I just purchased a 2002 Mazda Millenia Premium Saturday in Houston, TX. I drove it 350 miles home. Not too long after leaving the dealership I noticed the temperature gauge was around the 3/4 mark. I thought this was a little odd, but since I didn't know the car, I thought maybe that was normal for this car. The gauge stayed around the 3/4 mark for the first 2/3 of the way home. However, around Shreveport (265 miles or so into my trip home) the temperature gauge went on up to just below the red mark. I pulled the car over and checked under the hood. The coolant bottle showed to have plenty of coolant, both fans were on, and there were no leaks that we could find. I continued on my way for the rest of the trip and watched the gauge very closely. The gauge would fluctuate between just below the red and around the fourth line from the red for the remainder of the trip.

I found the previous owner's name amongst the paperwork that came with the manual. I called them and they were dismayed that I had the problem.They told me that theynever, ever had the car put in the shop for repairs (they were the only owners-bought the car new). Theyhad no troubles, whatsoever.

The next day, I was advised to drive it up the road a little bit (just long enough to let the car get hot) and then let it cool down and repeat the cycle 3-4 times. The thought was that there may be a bubble in the coolant thatwas causing the gauge to read hot. This didn't help. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what might be causing this problem. I reallybummed outthat my "new" car is already broken down and I am having to drive my old car.

 

Sure sounds to me like you have a thermostat problem, it's sticking. If that's not it which is the most probable then a bad sending unit but very unlikely. Guages themselves rarely go bad. Good luck.

 

Thank you. I do hope that's all it is. The mechanic called yesterday to tell me it's either the thermostat sticking, the radiator is plugged, or the water pump isn't pumping. He also said it could run upwards of $1,000 if he has to check all three. Thanks again for the reply.