Coolant temperature gauge needle buried after one mile

2005 JEEP WRANGLER TJ
175,000 MILES • 4.0L • 6 CYL • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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JFUNDRAISER
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  • 1 POST
Radiator/water pump/serpentine replaced this past summer. I can drive her about a mile and then I hear a rattling/tapping sound, check gauges light comes on and the needle for the coolant temperature gauge buries instantly and I need to pull over to and pop the hood to get her to cool down for five minutes before I can go another mile or so and only in lower speeds thirty to thirty five mph. Heater buys me another minute or two but she is sizzling from just behind radiator. Almost like nothing is cooling the engines. Jeep-experienced (Mopar engine) responses.
Nov 21, 2017 at 6:22 PM
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HARRY P
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  • 2,292 POSTS
Replace the thermostat. It sounds like it is stuck shut, or installed backwards. If you have already replaced it over the summer, do it again. After market thermostats do fail sometimes.
Nov 21, 2017 at 7:21 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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Also, you could try this. When the engine is cold, remove the radiator cap and make sure it is full of coolant. Start the vehicle and let it warm up. Once it reaches normal operating temperature, you should see the coolant flowing in the radiator. If it does not and the vehicle overheats, as aforementioned, the thermostat is most likely bad. I have also seen the lower radiator hose collapse on these vehicles.
Nov 21, 2017 at 7:36 PM
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