Its running hot with water level good - 2002 Mazda Millenia

-How hot it is...?
-Check water level when it's cold. If it's low, add more.
-If it's still hot, it might need to flush and check the thermostat.
Is it open at temperature... (180-190*)? If not replace new one.

Good Luck

Mai

This can be caused by an insufficient coolant (aka antifreeze) level. Look at the coolant level in the reservoir under the hood. There should be two marks on the bottle "warm" or "hot" and "cool" or "cold". If the engine has been running for a while as in the case when the car has been driven few miles, the coolant level should be up to the "warm" or "hot" line on the bottle. If the car has been parked without the engine running for a couple of hours or more, the coolant level should be at the "cool" or "cold" line on the bottle.

Never remove the radiator cap when hot or if the engine has only been been stopped for less than 2 or 3 hours.

If the hot coolant is at a level that is below the warm or hot line, you should add more of the coolant / water mixture only to the reservoir - not to the radiator. If you are only able to check the coolant level when it is hot - you will have to repeat this procedure until the coolant level of the reservoir is maintained. Checking the hot coolant level can only be done when it has been allowed to cool between hot checks. The cooling period is the only time when coolant is drawn from the reservoir back into the radiator.

If the cold coolant is at a level below the cool or cold line of the reservoir you should add more of the coolant / water mixture to the reservoir and to the radiator, too. Fill the radiator to the top of the neck where the tube from the reservoir connects to it.

If you're still having widely fluctuating temperatures while driving at normal operating speeds, there may be a problem with the water pump, thermostat or other portion of the cooling system.

I hope this helps & good luck!

keep an eye at water level and water color .
if water level decrease but its color is the same so it is a radiator pressure cap - re[lace it
if the water color is changing brown milky so its cylinder head gaskets and you must have it don in the shop your car is old one

yes.. you could be overheating and ruining your engine... sounds like you have got it hot and maybe blown a headgasket or something

First thing to check would be the water pump. With the engine off, look under the hood and grab the fan with both hands. (Some cars have two fans, an electric one, and a belt driven one.) You want to grab the belt driven fan, and see if there is any play. Also check the coolant level, then check for leaks at the water pump. Make sure all belts are in place. This is the place to start, if the water pump is good, it could be a bad head gasket, you may have lost compression on one cylinder, causing the engine to run roughly.

15 minutes is about right to heat up an engine, are you saying it's getting too hot? water/antifreeze level? water pump maybe. Start it from cold let it idle until it's hot, does the fan come on and the guage go down then the fan turn off? If it does and fluid levels are good it's working fine

Hi,
I rather actual temperature gauges over lights, since you know if you're truly running hot or not.
In your case, I would recommend that when this happens, have someone use a thermal indicator (maybe autozone can do this) to see what your engine temp is and see if it's running hot. The light is tripped by a sensor that is activated by excessive heat from the engine.
If the engine temp is normal, replace the sensor. If it's hot:
1. Make sure you're oil level is good
2. Make sure the coolant level is good
3. Make sure the water pump is working
(I'll assume your radiator is not stopped up)
4. Consider replacing the thermostat.
I hope this helps... Good luck!

CHECK WATER LEVEL CHECK OIL LEVEL IF NO WATER FILL UP AND IF WATER DISSAPERS OR TURNS MILKY YOU HAVE A HEAD GASKET PROB CHECK WHILE RUNNING BUT DONT GET TOO HOT

check for a blown head gasket it will sometimes pump air into the heads and make the coolant levels seem fine but in truth they are not and check the water pump for rusted fins make shure the water level sucks down during sharp throtteling of the motor if so the cooling system is fine as far as that goes but where to start

1.) tempature switch located on the motor it tells the ecu when to kick on the cooling fan

2.) fans spin freely without taking force

3.) thermostat it could be stuck closed due to someone at sometime only running water without antifreez and causing the pressure pin to rust and freeze the gate shut

4.) monitor the water levels if they go down suddenly as 1 gallon of water a week or 2 weeks its a bad head gasket you can see this on spark plugs as well

and for most your water pump make shure you get good heat from the heater at low running tempatures and start the car and monitor what the water in the radiator does (while its cold) the water in a car is over 195% and can easily do harm if the car is just warmed up not even close to over heating so you can imagine what it could do at an over heated state



but get the problem fixed or else you can result in blown head gaskets water in the oil piston breakdown do to rust in the piston walls and even worse complete engine failure

Change the engine oil or top it up to the specified level if the oil is still good and not burnt. After such conditions if the engine oil level is low, it would be advisable to change it completely. Also check if water pump is able to circulate the water properly(see on removing the radiator cap while the engine is running). Clean all plugs as added safety and try...sodeep