temp alarm at idle only

gazelle

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Messages
78
2008 4.3 L alpha one

The temp alarm goes off sometimes when I am in Neutral or at low idol. Once I get up to about 5 mph the alarm shuts off. The temp gauge reads normal.

Any ideas of where to begin? If the impeller was bad I would not think the alarm would not go off at higher speeds. Maybe the thermostat?

In full disclosure I did install the battery backwards (idiot) and blew the fuse on the starter solenoid and replaced it. Could I have screwed up something else?

Thanks

Andy
 

Lyle29464

Lieutenant
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
1,261
Re: temp alarm at idol only

Re: temp alarm at idol only

The alarm circuit should have been open when you put the battery in. Dont think that hurt it.
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,465
Re: temp alarm at idol only

Re: temp alarm at idol only

Ayuh,... Change the Impeller...
That's the 1st place to look in Any overheat situation...
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: temp alarm at idol only

Re: temp alarm at idol only

The temp alarm goes off sometimes when I am in Neutral or at low idol......... The temp gauge reads normal.

Get one of those IR Temp guns and when the alarm sounds, aim the gun at the base of the temp alarm switch and see what the reading is.
If the gun agrees with your temp gauge and there is no overheat, the switch may be defective.
 

gazelle

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Messages
78
Re: temp alarm at idol only

Re: temp alarm at idol only

So I changed the impeller, how do I tell if it was bad? It looked to be in good shape. I was not cracked and was there in its entirety
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: temp alarm at idol only

Re: temp alarm at idol only

Start it up and see if the alarm goes off at idle. If it does, the impeller was not your problem. Did you check that it was actually overheating while using a temp gun?
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,465
Re: temp alarm at idol only

Re: temp alarm at idol only

So I changed the impeller, how do I tell if it was bad? It looked to be in good shape. I was not cracked and was there in its entirety


Ayuh,... Unless the fins were reasonably pliable, 'n self straightening,...
It wasn't a wasted effort, whether it was the problem, or not....
 

dg512055

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jul 9, 2009
Messages
92
Re: temp alarm at idol only

Re: temp alarm at idol only

I do not know about this model, but could it possibly be the oil pressure sending the alarm? Temp gauge reads normal and alarm is only at very low RPM. Oil pressure could be low at idle.
 
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