How Hot does your car get pulling long steep hills?

[Bludodger]

Knowing that guages are different for each car, I was curious to ask...

On flat stretches on the Highway the car runs at midway on the guage. However with NO A/C on, when pulling up long hills in Upstate NY (elevation 1272- / I-84)  the car seemed to be approaching 4/4 on the guage  but never overheating. The car would return to 1/2- 3/4 once started down the hill. Just curious. Does this sound normal/ familiar?

[burn_your_money]

Mine never gets that hot, but I don't really have any logng steep hills, there's long ones, and steep ones, but not both together

[bvolks73]

Even on the hardest hills (had to shift down into fourth a couple times) on a 300 mile road trip a few weeks ago my guage never got above half way. Did around 140 km/h for most of it and never got hot.

[LeeG]

straight up and down most of the time, even when beating on it.  almost one notch higher happens if going slowly up a hill in traffic, same hill wound out in 3rd @ 100kmh all the way = straight up and down.

[jtanguay]

I'd recommend that you hookup a digital gauge somewhere around the radiator or wherever the coolant will pass.  Maybe the steep incline is creating a blockage for coolant to pass???  4/4 is pretty hot... I'd imagine in the range of 110C  :shock:

If your coolant is that hot, just imagine how hot the head must be... Pocket of air getting trapped somewhere in the motor...  Maybe you should do a bleed of the system with the expansion tank cap off. get the air out

and btw, is your coolant level at max?

[jtanguay]

forgot to mention.  If you hookup a nice thermometer to your rad, go on a hill that makes your temp climb.  If the thermometer stays low and your gauge reads high, there could be a blockage.  (the rad should read around 80-90C.  If it does go higher, your fan might not have the high speed switch)


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