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2.5L temp gauge wiggle

3K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  16WhiteColly 
#1 ·
link to video of gauge:


2017 2.5L with ~8k miles. the gauge will wiggle between 210 and the next lowest tick mark while idling. have driven the truck about 800 miles since i bought it, city and highway driving, and it has not overheated or gone past 210 on the gauge. i know that analog gauges aren’t reliable but has anyone experienced this? i don’t have the gurgle sound bc i overfilled the expansion tank and ran it for a while to bleed the cooling system.

i have some time left on the powertrain warranty so i want to take it in if it’s something worth spending time on.
 
#2 ·
link to video of gauge:


2017 2.5L with ~8k miles. the gauge will wiggle between 210 and the next lowest tick mark while idling. have driven the truck about 800 miles since i bought it, city and highway driving, and it has not overheated or gone past 210 on the gauge. i know that analog gauges aren’t reliable but has anyone experienced this? i don’t have the gurgle sound bc i overfilled the expansion tank and ran it for a while to bleed the cooling system.

i have some time left on the powertrain warranty so i want to take it in if it’s something worth spending time on.
Could still be an air bubble. Have you tried parking on an incline or decline to burp the system ?
 
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#3 ·
I had this issue in early 2022, found out that my coolant reservoir was cracked, also it was saying it was overheating, but wasn't. Dealer fixed issue and no problems until Last Friday 1/6/2023. Temp gauge fluctuated and vehicle had a rough idle. But as soon as it came it went and hasn't done it since. Wondering if there is air getting into cooling system and making the temp gauge go crazy?
 
#5 ·
Almost has to be air bubble in the system. As mentioned above, park it with the front on an incline, run it with the heater on and the cap off the bottle and see if you can burp some air bubbles out of it. Should see no bubbles. After that, top off slightly above tge full mark on level ground.
 
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#6 ·
I have a 2016 with the 2.5L and 119,000 miles. Last spring (~105k miles), I was driving along a fairly straight road with some hills on a relatively warm day, and I noticed the needle was just touching the red. I had it towed, and the dealer couldn't find anything wrong the next day.

I didn't have any trouble until a couple days before Christmas. On a brutally cold 5 degree day (rare in Tennessee), I was driving very slowly because it was dark, snowy, and my wife was following behind me. I noticed the needle wiggling like that, and then it went up to the red unless I sped up. I went to the dealership (same one) the next day only to learn they were closed due to weather, and they weren't reopening until 12/27. I used a bluetooth/wifi scan gauge and Torque app to check my temperatures while driving around town. The needle wiggled the whole time, and occasionally went up to the next mark above 210. The scan tool would show about 240 degrees at times. After a bit, it started up to the red area again. The truck sat at the dealership from 12/27 until 12/29. When they told me it would be a week or two before they got to it, I brought it back home and got an appointment for 2/2 at another dealership about 45 minutes away.

The second dealership said they couldn't duplicate the problem. They said they could let it sit another day and check it again in the morning, so I told them to do that. There was no charge, and it ran fine driving back home. It ran fine for a week or two, and then the needle started wiggling again. It makes me nervous because I sometimes drive this truck over 600 miles each way to visit my family, and I don't want to have it overheating with my wife and 2 dogs in the truck on the interstate.

I don't understand why nobody else can duplicate the problem when it is doing it, as I would start it every day or two during the week it was in my driveway, and it would start running hot within a few minutes. Outside temperature doesn't seem to affect it. I know I probably need to change the plugs and wires now that it has well over 100k miles, and I've looked at what i would take to replace the thermostat (it looks like a pain...). This temperature issue has me considering trading it, but I'd rather fix it and keep it for dirty jobs and hauling stuff.
 
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