2003 Elantra GLS Running Warmer Than Usual, Belt Squeal.

My husband's 2003 Elantra GLS is having issues with a belt squeal on startup and likes to run above the half mark in temperature, about a quarter of the way of the hotter half of the gauge. We recently changed out the Power Steering Pump (because we thought it was seizing up on and off and was slowing down the belt system along with the Water Pump) and did a full coolant system flush because of these symptoms and there was very little change in temp readings. She used to go half way up the hotter half of the gauge, sometimes hotter than that but I never let her get to the HOT mark. We've also changed all three belts... We also discovered just yesterday that after running warm (quarter up the upper half of the gauge) on our drive back from town, once we got home and while we were parked in the driveway, as she cooled down a bit, if we turned the steering wheel the temperature dropped slightly but went back up after straightening out. I haven't drove her since then. I worry constantly that she will actually overheat. I hope it's not the Water Pump but when we were burping the system after the flush it really seemed the coolant was flowing fine.

If anyone has suggestions please feel free to say something

 

A belt squeal on the old Elantra??
On my 2001 Elantra, the squeal would seem as if it was coming from the power steering
Read on line that one should tighten up the alternator belt to get rid of that squeal, who knew??

As an idea to try, when running hot, try turning on the heat in the cabin.
If you get plenty of heat and the temp gauge goes down then could be the radiator is not cooling enough
It could also mean the thermostat is not opening.
Replacing a thermostat is not hard. But, it does require one to be careful.
The thermostat has a little tab on the edge of the disk. It fits in the housing only one way.
If it is in wrong then it will leak. Over tightening the bolts will only break the housing.
Replacing the thermostat also is not expensive.
Maybe there is a youtube video on it??

Good luck

 

When we run the heat we don't get much in response. It helps very little. We know our heater core is clogged, at least partially because we get a little heat, just lukewarm. We plan on replacing that eventually though we thought there was a bypass for that in the system. We've also replaced the thermostat twice, once with an aftermarket cheapie, then again with an OEM part from Hyundai. In the case of the belt squeal, the belt on the alternator seems to be within the specified measurement of give but we can see if she would tighten a little bit.

 

The heater core can be replaced with relative ease.
Requires draining coolant and then cutting the metal hose at the heater core
On new heater core, cutting pipe at similar spot
And reconnecting with rubber hoses and clamps
Believe there is a youtube video on how to do this
It saves you time and hassle of removing the entire dash to replace the heater core

Note: Having a clogged heater core only makes me believe the radiator is in similar condition

 

I'm not sure if the radiator would be clogged so much, we flushed it with the hose until it ran completely clear coming out of the drain plug on the bottom of the radiator. I mean, there could be some stuff hiding in a few places? I don't know. Thanks for the video, that should help when we get to the replacement. Currently, we're low on funds and can't afford the heater core. Don't get paid till Wednesday. Also, tightening the alternator belt fixed the squeal.

 

UPDATE: We just drove her into town after topping up the coolant in the radiator. She did great going into town and to CVS. We parked there and turned her off. When we came back out and was going through town the long way to test her she got up to half way up the hotter half of the gauge and kept fluctuating between quarter way up and half way up. She rarely went down to the actual half mark. As we finally got to highway speed she rode between half and quarter up the hotter half. When we parked at home she went up to a little over half way up the upper half then SLOWLY went back down as we sat there, By the time we turned her off she was just under the halfway mark, close to the upper dot of the normal range. For those who never noticed these dots just below the half mark on the gauge, you kinda have to look close and they're a hair lighter in shade to the rest of the gauge face plate.

I beginning to wonder if it's the head gasket because there are no visible leaks and she keeps losing coolant. I never see any odd colored smoke coming out of the tailpipe though... I'm really confused... We plan on testing the coolant with one of those things that finds whether or not there's exhaust gases in the coolant.

 

Hope it isn't a head gasket problem.
Good luck to you.

 

UPDATE: We pulled out the thermostat and tested it. It was bad. Got a new one, it made the problem worse because it's a piece of cheap crap... I know it's just as destructive as overheating... but we have a camping trip this weekend and are going to just have to run without a thermostat. If that doesn't fix the problem (at least temporarily)... it's gotta be the head gasket... which I definitely don't want it to be. We'll only be running it for 3 days like that. My mustang ran overcooling for a long time and it took me forever to realize it so I think our Elantra can last three days. I know it's a bad idea, we just have no choice at this point... If anyone has suggestions on a decent brand of thermostat, please share. Thanks. This has me the most stressed I've been in years. Also, we found out our radiator cap was leaking and replaced it which fixed the leak.

 

If you can run the engine and see coolant flow in the radiator then the water pump is working
Leaves only the thermostat and the radiator. Thinking the clog you have with the heater core,
the radiator can't release the heat from the coolant
This is probably making your vehicle run hot.

Even though flushing the radiator is a good idea, it doesn't clean the radiator completely
I remember when they made them out of all metal instead of using plastic and metal.
Those days we took them to have them acid washed to clean them out.
If there was a leak then weld them to pinch a line closed, leak stopped.
Now a days, it is replace it.

Good luck

 

Update: been a while since I posted. Still need help. Replaced that radiator over the weekend, she's still running warm-ish. The infrared thermometer is reading more towards normal temperatures now but still a little warm. Replaced the temperature sensor, still reading the same. I'm beginning to wonder if it's either the head gasket or the water pump. It looks like we're getting good flow when we have the cap off the radiator. I'm going to rent a block tester kit soon and check for exhaust gasses. Hopefully there are none but because of where the water pump is I'm kind of hoping it's the gasket. That would be an easier fix than replacing the pump. Just pull everything apart, get the head planed, put the new gasket on and put it back together. For the water pump I have to pull a bunch of stuff off to get it out of the way and lift the motor just to make it easier to get to. What a pain. But if it's the problem I'll have to fix it. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

No advice
But, wish you luck

 

We recently discovered that if you put the engine on a higher RPM than idle for a few minutes the temperature gauge in the car dash goes up but we constantly checked the engine temperature in various places with an infrared thermometer and it read colder than operating temps on the hoses and at the thermostat housing and temperature sensor. Though it read 212 degrees Fahrenheit on the head itself above the exhaust cover plate. I'm beginning to wonder now if the gauge in my dash is reading wrong or something... any suggestions on how to fix a broken gauge?