Hello. Crew... I have an 04 maxima SE... and the thing is.. when I go for a long drive on freeway.. my thermostat gauge goes above normal... a quarter away from HOT (H)... and just stays there... and then after a bit.. it goes down to Normal.. then goes back up... any idea what this might be??? Has anyone seen this or occured to you?? And I check my radiator.. its full and also resevoir is full aswell.

 

I have the same problem ive changed my thermostat , radiator, water pump. i have no clue what could it be.

 

http://www.ehow.com/about_6402413_ca...luctuate_.html
Recommend starting here. I would have said thermostat is the problem, possibly stuck or not going full open or shut.
http://www.ehow.com/facts_4883180_sy...stat-cars.html
There are ways to test the thermostat out of the car and see if it is working correctly as well. Another thing could be that you might have air in your coolant. Park on an inclined driveway with the nose of the car facing up. With the engine cool, remove the coolant cap. Do not take it off, just loosen. Start your car and turn your heat up full bore. Watch the cap to make sure you are not spewing coolant all over. Once the heat starts to come out very hot, then shut the car off. If this doesn't happen before the car is at normal operating temp, then it is surely your thermostat. Sometimes, it can be the flap that changes from the air conditioning to the heat that gets stuck half way. Not very often, but can happen. It sounds to me more likely an air bubble in the coolant. good luck. if you loose some coolant, just top it off with some water.

 

Clogged radiator- (if you or previous owner ever used radiator flush chemical or similar crap, I almost guarantee your radiator is screwed big time). The only way to test radiator is in radiator shop, they have a special machine that tests flow-through rate, or simply swap radiator, if you have the money.

Stuck thermostat- simply change damn thing, Testing old thermostat in hot water or whatever you read on internet is bunch of b..$hit, just throw it away and install a new part, it is not expensive.

Bad water pump, but this is unlikely, unless you got super high mileage.

Can be also faulty gauge, which is also unlikely.

Can be faulty coolant temperature sending unit, in which case it would probably trip CEL.

 

Have you done anything else to your car tho??? Ypu still have that problem???

 

I have 140××× on my car now. But ive done everything that guys suggested. I cant even go 10 mins down the street without my car fans on high and my heat doesny work.

 

If your heat doesnt work then your thermostat is stuck open

 

I replaced that already. What could be the problem why it isnt opening?

 

Very confused. You are saying that your temp gauge is showing 3/4 to H right? and you don't have heat in your car? So your engine is almost overheating yet you can't get the car to heat up? These have to be two completely separate problems.

 

Yes those are the problems I am having. Ok heres another weird part whrn I fo step on the gas the heat comes out but after cruising it stops.

 

sounds like you have air in your system. You will get heat while driving, however when you come to a stop light or idle, your heat will cool down, you need to burp the coolant system.

 

I have done that also mt friend. Ima try that again later tonight

 

Park on an inclined driveway with the nose of the car facing up. <--(5-10 degree) With the engine cool, remove the coolant cap. Start your car and turn your heat up full bore. Watch the coolant to make sure it is not spewing all over. Once the heat starts to come out very hot, then shut the car off. Fill with coolant/water as needed. The car needs to get hot enough for the thermostat to open and allow the coolant to cycle through the engine. Once it opens, the coolant level will drop if there was air in the pocket. keep an eye on your coolant to make sure you are not spilling it all over the ground. I recommend putting some shop rags or towels down to catch any coolant that comes out.

 

Ok you will here from me tomorrow and ill let you know how it goes.

 

air in the system for sure, that is THE sign.

 

Yea, had this happen on a GF's Honda.

 

Yea removing the air pocket didnt work. I think I might have a head gasket problem.

 

I had the same sounding trouble on my 2000 GLE -- 2 "aftermarket" thermostats, three radiators, two cooling fans... still same problem (car woudln't overheat, gauge would sit high on the freeway or traffic) -- finally went and spent the $40 on a OEM Dealer Tstat - fixed everything ---

 

What did that do to your car to prevent it from doing that?

Its weird because when im on the highway and the temperature over 81 degrees my car doesnt overheat but wheneverbits below that it overheats.

 

did you put it in backwards? Is that even possible?

 

Lol I dont think its possible to put it in backwards. ause:

But I honestly think its a leak in my head gasket becuase I see oil in my coolant system. Smh

 

well that would definitely cause it. I used this stuff on my expedition and it worked awesome for repair: I got it at autozone and it definitely did the job. It worked up until I sold it 3 years later. This stuff is amazing

 

Ok how much is it? Will I have to do a lot to apply it

 

it's like $20 or less. It is very easy to do. Just make sure you follow the steps completely and don't cut any corners.

 

That was my first thought. But I don't think it's possible with these cars. DOn't they come built into the housing?

