# Overheating or Faulty Gauge

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-or-faulty-gauge/75183>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** chrysler, ptcruiser\
**Created:** [October 26, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-or-faulty-gauge/75183 "2012-10-26T20:18:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Elvis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Elvis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Elvis)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-or-faulty-gauge/75183/1 "2012-10-26T20:18:19Z")

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After running for a while traveling to and from the store, my temperature gauge  
on my 2005 PT cruiser rises to hot and the temperature light comes on. However,  
when I get out and raise the hood. The engine doesn’t seem to be overly hot.  
No boiling or hissing sound and no steam coming from the engine. Any ideas?

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**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-or-faulty-gauge/75183/2 "2012-10-26T20:53:59Z")

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You could start by checking to see if you have coolant. Check when cold in the radiator as well as the reservoir. If you have no coolant, you need to refill the system and determine why…where the leak is. Any shop can help you with this.

Do not drive the car until you find out what’s going on. If you do, you’ll destroy the engine permanently.

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**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-or-faulty-gauge/75183/3 "2012-10-26T22:12:46Z")

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What TSMB said. Assume the gauge/light are correct until proven otherwise.

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**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-or-faulty-gauge/75183/4 "2012-10-26T23:59:32Z")

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If you have both a guage and light, they aren’t both wrong and you wouldn’t necessarily see steam. Most likely you are either low on coolant and have a leak, or you need a new thermostat.