Check Gage light comes on... and off...and on...

[lwrdrhvn]

So, just in the past week this light comes on and then goes off... i have plenty of gas every time... i don't have a manual so i don't know what else the light is for... also, my auto transmission seems to be slipping at around 25-30 mph... and also, sometimes when i hit the brakes to slow down at a light i notice my RPMs rev up a little right towards the end of the stop... from like 1.5 to 2... could these problems be related? i am due for a maintenance tune up.... 90k mile...

any insight would help... did a search, came up with lots of problems that worry me more than anything....

 

[Jefe]

I think the Check Gage light only aplies to gauges on the dash, so check those (ie engine temp, oil press, etc) next time it comes on.

 

[lwrdrhvn]

I think the Check Gage light only aplies to gauges on the dash, so check those (ie engine temp, oil press, etc) next time it comes on.

yeah, you know what... i just looked again and this time the temperature shot up all the way... while searching the threads i saw something similar... i will need to find that thread again... but if you have any suggestions let me know... the temp gage stayed at almost H for the ride and before the trans was sluggish...

 

[pax]

Check the coolant level, make sure it is full. If it is full, watch your temperature gauge from when the car is cold to see if the temperature goes up the "H" gradually, if it goes up to the "H" and stays there, you have a stuck closed thermostat. Replace the thermostat.

I wouldn't drive the truck in this condition, you are driving with an overheated engine, it would cause major damage.

If your temp gauge only goes up to the "H" momentarily and then back to normal again, either you have an air pocket in the cooling system, you have to burp the air out or the temp gauge itself is defective.

 

[lwrdrhvn]

Check the coolant level, make sure it is full. If it is full, watch your temperature gauge from when the car is cold to see if the temperature goes up the "H" gradually, if it goes up to the "H" and stays there, you have a stuck closed thermostat. Replace the thermostat.

I wouldn't drive the truck in this condition, you are driving with an overheated engine, it would cause major damage.

If your temp gauge only goes up to the "H" momentarily and then back to normal again, either you have an air pocket in the cooling system, you have to burp the air out or the temp gauge itself is defective.

how can you tell if the thermostat is broken? i mean visually? after taking it out... the things the truck is doing point to the tstat... so i will go that route... thx for the input... it seems to be a popular x problem...

 

[pax]

You can test it with a boiling pot of water, if it doesn't open when it is boiling it is stuck closed. Your thermostat should start opening at around 195F. You can immerse a room thermomterr along with it to check the temperature.
Thermostat is only a few dollars, once you had it out, you may as well just put a new one in. You can do the test to confirm the old one is defective.

 

[Majisto]

T-stat is a common problem on any vehicle. My girlfriend's Chevrolet was having ridiculously annoying over-heating problems. We drove it while over-heated once, and two weeks later, we blew an intake gasket. PITA to fix. Don't ever drive your motor while it's over-heated!