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Why does my engine temperature go all the way up before coming back to the center when I start my car?

Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Asked by Andi Buch on August 29, 2020

When I first start my car the last few days (A 2008 Toyota Camry that I’ve had since it was new in 2007, 13 years) the temperature needle ends up slowly climbing past the halfway point all the way to the top. Only then, about two minutes into using it, does it slowly drop. It takes about a minute more until it stabilizes at the midpoint and stays there until I’m done driving my car

This happens, generally, after each time I leave it sitting for more than a few hours. Sometimes it doesn’t climb all the way; sometimes it just goes a little above the middle before dropping and stabilizing

The first time I noticed it, I heard what sounded like an extra set of fans kick on when it got all the way up, which quickly cooled it down to the middle

Running the AC might be making it worse – making it go up faster? But it seems to go up regardless of whether the AC is on or not. My AC was recharged (for the first time, I believe) about two months ago…

2 Answers

My first suspicion is with the thermostat. It may be failing "slow" which means it's not opening when it should and it takes the much higher temperature and pressure of the hot coolant to open.

Replace it and I suspect the problem will be solved.

Answered by jwh20 on August 29, 2020

I am not familiar with the car model in question, but I have pretty much seen the same behavior in other temperature indicators in cars.

This is an artifact of the indicator design and doesn't mean that the engine overheats.

Answered by fraxinus on August 29, 2020

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