Engine Temperature problem with my New Camry

Built_Well · 2007-11-11T03:36:06+00:00

This is very odd. Tonight the engine temperature gauge onmy '06 Camry LE 4-cylinder did something I've never seenit do before.I had been shopping at Walmart for 45 minutes. When I leftthe store, and started the car, everything was fine. I droveabout a block and turned off the engine to rearrange someshopping bags. The engine was off for maybe a minute or twowhile I rearranged bags.When I started the engine back up, the engine temperature gaugewent a lot higher than I've ever seen it, and I always checkit while driving.Normally, when the engine reaches operating temperature thegauge stops rising when the gauge reaches about a 45-degree angle.If the gauge were pointing straight up at a 90-degree angle,the gauge would be in the red zone, too hot.Instead of a 45-degree angle where the gauge always comes toa stop, it continued rising to about a 67-degree angle, whichis midway between the usual 45-degree angle it stops at and thedanger zone of 90 degrees.I was amazed and stunned to see this. The car is not even2 years old yet. And the oil was recently changed.I drove about a block and parked the car near a Break Time store.I waited inside the store for half-an-hour so the enginecould cool down. The engine light on the dash never came onduring any of this, which is a good thing. I have no idea if thegauge would have continued rising, though, had I not stopped tolet things cool.While waiting, I checked the coolant level in the expansionbottle/coolant reservoir. The coolant level was normal, half-waybetween full and low. The lid on the coolant reservoir wasproperly closed, as was the cap on top of the radiator.The oil level on the dipstick was normal. After 30 minutesof waiting inside Break Time, I opened the cap on top ofthe radiator to check the coolant in the radiator.Plenty of coolant inside, a little bit even spilled out.I reclosed the radiator cap.I didn't see any leaks on the ground. The fluid levelswere all normal for power steering and brake fluid. The...