I have a 2007 Dodge Charger that’s running hot but the temp gauge fluctuates it gets hot then it cools off I can drive it for maybe 45 minutes before it starts to run hot please help idk what it could be I hope it’s not the head gasket any help is appreciated
What are you doing when it gets hot… what type driving? City stop-and-go or highway?
Since you didn’t tell us what engine… Is the fan turning when hot? Is there an electric fan? Does it run? Have you tried turning on the heat to cool it down? Does it work?
Do you have to add coolant regularly? Have you checked the coolant level (when cold!)?
I was driving city … stop and go and notice the gauge was going up it would go up then down with out the heat going. When it got closer to the red I took it to a shop and the mechanic flushed it and took the thermostat out in put it back in from there it ran fine no overheating. I left the shop drove it for about 35/45 min taking it right to the highway to check it out… well it drove fine without it going up then notice as I got off the highway back to the city is wen it started to move back towards the red. We let it cool off and drove it back home with the heat on and it didn’t run hot for about 10 min as I got to the street of where I live I looked down and it was running hot in the red so I parked it.
and it’s a 5.7 hemi and when it started running hot when I did get out and look only look under the hood it appeared as if no coolant had never left the coolant Reservoir…
Why in the world would this mechanic remove a thermostat on a 13 year old car and then reinstall it? If I read this right I can’t say that I think much of his procedure. Opinions vary, but mine is that a thermostat is a maintenance item, they’re cheap, and should be replaced say every 5 or 6 years to avoid a fried engine…
Running the engine until it’s at or in the red is causing more problems. Inoperative fan operation, plugged radiator, etc. are some causes but I go back to that business of reinstalling a used thermostat. If I pull a thermostat out of an engine it’s going to the trash bin; and yes a T-stat can act flaky with a fine one minute and not so fine in another minute.
Get this sorted out I would suggest keeping an eye on oil consumption. Overheating can seize oil control rings in the pistons due to coked (burnt) motor oil or glaze the cylinder walls. If your engine was not using oil before it could possibly do so now due to overheating.
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Are cooling fans running when motor is hot?
It’s in town at stop. No airflow.