Stock Temp Guage=GARBAGE!

[Gnnr]

So today, I'm driving to a friends house to fix some things. As I'm getting close to his house I start hearing a loud clacking sound. I'm thought it was the spark issue he was going to help me fix. I pull into his driveway, turn off the car and pop the hood. I look down and there is white smoke coming from the engine bay. Upon closer inspection I notice its the motor for the electric (Taurus) fan I have installed. I immediately unplug it (it was ghetto wired....yeah I know- bad) and wait for the smoke to clear. I thought all was okay because my temp guage is functional, and I would have know if it was overheating. WRONG WRONG WRONG. When I turned the key it was WAY over the H. My engine was at nuclear mealtdown.

Hopefully I didn't screw anything up. I have to get it checked. This already happend twice before last week (http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=110951)...the loud clacking sound I thought was a spark issue- but apparently was my engine overheating.

My two questions:
1. Since I overheated bad a few times already, what should I check for damage and how?

2. What is a much more accurate way to monitor the engine temperature?

Thanks.

[gotta240]

get any aftermarket temp guage... Easy to install, easy to read!

[Irukandji]

i think you're engine is fucked.

The End.

[Gnnr]

^Worst case scenario, you may be right. But I did get the car towed home in the afternoon after this happend. I just went over cranked the car and drove it in the parking lot. It turns on fine. No smoke is coming out the exhaust of any kind, it idles fine, and drives fine (for the few times I went around the lot with it). So something must be okay? I'll have to see tommorow when I can install another fan and take it to a shop.

[drew935]

compression test it hot and cold.

[S13Eye]

Greddy Multi Switching System

http://www.trust-power.com/02greddy/electricparts/images/mss_01.jpg

It costs as much as a high end temp gauge. It will display coolant temperature, RPM, and vehicle speed. A warning can be set to sound and flash when either of the 3 inputs reaches a set value. Best of all, the MSS has 2 outputs that can be used to activate relays, which in turn can operate anything you want - electric fans as an example.

[Gnnr]

<mr. burns>hmmm....exxxxccelent</mr. burns> I can kill 2 birds with one stone there if I can use it as a fan controller.

[S13Eye]

The instructions are Japanese only. Here is the only english instructions that i know of, and this is what i used to install the MSS on my own car.

http://www.frsport.com/greddy-multi-switching-system-p-524.html

Edit: On FRSport they say its a fan controller, but it simply signals relays so it can be used to run anything. On my car one channel was used to run Flex-A-Lite Dual 12" fans. The other channel can be used for whatever you want, like an electric exhaust dump, water injection, intercooler spray, or shift light.

[DJPimpFlex]

you could have blown your head gasket or warped your block or both. As was said before, compression test it hot and cold, and check your exhaust for white smoke. If the compression test is good then your probably ok. Also GET A REAL TEMP GAUGE! The stock one are completely worthless... I dont have any stock gauges left...

[seanc]

a factory or electric temp gauge will only accuretly display if it is immensed in fluid, maybe enough of it leaked out quick enough and the factory gauge never saw "hot" fluid...

[pr240sx]

Happened to my recently but I knew that my engine was overheating

Check:
plugs
plugs wires, could be melted inside the plug holes
check compression
change oil now probably sludge now
wire correctly that fan.... NOW!!
thermostat
replace coolant

If the car runs good, no water missing, no white smoke, good compression your engine is ok...injured but ok.

Also, the best gauge set you can find is the MDM-100 from Techtom. Actually is several gauges in one and uses the stock ECU temp sensor, and connects to the diag port on your car.

[projectRDM]

Stock Temp Gauge=GARBAGE!

Welcome to Earth. We all knew this already, long before the internet existed.