Car Overheated / Overheating / Overheats [MERGED]

[NTRCOOL]

OVERHEATING? The issues and their solutions have remained the same- either you don't have enough cool air reaching the rad, there's a cooling system obstruction which is preventing coolant from circulating, or your head gasket has failed and is allowing coolant to be consumed or pushed away from the engine.

Discuss all possible overheating problems and solutions here.


OK,
I just left my house to go over to my GF's,and happen to look down and see my needle right before the red mark. This just happened out of nowhere. I stop the car as quickly as i can, and pour in some coolant(Coolant a little low). Still same thing. Welp im in the middle of the road, and HAD to get it home. Im only 5 min from my house. I decided to try and make it(I really had no other choice). Welp I drive no faster than 20mph, and the temp needle is BARELY into the red the whole way.And occasionaly to the left of it. Am I ok?? Do ya think any damage was done?? And im thinking either thermostat, or water pump. For each of those, whats a round about $$ figure to get replaced?? Any info you have would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[neoviper]

also check your thermostat, it could've gotten stuck

 

[PRJTstealth]

are you leaking any coolant also? cause you may just not have enough coolant or like it was said before you may have to bleed it off.

that is if its not your thermostat being stuck.

 

[Smurf2gGSX]

i had the same problem with my car it was the ran had seized up and needed to be changed. When your moving you get enough airflow to cool down but when your sitting still you dont get that airflow.Check the relays first cause that would be a cheaper fix then getting a new fan. That would be my first check, then the thermostat.

 

[wase1212]

okay so the overflow tank of coolant does start boiling, and i have coolant in there.. but its not full. yes i do have oil cause i literally just went for an oil change like 3 days ago. coolant colour is typical colour...lime green it is. I'm not exactly sure what bleeding off means, so itd be awesome to explain it.. and im not sure when the water pump was last changed because i got the car 2 months ago or so. And.. its weird.. i think i AMM leaking coolant.. but there isss plenty of coolant in the tank/rad so its weird. i think it might be the rad cap isnt on properly.. where is the thermostat? how do i know if its stuck or not? and yeah i think the fans is probably the answer... how do i fix that? mechanic? sorry for the long/wordy reply, but decide to answer everybodys question together, and thanks so much everybody

 

[wase1212]

what are the relays? (im pretty noob with engine parts and stuff)

 

[ba109296]

Look under your fuse box. They are labeled fans. I think there are a few of them. Did you ever answer as to whether they are turning on or not?

Here is how to burp the system of air.
Fill the coolant. Start the car with the rad cap off. You will see bubbles coming out. Let the car run until bubbles stop coming out. You will have to keep the coolant/water topped off while doing this.

Your thermostat is located in your water neck.
What I would do is find a local shop that has a coolant pressure tester and have them pressurize your whole system to check for leaks. Then at the same time I would have them pressure test your cap. You would be surprised at how many times its the cap thats the problem in these cars.

 

[turboboy4]

If you are going to take it to a shop have them check the entire cooling system, check for leaks, have them test the radiator cap and thermostat. Then have them test the operation of your cooling fans to make sure they are coming on

 

[Calan]

Then at the same time I would have them pressure test your cap. You would be surprised at how many times its the cap thats the problem in these cars.

Good advice except for this . Just replace the cap... it's cheaper than having someone test it at $75/hour....unless they are just nice and will do it for free.

+1 for fans not turning on or low/no coolant flow.

 

[wase1212]

okay cool thanks guys, this helped a lot time to try these methods and then take it to a mechanic.. hopefully they wont over charge me for like doing nothing, but yeah thanks

 

[viperbenz1]

i would let it run and see if the fans are runing, my car use to over heat and my problem was the fans were not on

 

[SlowSuzie]

check your overflow tank if its full or if the coolant inside it is boiling ? check if you have any oil in there ? what is the color of your coolant


it can be a simple fix as a Radiator cap not sealing propoerly and letting your coolant go to the overflow can

check everyhting and check if you have air in the system then you need to BLEED it off


when was the last time you changed you water PUMP?

That would be my guess. That's a huge problem with the Chevy Cobalt SS's. Mine started pulling timing and everything on the dyno.

For us you just turn the key to the on position (don't turn the engine over), walk to the front of the car and listen for a quiet whirring/humming noise. If you hear dead silence your pump is dead and that's your problem. A temporary fix for this to make sure you don't overheat is to tap it good with a hammer or screw driver.

 

[wase1212]

okay so... i did the bleed off, my fans started running today.... and... my car is Stilll overheating!!... so my next guess is... my radiator cap? i should probably just swap for a new one? or time to take it in ?

 

[garrek11]

ya just take it in to have in pressure tested. you can do that with your radiator also too see where your leaks are and fix them.

 

[DyNamiC]

That would be my guess. That's a huge problem with the Chevy Cobalt SS's. Mine started pulling timing and everything on the dyno.

For us you just turn the key to the on position (don't turn the engine over), walk to the front of the car and listen for a quiet whirring/humming noise. If you hear dead silence your pump is dead and that's your problem. A temporary fix for this to make sure you don't overheat is to tap it good with a hammer or screw driver.

DSM's don't have electric water pumps.

 

[Talon64]

also you might want to check your headgasket. My car started over heating and pulled the head off and my headgasket was leaking. Cylinder leak down tester will figure this out

 

[fergulus]

a new radiator cap is about 15 dollars at any auto parts store, so its cheaper to just buy a new one than to worry with pressure testing your existing one. Also, the thermostat is a very cheap and easy thing to replace, which was my problem. Our vehicles are well over a decade old, if these parts havent already been replaced they need to be!

