Ok its a n00bish question... I'm fairly certain of the answer, but I thought while at work i would ask the HT crew.

My temp gauge in the car is jumping up and down from "normal running temp" to almost red when i drive the car for more than 30 min or so.

Now my T-stat is only a year old... then again its just an advanced auto T-stat... *shrug* Thats what i think it is... but i also thing my water pump is on its last legs, since i can hear it fairly loudly...

any suggestions?

 

Well the bearings in the pump might be bad, but I'm willing to bet it's still spinning and moving water. A thermostat is cheap and easy (har har) and worth a shot if you've got a cheapie one in there. Other possiblities: clogged up radiator, bent fins, air bubble in coolant system, blown head gasket...

 

well i'm pretty convinced its just air in the system (yes i have a leak somewhere and i cant find it)... i show no other signs of a head gasket issue... the T stat is a cheapie but fairly new... i'm going to boil it over when i get home from work my radiator is about 2 years old...

thanks for the info.

 

just for future refrence, incase it is searched... it turned out to be my water pump.

It got hot (not red) so i pulled over and popped the hood. From the timing belt cover there was steam coming out... I have a circle cut for my cam gear... and it was just pouring out from below that.