Hi, welcome to the forum.

I haven't had that problem, but I'll just throw this out.

When you say overheating a little, how high does it read? I'd expect the 2.0 would have to work a little harder than the 2.4 in the mountains.

Since the fans are working, one thing you could try (If you haven't already) is cleaning the radiator fins out with water to make sure they're not clogged with dirt, etc.

 

Water pump likely going bad. Propeller is most likely spinning loosely inside the water pump. Barely pushing any water. I would change the water pump. Part is not very expensive. I accessed mine from underneath the car. Car on ramps. Fairly easy repair if your mechanical.

 

Thanks for the input. In town and at idle, it’s a needle-width above mid-gauge, all good. At highway speed, 5th gear, uphill, it moves about halfway to the 3/4 mark. The fins are clear of debris.

 

Thanks,

If it has a/c, is the a/c running when going up the hill?

Also, do you know what the outdoor temp was when going up the hill?

 

Mine always reads warmer than usual when going off-road, and I don't recall looking while in the mountains but it wouldn't surprise me if even the 2.4L reads a bit higher when climbing.

 

@Ignatz has a 2.0l 5 speed, perhaps he'll see this and can offer some insight.

 

I've had a 2.4 CVT and a presently have a 2.0 5-spd manual. The temp runs pretty much the same on both. The 2.0 doesn't get up in the mountains that often -- just the shorter ones in the southern part of the state. I pulled a mid-sized U-Haul loaded with furniture with my 2.0 on a warm day (70F) last fall for about 100 miles at roughly 50MPH and I didn't notice the temp rising. I kept a pretty close eye on it, too, because I knew the load was unusually heavy. Typically my gauge runs a little shy of half way. Once the outside temp gets above 80F I'll keep an eye on the gauge when climbing hills and report back.

 

Further thought. It might be time for a radiator flush. Your Patriot is 10 years old. You said you had new coolant, but was it flushed? Be sure to use a compatible coolant -- the wrong fluid can react with any residual fluid and wreak havoc on your engine, i.e. kill it.

 

Thanks. The coolant looks clean, so i was thinking i probably didn’t need a flush.

 

PPS, these engines have two thermostats.

 

A lot of good info, thanks to everyone!