Hello all - wish I had found Scotty's forum and youtube videos sooner, been looking through and gaining so much knowledge in the past hour. Intend to make it a regular habit to check in for tips, especially as we head to fall and winter.
In the meantime, my current problem: I was driving around last week when I noticed my engine was starting to run hot/temp gauge near red while driving around 40-45 mph and the service engine light soon popped on. Made it home, and noticed a few basic things when checking out the car.
- Coolant level is fine
- No leaking under car
- AC was blowing cold air (as normal)
- Heater though, was only blowing lukewarm (at best) air
- Engine starts up fine and drives smooth until going over 40 where needle starts to move up
After heading to Autozone - I pulled P1217 on their diagnostic tool, with the corresponding secondary codes: P0725 (Engine Speed Input Circuit) and P1701 (Power Supply Circuit). Currently, I can still drive the vehicle around 10-15 minutes at max around 40 mph without having to worry about it going past the middle - any acceleration past that or going higher MPH, is when it starts slowly creeping up to red.
My guess is leaning towards (and hoping) only a faulty thermostat based on the symptoms, but I am no mechanic - so was curious what others thought. Again, any help, is much appreciated.
Has the cooling system been maintained? If the car still has the original 15-year-old thermostat changing it is a good idea in any event. I'd also check the radiator for clogs, and make sure your cooling fan or fans are working. Also be sure to purge any air out of the cooling system.
P1217 means the engine had overheated:
https://www.engine-codes.com/p1217.html
P0725 and P1701 are unrelated to the cooling system problem but indicate there are other problems brewing:
https://www.engine-codes.com/p0725_nissan.html
https://www.engine-codes.com/p1701.html
Since the engine overheated it wouldn't be a bad idea to test for a head gasket leak.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0U8Iyf0kk4
thanks for the reply and feedback. I should have added that the car is at 167k and agreed - will prob take this opportunity to replace thermostat, even if it is not main issue cause, as I think it is the original.
As for cooling system, it has been maintained fairly well - checked coolant levels, ok...I am going to run the AC today while idling and check again if there are any visible leaks under car when cooling system is working, but did not notice any the first time. Will also test for head gasket leak - thanks for links above and the reply.
Replace radiator cap as well if it has not been done in recent years.
well turns out it there was a leak after all - so managed to find a decent radiator price on carparts.com, so had a buddy replace radiator and also replace the hoses while at it, all for for under 150 bucks (+ buying him lunch and a brew for his efforts!). Not too bad and now up and running again fine - thanks for help/advice, Chuck.