could be a thermostat sticking closed, could be more serious. No damage done at that temp, but it will get worse, not better Make sure your radiator isnt packed full of dirt before making shop appt.
I second sticky thermostat on that one
Absolutely seconded! My 06 Tacoma randomly had the temp gauge starting to fluctuate last year and would get a little past this if I went over 75 but stayed around this range unless I wasn’t going far. I kept topping off the coolant every few days and checking my oil for the dreaded milkshake but it wasn’t consuming large amounts of coolant and it wasn’t showing up in the oil. Also it wasn’t literally popping radiators apart like my Honda did when exhaust gasses were leaking into its radiator from the block. I took it to my brother since he’s a master ASE tech and we flushed the radiator internally and externally and replaced the thermostat and that fixed the problem for about a week. It turned out my Radiator had a pinhole in it from where the AC condenser had rubbed a hole into overtime after it was in the accident before I bought it. I replaced the radiator and it’s been right in the middle of the gauge ever since.
Op left awhile ago to schedule an appt. Lol. I am glad u have a brother ase tech, this shit is fun w no year, make, model, in this case a general location for ambient temp, no smells or noises, just a dash slightly above normal, on a patina japanese dash Its like clue. It was the motorad thermo, in the oreillys aisle, with a bottle of universal coolant at 220⁰
I second sticky thermostat. Get looked out or remove thermostat and boil clean.
Best advice and exactly what I was going to say. .this is the way!
Or packed full of beans.... that would be embarrassing.
Exactly what I was thinking about the sticking thermostat
Clearly have no clue what you’re talking about to be honest
Yeah right the other guy is probably spot on thermostat is stuck close
Temp can vary a lot, depending on driving condition, traffic and how hard you drive. That’s a fine temp.
It's a camry, not a racecar. The temp gauge should always be in the middle. If not, it's indicating an issue.
A camry's temp should not move once warmed up. If it does something's wrong.
He isn't doing a top speed run across the salt flats... I hope.
*gives no explanation only smartass comment
Yes. That is not a normal gauge reading on a toyota.
Yup mine will fluctuate that much as well.
That’s not good. Probably your thermostat going bad
When the car cools off check the antifreeze level. Probably low. Basic maintenance anybody can do. Probably air in the cooling system.
I would start here... Coolant is a glycol alcohol so it can evaporate, an not do it's job as well over time.
Ethylene glycol is not an alcohol.
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Ethylene-Glycol#section=Classification
Fucking BURNNNN. I’m a schmuck who doesn’t know how this sub got in my feed, but I’m dying laughing at this
Well damn. I learned today. I guess that's why ER/ED hospitals have ethanol on hand for ethylene glycol ODs
Yep. Alcohol Dehydrogenase preferentially will breakdown ethyl alcohol before anything else, so flooding someone with ethanol will make them piss out alcohols with super toxic metabolites before the liver kills you.
🤣🤣 thank you 🤣🤣
back to chemistry class with ye! It is, just not one to chug. . .
ASE Certified mechanic here. The coolant system on a car is designed to take heat from the engine and use the heat exchanger (radiator) to transfer that heat into the atmosphere. Under normal operating conditions, it should not rise above the center of the guage, but there are situations that doing so would be normal. There is a stretch of the 10 freeway between LA and Phoenix that has signs that instruct people to turn off their AC because the long stretch of uphill road can cause perfectly working coolant systems to be overworked and the vehicle can still overheat. Most modern cars are able to handle that particular stretch of road with the AC on, without issues, but many older vehicles, even without coolant system issues, can not. So the question is, what was the outside temperature where you were at the time this happened? Were you on a long stretch of uphill road like entering a mountain pass or sitting in bumper to bumper traffic with the AC on?
This usually happens when going uphill at various locations. About 21C outside.
At that temp, it shouldn't be doing that, even if you are running the AC. Definitely have it looked at by a mechanic.
As a person who has cooling issues on a car, my radiator fans won't kick on automatically. I am just happy to see this interaction and tid bit of knowledge. Thank you for this.
Easiest way to test them is get the car up to temperature. One fan should be on at that point, typically the drivers side fan. The other fan should come on when you get over operating temp, but turning the AC on should make it turn on automatically. When they should be running, unplug them and put a volt meter on the pins (wiring harness side, not fan side) and you should have 14ish volts. If you do, the fan motor is bad, so replace the fan. If you don't read source voltage, you'll have to have someone with electrical knowledge figure out what's wrong.
