Red hot summer, red hot engine temp. Options

[tomazws]

I was driving on local street (grandpa chillin' style, shifts at around 2K~2.5K) when I noticed my temp gauge went rocket high. Immediately, I stopped the car on the side, popped the hood and let it chill for a bit. Then, I poured in about half a gallon of 50/50 (I have a gallon left over in the trunk from I forgot when), and tried starting the car. Everything seemed normal. I started driving the rest of the way to work and everything seemed normal...

Q's:

I poured the 50/50 into the tube until spill, it's about half a gallon I poured in. Does half a gallon of coolant really make an engine overheat?

Or

Would it be a faulty sensor?



This is the first time ever the temp gauge wasn't in the middle.
It should be about 86 ~ 90 degree outside.

[6strngs]

if you were able to put in half a gallon of coolant then you were definately low! filling it up should make it not overheat anymore (unless there is some other problem with the cooling system). keep an eye on it and if it starts to get low again then you have a leak somewhere.