Narrative:

Received aircraft, an medium large transport, from our maintenance. Aircraft had a MEL on the #2 engine overheat light. Normal takeoff from ewr while climb through 8000' crew received an overheat indication. Followed company procedures which call for reduction in thrust until light goes out. Light stayed out at 60 percent N1. Advise my center we were climbing slower than normal (500'/min) and had slowed to 280 KTS. Then asked center if we could level off at 12000'. Leveled at 12000'. Decided to return to ewr. Advise center that we would like to return, we were given a heading and altitude. Requested newark tower be advised we had an engine problem and would like trucks (emergency equipment) in standby. Declared emergency and landed in ewr. Return to gate to deplane passengers and handed aircraft over to maintenance. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. The aircraft had arrived with an overheat light item in the aircraft logbook. Maintenance could not duplicate the problem on the ground and wrote it off as a problem with the warning circuit. The flight crew satisfied themselves that the overheat warning was real and decided to return for corrective action. Reporter could not identify what was overheating and does not know what action was taken to correct the problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG #2 ENGINE OVERHEAT LIGHT CAME ON DURING CLIMB. FLT CREW REDUCED POWER UNTIL LIGHT WENT OUT THEN RETURNED TO DEP ARPT.

Narrative: RECEIVED ACFT, AN MLG, FROM OUR MAINT. ACFT HAD A MEL ON THE #2 ENG OVERHEAT LIGHT. NORMAL TKOF FROM EWR WHILE CLB THROUGH 8000' CREW RECEIVED AN OVERHEAT INDICATION. FOLLOWED COMPANY PROCS WHICH CALL FOR REDUCTION IN THRUST UNTIL LIGHT GOES OUT. LIGHT STAYED OUT AT 60 PERCENT N1. ADVISE MY CTR WE WERE CLBING SLOWER THAN NORMAL (500'/MIN) AND HAD SLOWED TO 280 KTS. THEN ASKED CTR IF WE COULD LEVEL OFF AT 12000'. LEVELED AT 12000'. DECIDED TO RETURN TO EWR. ADVISE CTR THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO RETURN, WE WERE GIVEN A HDG AND ALT. REQUESTED NEWARK TWR BE ADVISED WE HAD AN ENG PROB AND WOULD LIKE TRUCKS (EMER EQUIP) IN STANDBY. DECLARED EMER AND LANDED IN EWR. RETURN TO GATE TO DEPLANE PAXS AND HANDED ACFT OVER TO MAINT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. THE ACFT HAD ARRIVED WITH AN OVERHEAT LIGHT ITEM IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK. MAINT COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROB ON THE GND AND WROTE IT OFF AS A PROB WITH THE WARNING CIRCUIT. THE FLT CREW SATISFIED THEMSELVES THAT THE OVERHEAT WARNING WAS REAL AND DECIDED TO RETURN FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION. RPTR COULD NOT IDENTIFY WHAT WAS OVERHEATING AND DOES NOT KNOW WHAT ACTION WAS TAKEN TO CORRECT THE PROB.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.