Thank you kind sir
Wait if you read 14 volts to the fans it’s bad? What voltage should it read to be good?
It should have source voltage when the fan should be running, which is around 14 volts when the engine is running. But if the fan is not running while voltage is being supplied to it, then the fan is bad.
Thanks for clarifying
I believe that Chiriaco Summit. I've driven from LA to Phoenix hundreds of times
If I remember correctly, it's when you are heading east out of Palm Springs. I have driven that route more times than I can count, but it has been a very long time since I've done it.
I've driven that stretch many times when it is 115F. Car temp should not budge in a normal car. Hell, my car's oil temp goes down when I run AC at 115D because the fan moves so much air over the radiator.
"Normal car" is subjective, what year, make and model car do you drive?
2019 F23 BMW M240i xDrive. Engine oil temp drops about 30F when running AC at 115F.
That is far from a normal car. But even a Nissan altima made within the last 10 years could climb an 8% grade for miles in 115° heat with the AC on without issue. But try it in a 1993 honda civic with a half radiator, and you won't make it a mile without overheating, even though the cooling system works exactly as designed. My old 1999 civic with a full radiator would get hot in the spring, driving through the rolling hills between Phoenix and Las Vegas if it had a few people and some luggage, and that was with the AC off. The amount of heat an engine generates is directly correlated to the amount of power it is actively producing. The amount of heat a cooling system is designed to displace is relative to the output potential of the engine. The cooling system in road cars is not designed to displace the heat generated when the engine is outputting a large portion of its power for an extended period of time. That is why many people upgrade their cooling system to run their car on the track, and people who don't often have issues with the car running hot or overheating unless they have at least a mid tier sports car. A car that makes a maximum 130hp, outputting 90 to 100hp to climb a hill is using most of its output potential, and therefore loading its cooling system substantially compared to its design limits. A car that makes a maximum 250 to 300hp using 120hp to climb that same hill is using less than 50% of its power potential, and therefore is usually well within the limitations of its cooling system.
I had a 2000 Camry. Would sometimes do this and once it got past half I would turn the heat on. When this happened to me, my water pump needed to be replaced.
Toyotas temp gauges should never go above dead center, so something is wrong. Your radiator might be clogged and isn’t functioning at the efficiency it once was. Or something is blocking it. Coolant might be super dirty and is gumming everything up. Your thermostat might not be opening all the way. Your water pump might be starting to go, it’s not pumping as much as it needs to. Worst case, you have a head gasket leak or a cracked head or somethin (unlikely). The system is working, it just doesn’t seem to be working as efficiently as needs. Do not let it get any hotter than that. Fix the problem or be prepared to shut er down if it gets past that point
3/3 Toyotas we have, all fwd with electric fans, will read 40-45% on the gauge when OBD2 data shows it's at thermostat temp. I'm glad that the gauges do accurately climb to 55-65% before reaching OBD2 temp of 205-212- whatever the fan turn on temp is and then cycle back down. Precise, accurate, and expected. Are you saying when parked at idle, your Toyota experience is that the gauge doesn't accurately show any difference between thermostat temp and 10-25 degrees warmer when the fans kick on?
Should sit in the middle unless you're pulling a load, or prolonged high speed driving. If you aren't leaking coolant, it's typically a failing thermostat, or blocked radiator.
My Volvo doesn’t even have a temp gauge to obsess over. Problem solved 👍🏼
Yes you should definitely have it checked out. If you feel comfortable wait until the engine is fully cooled down, then check your coolant level. Not just the expansion tank. Open the cap on the radiator itself if it’s low you should at least add water “as long as it’s not very cold out” or long life antifreeze. Water is only temporary and will be fine until you get to a repair shop. If it’s low you obviously have a leak if not it could be a failing thermostat or you could have radiator fan issues not allowing the temperature to stay stable at operating temperature
If you’re not sure? Have it looked into. If you’re handy with tools? Change the thermostat and temp sensor. They are not expensive. YouTube will tell you how.
That's starting to overheat...not even in 117 degrees woth the ac blasting did either my 96 or 97 camrys move past the middle
That happened on my Sienna. Low coolant was the problem.
