Overheating issue (yes another one)

[Shaar]

Sportage was driving great up until now, and while on a drive with the AC on of course, i pulled up to a stop light, and the temperature gauge started climbing. When i accelerated, the temp gauge went back down to normal (just below half).

Now, another wierd thing is that when i'm at a stop, and the temp goes up, there is a smell of antifreeze in the cab. But if i turn the air on recirculate instead of pulling in fresh air, the smell goes away.

This whole problem is intermittent and doesn't occur every drive, even though i keep the AC on all the time. I did some searching and I am lead to believe that i have a faulty Fan clutch. But what scared me was that there was a smell of antifreeze, which instantly triggered in my head --- heater core. But I'm hoping that is not an issue.

What do you experienced Kia owners think/recommend. Is there a way to narrow out the problem such as a series of tests to see if the fan clutch is functioning or not, etc?

Thanks in advance.

[gomer]

Leak in the heater hoses?

[ron1004]

Originally Posted by Shaar

Sportage was driving great up until now, and while on a drive with the AC on of course, i pulled up to a stop light, and the temperature gauge started climbing. When i accelerated, the temp gauge went back down to normal (just below half).

Now, another wierd thing is that when i'm at a stop, and the temp goes up, there is a smell of antifreeze in the cab. But if i turn the air on recirculate instead of pulling in fresh air, the smell goes away.

This whole problem is intermittent and doesn't occur every drive, even though i keep the AC on all the time. I did some searching and I am lead to believe that i have a faulty Fan clutch. But what scared me was that there was a smell of antifreeze, which instantly triggered in my head --- heater core. But I'm hoping that is not an issue.

What do you experienced Kia owners think/recommend. Is there a way to narrow out the problem such as a series of tests to see if the fan clutch is functioning or not, etc?

Thanks in advance.

I think the diagnosis is correct - faulty fan clutch.
The antifreeze smell is most likely due to a little spillage/overflow due to exessive coolant expansion and possibly boiling when the fan does not work when needed (in traffic with no forward motion).

Originally Posted by gomer

Leak in the heater hoses?

I'm interested to hear what would make you suspect a hose leak.
Surely if it was a hose leak it would leak regardless of traffic or highway driving.

[tonyc]

Just went through this myself. I thought it was due to my electric AC fan not coming on (due to a shorted wire which I have now fixed and it works) because it only got hot during slow driving or up hills with the air on. Changed out fan clutch...no more over heating. It's pretty apparent mine was faulty because I couldn't hear it before...now I can hear the airflow.

[gomer]

Originally Posted by ron1004

I'm interested to hear what would make you suspect a hose leak.
Surely if it was a hose leak it would leak regardless of traffic or highway driving.

Not necessarily. If the coolant level is low enough, the coolant will evacuate the heater core and lines as it cools. Expanding while heating may just as well fill the lines and core causing a leak. As well, the temperature gauge can be fooled as some vehicles have been known to have false temp readings due to placement of a sensor in a naturally occurring air pocket such as an upper hose or near the top of the water jacket. A good example of this is the Lumina: when the intake gasket goes (as often occurs) and coolant leaks into the crank case, the temp gauge will oscillate with the intermittent flow of coolant.