It's funny though, when I was 16 I did exactly that on my 88 5.0. I was still learning how it all worked.

Yea, or you'll have a complete mess on your hands.

 

Whats that stuff called? Blue devil or is it called something different. ?

 

lol, there is a picture of it with all the information you need

 

Yea I brought the blue devil one lol there less steps then other one. Ill let you know how it goes tomorrow morning.

 

I just read some reviews on this stuff and it is not good. I strongly warn you against using this stuff. Do your research before buying just any additive. I only have experience using the stuff I mentioned in my Ford Expedition. So keep that in mind.

 

do you have a nissan thermostat? if not go get one at the dealer and then see.

 

I brought thermostat from autozone. I think its a duralast one.

 

I feel sorry for the person whoever bought your Expedition, without him or her realizing that this temporary "fix" is just bunch of hype and promises just like with any other additive junk available on market right now. Used car vehicle market is virtually flooded with these, having banana peels in transmission to prevent slips, some idiotic "oil leak stoppers", radiator stop leaks that eventually clog damn radiator and here is another "band-aid".

To OP- do not use any additives or temporary fixes, you will thank me later. Also, use Duralast thermostat and do not think twice, it will work just fine. If thermostat is not fixing your issue, then it is clogged radiator or failing water pump. And yes, you may have a blown head gasket, which my or may not worth the repair depending on your mileage. Some people who responded to your post, are wannabe mechanics, giving you wrong advice.

 

Thank you I returned the stuff. Butbi have 140xxx miles on my car

 

I already had my radiator and water pump changed.
It took the mechanic a whole week to a change a water pump.
But whats ****ed up my timing is off and you can hear a loud ticing coming from the lifter or timing chain

 

You had to expect a response out of this garbage post. To begin with the Expedition had a rebuilt motor with a "blown" head gasket. White smoke, milky residue, the whole 9 yards. This stuff I posted work on that truck for 3 years. Great Bandaid if you ask me. $20 and 24 hours verse 4500 for a new engine install. That is quite the savings. I could theoretically add 224 more bottles for the cost of a new engine. That is 672 more years of bandaids. I drove that truck everywhere without a hitch. Then traded it in for an Escalade. Would do it again in a heartbeat and will use this product again in the future if need be. As for a wannabe mechanic, I am self taught with 14 years of experience tinkering with crap. I can replace/rebuild engines and just about anything on a vehicle. I will not mess with transmissions, but if it came down to it. Pull the manual and figure it out. The advice is just that, advice. Take it or leave it. I did a 3 minute research on the product the OP purchased and warned against it based on reviews I read. Either way it's ultimately the OPs decision on what he does. I for one would use an additive if it would "bandaid" a problem until I had the money to fix it correctly. At times like this sometimes a bandaid does the trick.

 

Well, if you ask me, no true and experienced mechanic, doing repairs for 14 years, doing engine rebuilds as you say you are, will never use any additives. I would highly recommend spending another 3 minutes of your valuable time and research various feedback about the product named Head Gasket Repair by Nanotechnologies. For those who owned 30 year old clunkers that are worth $zero, of course, this stuff "works", they've got nothing to lose, it either runs, or blows smoke and finally gets towed to nearest junk yard. I would not recommend messing with additives on '04 Maxima with 140K on it, since car is still worth thousands. With that I will conclude my another garbage advice. Take it or leave it as you say. Hope some readers will find this informative.

 

So at least we agree. It will either work or not work. If it doesn't you get a new head gasket installed. I personally would take the gamble even if I hadn't used the stuff before. You are giving the advice to get the repair done right, well that requires a tear down. Either do the tear down or spend $20 and possibly "bandaid" your problem. Like I said, worked on my 98 Expedition for 3 years without any issues. Was our family truck and we took it everywhere. Not to mention we lived in Hawaii where it's hot year round and stop and go traffic everywhere. I will agree in the fact that some additives are not meant for all cars. For instance I tried using an additive that had copper in it that claimed to fix compression of the engine. Big mistake, didn't get very far down the street before it threw some codes. Scanned it and sensors did not like it at all. Should have figured it was too good to be true. Did an oil flush immediately and all was good. Was lucky in that I didn't destroy the sensors. For the record Nissan uses an additive for oil when they change it, at least mine do. I am pretty sure it was discussed a while back, something like BG MOA or something. I will see if I can find it.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/6th-generat...-restorer.html
Here is the thread that talks about the crap not to put into your car.

 

A lot of people don't know this about thermostats but 3 out of 5 thermostats are crap right off the auto store shelf! It's true, I was taught this in auto mechanics 1 back in my junior year of high school and so many time I found this to be a true fact.
Just thought I'd add this and pass it along.

 

get a nissan thermostat and be done with it