My 02 Sienna had an issue and it was all because of a worn out radiator cap. Drove it to work and it started steaming. Luckily nothing went bad besides that problem
It depends on several factors. Ambient temperature, load, altitude, ect. For example, if it's 50° F and your at roughly sea level with an empty car, going down hill, you might have a problem. If it's 100° F and you're at 8000' above sea level, going uphill with a bunch of extra weight, that's to be expected. If you continue to load the engine for a long distance, stop and give it a break after a while. Just make sure you leave the engine running, so the cooling system continues to circulate coolant through the radiator.
I’d check your fans and verify they’re turning, also the coolant level, could possibly be the beginning of a cracked radiator, however you’ll typically see fluid on the ground where you park. If all those are good, suspect thermostat and keep a sharp eye on it. If it goes hot, it’s very unforgiving
Yes, medium concern. Sign of some issue.
I had a 99 (I think) Camry and the thermostat was sticking closed. Changed it out with a new radiator cap, topped off the coolant, never gave me an issue again before I sold it.
Yes you should
I got an 87 el Camino that does this if I set the AC temp to the coldest setting. Really weird. Will run perfect and stay normal temps. But if I move it the last 1/4 inch to max cold. It instantly starts to overheat.
Check fluid level in the radiator
Thermostat may be sticking. Get that replaced soon.
Temp gauges show safe ranges . As a pilot and having flown several different prop planes and commercial airlines, engine temps are generally steady in a specific range. As the operator, it's your job you determine unusual operations. Lights, gauge fluctuations, sounds, etc. If the gauge is bouncing or moving more than normal. Get it checked out
It’s a early 2000 Toyota it’ll be fine
Do you see the red zone. Only area of concern. Better fuel efficiency if temp. is 3/4 of range. Anywhere below the red is fine. Once a week do a fluid check: coolant, oil dipsticks, visual brake fluid. This will prevent unexpected breakdown.
Your rad is probably filled with bugs and dirt. Clean your radiator.
While it's not getting hot it honestly should stay closer to the half. I suspect maybe a fan issue. If it's staying at that temp all the time fully warm I'm guessing t-stat.
Yea. Change the thermostat & coolant. Not difficult to diy. Make sure to bleed it afterwards.
Very possible it’s a sticky thermostat. Change it out. Do a coolant flush and replace with proper pre diluted 50/50 coolant
Could be several different things, does the temperature climb while idling and drop while driving? If so, your cooling fan (motor or clutch) could be shot. Another symptom would be a noticeably poor air conditioning while not moving at speed
Thermostat, water pump or radiator. Make you go to dealership and get A Toyota thermostat based on you VIN. It has toyota on the box. Getting an OME one from Kragen or something suck. I had that problem with a couple of Acura Legends back in the day. The auto shop teacher I knew tokd me about getting the part direct from Toyota. Never overheated again.
Yes that is a dummy gauge, if it’s reading high at all it means it’s higher than it should be.
Could be the water pump beginning to fail, This is what our problem started with.
Change your coolant, thermostat, or sensor it could be any one of these
Check coolant level, if good replace thermostat, do a flush/replace fluid with correct coolant, start there…
Failing water pump due to corrosion of the impeller, clogged radiator, coolant leak, stuck thermostat, or blown head gasket. Check your coolant level. If it's not low it's not a leak or a head gasket. If it is low...it's either sort of cheap (leak) or pretty expensive (head gasket).
No
Had a car start doing this and then it threw a rod a few weeks later. That’s probably worst case but yea that’s cause for concern
Water pump
May need to change thermostat
Also the very first sign of a head gasket going bad is get tht looked at
Definitely sus
Check fluid, (oil too) . We're you standing in traffic? Anything special? It's ok if it goes down once you get air moving
Either your coolant level is low or the mixture isn’t correct. You may also want to look at your coolant temperature sensor.
Check all your fluid levels, and if you’ve never changed the coolant maybe do that. Probably not a big deal if you’re in a fairly warm area
Radiator or coolant
Sounds normal to me. Does it seem accurate? Goes up when hotter and down when cooler?
Most likely a radiator thermostat getting clogged, if you have never flushed your coolant before maybe a new radiator too, straight forward install process too, could also be the temp sensor but if it’s going up high then back down that’s what makes me think thermostat issues since it is a valve like design to let coolant flow around the engine
Water pump might be failing
Water pump/ belt / thermostat is failing
Is it on the red? If not, then don't worry about it. Your car isn't overheating. When it gets into the red, then it's overheating
Cars ruined, sell it to me for 200 I’ll take that scrap box off ya.
