Temp Guage Says im getting hot

I just bought a 97 blazer and when im driving it the temperature is fine, but when i put it in park thats when the temp rises. Can i not have enough engine coolant? and if it is this can i just pour some of this dexcool stuff directly in?

It is possible... Wait until your vehicle is completely cool and open the radiator cap. The coolant level should be up to the top of the radiator spout.

If you're missing any coolant you must have a leak somewhere. It may be your radiator or even your intake gasket. You can add fresh 50% dexcool mix directly to your radiator if it is low, but it may be only a temporary fix if there's a leak.

I would do the check coolant level first, if it is fine I would investigate the water pump- let us know what you find!

the car is still hot but i went just to take a look around and saw a pretty good amount of leaves stuck by the radiator so im gonna clean that out and see what happens. also i was driving it and whenever it reached a certain point it seemed like it would send coolant through and it would coool down; hopefully the leaves help

It sounds like you're low on coolant.

Definetely look under the rad cap when the vehicle has cooled down for a couple hours.

Yip, check the rad level when the engine is dead cold in the morning.

If low, I would replace the rad cap, top off the radiator, and make sure the overflow tank is up to the appropriate level.

You might have to check again the next morning after the rad cap install seeing you will probably have to top up the rad again for the next couple days as the air is being forced out of the cooling system.

I had this same problem on my 98. The factory rad cap was failing and I ended up squirting some coolant out of it, it wasn't keeping the pressure. So got a Stant cap, topped it off with a pre-mix dexcool, installed the new rad cap and no problems since. Not saying that is all you have to do but I had the same symptoms and this is what cured it. Good luck

my mom is taking it to the mechanic today cause i need to drive the car this weekend for a 40 min trip; hopefully it doesnt need a new water pump and just needs a little dexcool and there arent any leaks.

Did you even look under the rad cap?

my mom is taking it to the mechanic today cause i need to drive the car this weekend for a 40 min trip; hopefully it doesnt need a new water pump and just needs a little dexcool and there arent any leaks.

Comon man, get off your butt and go out yourself.

Why are you wasting our time if you are just taking it to the shop.

it got new brakes while it was at the mechanic he checked for leaks and check the water pump everything check ok and put in some extra dexcool

thanks for everyone's help

You still might want to make sure the radiator is full. I would add coolant to the reservoir but airlock would keep it from going all the way into the radiator.

I'm glad there are no leaks!

it got new brakes while it was at the mechanic he checked for leaks and check the water pump everything check ok and put in some extra dexcool

thanks for everyone's help

replace the rad cap.

It costs $5 and will solve the cause of the problem.

You just adding coolant will not fix it. You will overheat again and sooner or later destroy your engine.

Listen to us please, we aren't stating you to do it for our own good.

Overheating while stopped is a common problem for cars with a partially stopped-up radiator. You may need to take it off and have it boiled and rodded out. I have had to do this on most of my older cars (72 Skylark SunCoupe, 85 Blazer, 86 IROC-Z) already. My 98 Blazer has yet to need any radiator work, other than the new cap. The GM one blows and lets air bubbles get in, so you can hear them in the heater core when you are pulling a hill. The proper Stant cap from Pep Boys (Autozone gave me the wrong one) fixed the air bubbles for me.

Overheating while stopped is a common problem for cars with a partially stopped-up radiator. You may need to take it off and have it boiled and rodded out. I have had to do this on most of my older cars (72 Skylark SunCoupe, 85 Blazer, 86 IROC-Z) already. My 98 Blazer has yet to need any radiator work, other than the new cap. The GM one blows and lets air bubbles get in, so you can hear them in the heater core when you are pulling a hill. The proper Stant cap from Pep Boys (Autozone gave me the wrong one) fixed the air bubbles for me.

This is true in some cases, but for this one, he has a leaking rad cap that is not holding pressure and lower the boiling point of the coolant.

ill go tomm and get a new one

Don't get one from GM, get a stant from your local parts store.

Sorry to hijack someone else's thread but this seems like a good time/place to ask this... When replacing the cap, how worried should 'we' be about how much air is 'there'?! Top it off totally and turn the cap down into the coolant to minimize air or top it off normally and just put the cap on? No biggee? The reason I ask is that you've stated before that air and Dexcool don't get along real well.
Thanks

You completely top off the rad and fill the overflow tank to the cold fill level.

When replacing the radiator cap, fill the radiator with as much as it can hold. I turn on the engine and let the coolant "settle" and then top it off again.

When replacing the radiator cap, fill the radiator with as much as it can hold. I turn on the engine and let the coolant "settle" and then top it off again.

Nah, you put the rad cap on after filling the rad and allow the pressurized closed loop system to force the air out of the cooling system.

Then the next morning top it off.