We have a coolant leak at the Y that joins to the coolant hose underneath the rear what appears to be the distributor. having a hard time locating this part. It has been causing spikes in temperature to overheating.. our average running temp is now over half.. whereas it was a quarter before

SOURCE: 2001 dodge stratus engine temperature gauge spikes occasionally

Look for a loose connection to the temperature sender unit on the motor.
If all connections OK, you may need a new temp sender unit.

SOURCE: 1997 dodge neon. replaced coolant temperature

1997 Plymouth Neon, have replaced radiator, radiation cap, thermostate and hoses, still run hot. Fans do not seem to come on, where is the temperature sensor on this vehicle?

steve morris

• 1675 Answers
• Posted on Mar 18, 2010

SOURCE: coolant temperature gauage spiking

hi, this sounds like your fan not cutting in at the right time, when you are in traffic it will get hot as the fan is not doing its job, but when you are driving the water is getting cooled by the air comming in through the grill, there might be a couple of things that will need checking, first one being the thermostat, as this is most likely thing to go wrong, then the fan switch on the radiator could be faulty, air in the system is another cause, try bleeding the system and se if you get air out and finally temp gauge switch, this could be a fauls possative, ie, nothing overheating just the switch giving wrong reading, theres a few things for you to be checking....hope this helps

Brad Kirby

• 547 Answers
• Posted on Oct 07, 2011

SOURCE: My 2003 Ford ZX2 keeps overheating in stop and go

This sounds like your cooling fan isn't turning on. One very easy way to test this is to unplug the coolant sensor. On top of the thermostat housing (the plastic box your upper radiator hose runs to) there is a sensor with two wires you can easily see. Unplug this sensor while the car is running and the cooling fan should turn on within a few seconds. If it does not, then you have an issue with the cooling fan. Likely the fan needs to be replaced. If it does come on, then you should replace that sensor you just unplugged. I would also make sure you are getting hot air through the heater vents to verify the water pump is circulating coolant.

Testimonial: "It was the fan that died. Got it replaced and now it's good. Thanks."