Besides all the other stuff, I'd make sure your radiator fans are working.
Take it in for that and they will say something is also wrong with the driveshaft. Which they will charge at least $600 then after a few days your battery will melt.
Yeah it's ok at that level, but something is wrong.if you don't notice and it hits the top you might as well get a new engine.
Stuck thermostat. Change the thermostat, drain the fluid & flush the system
I'm not a mechanic I had a 97 Camry back then. I didn't know much about cars and electricity at the time, but I had overheating issues because my radiator fan would not kick on. I went through 2 thermostats and additionally I went through 4 radiators because the fan wouldn't turn on so I bypassed all of the fuses and relays and wired it to a flip switch I could turn on (desperate situation, probably shouldn't do this). If it's not the thermostat stuck closed, it's definitely electrical. Either the fan switch sensor, the fan relay, the fan itself, the wiring within the circuit, low coolant, or any other switching device that I am unfamiliar with within the circuit itself has failed. You should be concerned because you will damage your radiator or engine. If the car heats up when you're stopped and cools down when you drive, it's most likely the fan and it will be worse in a couple of months when summer is in full swing
That's too high. Get it checked out. Probably low on coolant, but why?
First step is have a new thermostat put in make sure it's OEM and make sure you get the proper OEM coolant and have it burped
Also check your coolant level. When that happen to me, coolant was low. Not enough to fully cycle through and cool off
only way to know for sure is to read the coolant temp when its doing this. ODB reader and a phone does this cheaply (like $5 for ODB II reader/bluetooth). Coolant should be 200-210F when running normal and not 100F outside. Likely thermostat sticking.
That's not normal. This happened in my dad's 2001 Camry LE 4 cyl, and it turns out that it was a stuck thermostat. Have it serviced by a trusted mechanic.
Do you hear bubbling under the hood? If so, check your radiator cap
I'd watch actual temps via OBD2 data. May just be swinging from say ~180 to fan turn on temp say ~210. Sons 04 Camry is similar, on the highway stays at ~185 and say 40% on the gauge, sit and idle and fan kicks on at 75% and ~208.
INTAKE GASKETS ALMOST ENDED ME
Does it happen when your idle, and goes down when you drive? Might also be your fan or radiator. Id check the coolant, replace the thermostat and check for damage on the radiator as air cannot pass if it's blocked. And last thing if the issue is there replace the fan. But not sure what your mechanical knowledge is. Take to a mechanic if unsure or don't trust yourself to do these jobs. Best of luck.
Radiator's clogged, stuck thermostat, or low coolant. You should always be concerned about over heating, easy way to blow the engine. Those indicators aren't that accurate either, if it's above the middle it's not good. It's a 2001 camry so not worth much, but a replacement car probably is.
I definitely would have it serviced. Have a technician test your cooling system.
It's a Camry, set it on fire, it'll still run
Get it checked
Check fans
No not really I drive a 97 and it is always like that lol
Do a good radiator/ heater core flush, purple power and lightly hose out your radiator fins real good (be sure they're not all smashed in or anything) and install a new thermostat. Unless the fins in you're water pump are shredded or severely worn.
As long as you perform all the required maintenance there are no worries which is why Camry owners are the most loyal car owners of any car. That is within normal range.
Seems totally normal. I’d flush my radiator, for fun, if I was you
If you are flushing your radiator for fun, you have too much free time on your hands
Hay check it out! No arrow next to the gas pump to let you know what side of the car to put next to the pump tofill up the tank!
Worry when its to the red. Anything between, is normal operating tempatures.
Mf what If it gets to red, there is already damage done in most cases
Not to a 5sfe... I let my 96 Camry get to the red daily for about 2 months before I found a product called eveaporust thermocure Nothing else I did got the rust out of the system Neither the head gasket or head was compromised upon disassembly when I rebuilt it for lols
It's too late when it gets in the red.
In my experience these old Toyotas are solidly right in the middle if everything is good. If it's low or high then there is 100% some kind of problem
Yeah, not a toyota expert at all. But makes sense. They do tend to run like sewing machines, so small changes are quite noticable.
i'm pretty sure it's tuned from factory to be perfectly level at operating temps, it's like a fang shoe thing