My 2013 Express has a gauge that goes from 100 to 260 with a midpoint of 210 (which isn't linear, but i digress)

Up until this past week, it's never gone above to 210F. We've had a big heat wave this past week and I was driving up a big sustained climb with AC on in 100+ temps and noticed the gauge started to climb. It got about to the line about 1/8 of the way past 210 (so roughly 222.5F) before I turned the AC off. Turning the AC off didn't seem to help much, but the hill evened out and turned into rolling hills and the temp crept down.

Curious what other folks do if/when the gauge goes past 210F. Technically, the gauge seems to say anything under 260F is safe, but I suspect that's not accurate.

 

climbing in hot weather with the AC running really pushes the cooling system to its limits, so no surprise there. If it reaches 222F briefly and then returns to normal then I wouldn't be concerned


The system is pressurized meaning it won't boil below 260F, so I'm sure there's a reason they chose that value.

Just make sure the coolant is topped up, and you change it regularly (good for 5 years). Keep the radiator clean and fan in good shape, and you should be fine. Never shut off the engine when it gets hot like this.

 

Under these conditions (heat wave + sustained climb), what ballpark temp warrants turning off the AC and what ballpark temp warrants pulling over and letting the van idle to cool down?

 

my personal unscientific take is turn off AC if it goes above midway. If it still continues to rise without stabilizing and approaches say around 3/4, then I would give it an idle break. Lift the hood , open the windows and crank the heater up to full. But if it does get that high then something likely needs attention

 

i have a 2013 express among others also. i had mine climb due to low coolant. it got almost to 3/4 hot and my AC turned off by its self and soon after it went into limp mode. i got ot to an advance auto and put coolant in it and found a small leak in the radiator which i promptly changed

 

The maximum value on any gauge has nothing to do with what's safe. They just tell you how bad a problem is and how fast you're destroying things.

If you get close to maxing out the temp gauge you're warping heads and looking at a head gasket job. If your voltage starts running at 19v there's a problem. Most cars have tachometers that read well past redline and speedos that max out way past what the car can do or the tires are rated for. Just about any gauge I can think of, on any equipment, reads past whats ideal and into danger levels.

As far as going a few degrees over like you did it should be fine. You didn't hurt anything.

It does seem like the van should be able to keep it's temp even in those conditions. What if you had been pulling a trailer? It could be that the cooling system is getting weak. Maybe crud in the radiator, water pump fins breaking down or the cooling fan clutch not fully engaging. If it was a slow climb it may have needed all the fan could give. If the clutch was slipping that could cause it to overheat.

Also check the condenser and make sure it's not clogged with bugs,seed pods or whatever may be floating around this time of year.

 

The climb was at highway speeds, so I'm not sure how involved the fan would have been. Water pump and coolant were changed in the past 2 years with OEM parts. Could be clogged rad or condensor. Good advice, thanks.

 

Yeah, wouldn't be the fan. I was picturing a slow climb on a mountain road for some reason. You might also swap the thermostat just for good measure. It could be failing to open all the way and causing a restriction.

 

Condenser was pretty clear of obstructions. Maybe could use a quick clean, there was one spot that has some spider webs and other crap, but 99% of it was clear.

Thermostat was replaced with the water pump.

Maybe the system could use a good cleaning (side note: I've had really good luck with thoro-flush in other vehicles in the past)