[04ChevyColorado]

So I have an 04 Chevy Colorado 3.5cyl I5 and its running about 2 ticks over the center. I have put a new water pump on before this started about 3 months ago. About a week ago I replaced the thermostat. And today I got a coolant flush. I am still running hotter than usual. It used to run about 2 ticks below the middle now its about 2 ticks above the middle. Also it makes it up there within 2 miles of driving. When I come to a stoplight it will get hotter but as soon as I take off its down again. I have made sure my fan is working as well. So any advice at this point will be helpful. Thanks

 

[djb383]

The one cooling system component who's sole responsibility is to dissipate heat....is the radiator. The radiator seems to be the last component in the cooling system folks want to mess with when it should be the 1st, especially in an older vehicle.

Raditors can become plugged internally (the tubes) and no amount of flushing will remove scaled-up solid crud. The more plugged off tubes, the less efficient the rad becomes at dissipating heat. A rad shop will separate the tanks from the core and "rod out" each individual tube in the core, thus opening up/clearing each tube.....like it was new again. Call a rad shop or 2 for a quote and compare that to the cost of a new rad.

 

[08Canyon]

Also, that new thermostat is hotter than your 2004 factory thermostat and will register as such on your dash.

Do more reading here on the forums and you'll find your experiences is normal of anybody who pays attention to coolant temperature.

2-ticks below. Almost 3/4. 2-ticks above. Almost at the bottom. Those are all descriptions of how others explain the same thing you are noticing.

Now if the temp is unstable then there is reason for concern. Such as air in the system. Incorrect water/coolant ratio or a slipping fan clutch.
You said you made sure your fan is working well, but without a description of the physical test I'm acting as if you didn't say that.
To set you mind at ease, purchase an Ultragauge or Scangauge so you can monitor your temp. I run 186-215.

 

[djb383]

............I have made sure my fan is working as well. So any advice at this point will be helpful. Thanks

How do u "made sure my fan is working well"? All fan clutches degrade in performance with time/miles. Just because it spins doesn't mean it is pulling max air.

The difference in 2 dots below 1/2 to 2 dots above 1/2 sounds like way more increase in coolant temp than just a few degrees difference in t-stats. I can see the stat difference being one dot to the next, but not 1/4 of the gauge difference.

Pulling the rad is not that big of a deal.

 

[1BADI5]

Yeah GM went with hotter thermostats for emission reasons.; but you can still get 180* thermostats though.

Also, did you ensure to get all of the air out of the cooling system prior to closing it up?

 

[djb383]

What r the different stat temp ratings that GM used?

It's impossible to "get all the air out" after a flush/refill. The remaining air in the system (after a refill) will gradually escape after several heat/cool cycles. After refilling the cooling system it is very important to check coolant level in both the rad and bottle (MOTOR COLD) for several days/several heat/cool cycles. The rad should be full to the top and the bottle should be about 1/2 full, MOTOR COLD.

 

[1BADI5]

The 3 different heat ranges I have found were 180, 192 and 195

 

[djb383]

That 192 sounds like an oddball.....any idea what year(s) that was?