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Ive had my battery and alternator tested there both good and my battery light on my dashboard is on...
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Problem for Chevrolet Cars
Generic problem for all Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Cars
Silverado Coolant not getting hot enough?
My Silverado V6 has the check engine light come on. The scan tool says that the coolant isn't getting hot enough. I changed the coolant temp sensor, light went off. I also changed out alot of the coolant, as they said it could be caused by the breakdown of glycol in the coolant. I replaced it with DexCool, just like the factory. Light just came back on, scans the same. The temp guage doesn't go above 185, even though 210 seems to be the norm. What else is there? Thermostat stuck?
Solution #1
posted on Jul 14, 2009
it has to be either a broken gauge, faulty wiring, or poor coolant flow (although in the summer i doubt the coolant is staying 'too cold' in reality).
First, we will check the temp sensor 1. Pull the temp sensor out and let it hang. 2. Boil water -- it will be at 212* at its boiling point but cooling rapidly, so speed is key. Or better yet, if you have a thermometer and vegetable oil and steady hands, heat that up to 250* 3. Take the water or oil to the sensor and pop the sensor in it. Watch the gauge to see if it reads accurately (should show around 200 if you moved quickly with the water, oil will still be ~240ish and will work better, but is more dangerous). If the gauge is off, then we've found the problem. For better measure, if you have a thermometer you can place that next to the temp sensor to compare results.
if the temp reading is too low (lower than what your thermometer reads), it is also possible that you have a short in the wiring or simply corroded wires connected to it, adding resistance to the wire which would result in a lower reading. (people sometimes use this to their advantage with the air temp sensor -- add a 100ohm or so resistor in-line with the sensor to trick the cpu into thinking the temp is colder, prompting it to adjust the air/gas mix and yielding a couple hp increase, although damaging to your system.)
the more i think about it, the more a faulty wiring feels like it could be the problem. if the temperature is reading accurately, i'd take a serious look at the flow of coolant through the system. if it isn't heating up then it must not be contacting enough heat. there may be blockage somewhere; crimped hose or maybe just mystery gunk.
hopefully this helps, if anything it's a start. most of the time it seems like solutions are found unexpectedly when testing completely different things. good luck!
First, we will check the temp sensor 1. Pull the temp sensor out and let it hang. 2. Boil water -- it will be at 212* at its boiling point but cooling rapidly, so speed is key. Or better yet, if you have a thermometer and vegetable oil and steady hands, heat that up to 250* 3. Take the water or oil to the sensor and pop the sensor in it. Watch the gauge to see if it reads accurately (should show around 200 if you moved quickly with the water, oil will still be ~240ish and will work better, but is more dangerous). If the gauge is off, then we've found the problem. For better measure, if you have a thermometer you can place that next to the temp sensor to compare results.
if the temp reading is too low (lower than what your thermometer reads), it is also possible that you have a short in the wiring or simply corroded wires connected to it, adding resistance to the wire which would result in a lower reading. (people sometimes use this to their advantage with the air temp sensor -- add a 100ohm or so resistor in-line with the sensor to trick the cpu into thinking the temp is colder, prompting it to adjust the air/gas mix and yielding a couple hp increase, although damaging to your system.)
the more i think about it, the more a faulty wiring feels like it could be the problem. if the temperature is reading accurately, i'd take a serious look at the flow of coolant through the system. if it isn't heating up then it must not be contacting enough heat. there may be blockage somewhere; crimped hose or maybe just mystery gunk.
hopefully this helps, if anything it's a start. most of the time it seems like solutions are found unexpectedly when testing completely different things. good luck!
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This Problem Also Relates To:
2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
2000 Chevrolet Blazer
2003 Chevrolet Impala
2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
2001 Chevrolet Blazer
2000 Chevrolet Cavalier
1998 Chevrolet Malibu
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