 

[Calan]

a new radiator cap is about 15 dollars at any auto parts store, so its cheaper to just buy a new one than to worry with pressure testing your existing one.

Excellent idea!

Just replace the cap... it's cheaper than having someone test it at $75/hour....unless they are just nice and will do it for free.

 

[Dr Vic]

just to follow up with this thread for others to learn. I fixed the problem already. It turns out the heater hose was not clamped tight so coolant was escaping and the thermostat was only opening partially. So I replaced the thermostat and clamped the heater hoses tight. This enabled enough pressure behind the thermostat to push the coolant through the radiator. After running a few minutes the fans were already turning on.

as for the short in the grounding wires it turns out that my positive terminal was touching the hood hence creating the short. I actually saw a pin sized hole in my hood confirming the short. I made a simple fix using plastic from a heat resistant bowl used in one of those microwave dinners to cover the positive terminal.

 

[DGajre777]

UPDATE: Compressor hasn't seized up yet and since it is getting hotter, I need A/C!

(Note post above is from 07-28-08).

Symptoms now:
1) Car overheats with A/C on after driving around town for 20 minutes in stop and go traffic, then cools back down when I shut the A/C off (thermostat is working)
2) A/C works for about 20 minutes then blows hot air
3) Both fans work – car sucks air from front of the intercooler when parked (tested by placing a letter size paper in front of the intercooler)
4) Car overheats even on the highway at 80 MPH with the A/C on (leads me to believe it is not a fan issue)

New parts on car:
- Punishment Racing radiator
- Procomp 12" fans – wired to run together from vfaq 2Gcoolingfanmod
- All new OEM cooling/water line hoses
- New OEM radiator hoses
- New OEM thermostat
- New OEM radiator cap
- New water pump and harmonic balancer installed 2 years ago
- 50-50 mix of water and coolant. I tried running waterwetter and 70/30 and 80/20 mix, it did not help the overheating issue

Fans used - 12" Electric Fan "S" Blade, Rated at 900cfm, CFM Pull-1200-1450
12" Electric Fan "S" Blade I can't use the stock fans due to clearance issues.

I heard the clicking that I mentioned in post above but then never heard it again.

Possible issues:
- Low freon/refrigerant
- Compressor starting to seize up - (does it really take over a year for this to happen?)
- Cooling fans not providing enough airflow
- Clogged condenser or lines

Anything else I'm missing? Should I remove the wire connecting both fans and see if one fan causes any cooling issues? I'm trying to determine if it is the fans. I guess I could just take it to get the A/C system inspected and if I'm getting a high side reading beyond specs, I could suspect the condenser and/or fans to be an issue.

 

[96RSproject]

I have a 96 eclipse rs....I just got a new radiator and now the cars overheating. I got a new thermostat and checked the water pump and there all ok. But all the coolent seems to go to the overflow tank and the overflow tank starts smoking and bubbleing and spraying everywere. I don't know what else to try??

 

[TrevorS]

What were the symptoms that caused you to get a new radiator and thermostat?

 

[96RSproject]

I was towing it acuz it had a bad tranny and the kidd slammed on the gas and the rope caught the bolt to the fan and put a hole in it....and i replaced the thermostat because it was overheating...

 

[Defiant]

The Freon level won't affect engine cooling, so you can take that one off your list. Although the air coming across an AC condenser feels warm to us, it's still cool compared to engine coolant temperatures.

Depending on your condenser/radiator/fan setup, you may be losing airflow by the fans not being strong enough to force the air into the radiator after coming off the condenser. Closed-cell foam around the rim of the condenser which makes the air flow through the radiator rather than dissipating out around the edge may help. I'm suspicious of this circumstance because of your lack of overheating at speed, where you're ramming three times the air through the exchangers that a fan could ever dream of.

You've never said to what extent it's "overheating". Are you boiling coolant, or just seeing a needle move up a couple of widths? How old is your temperature sender, and why would you think it's accurate?

Water removes more heat than coolant. 25% antifreeze is plenty for Florida, unless you drive up into the mountains around Pensacola while it's snowing there. If you do this, you need to have your urine tested.

 

[DGajre777]

The Freon level won't affect engine cooling, so you can take that one off your list. Although the air coming across an AC condenser feels warm to us, it's still cool compared to engine coolant temperatures.

Depending on your condenser/radiator/fan setup, you may be losing airflow by the fans not being strong enough to force the air into the radiator after coming off the condenser. Closed-cell foam around the rim of the condenser which makes the air flow through the radiator rather than dissipating out around the edge may help. I'm suspicious of this circumstance because of your lack of overheating at speed, where you're ramming three times the air through the exchangers that a fan could ever dream of.

The car now overheats with the A/C on, even on the highway, it didn't do that a year ago.

You've never said to what extent it's "overheating". Are you boiling coolant, or just seeing a needle move up a couple of widths? How old is your temperature sender, and why would you think it's accurate?

The needle moves up couple of widths, I've never let it go to the red. I know its not the sender because I can feel the additional heat coming out of the engine bay.

Both the coolant senders are new (OEM) and were replaced when the rest of the cooling parts were replaced.

Water removes more heat than coolant. 25% antifreeze is plenty for Florida, unless you drive up into the mountains around Pensacola while it's snowing there. If you do this, you need to have your urine tested.

If the compressor is starting to fail, can't it create an additional load on the engine and cause it to overheat?

 

[The_EE]

I've found that if the car overheats at idle, it is usually the water pump going bad. forgive me if I missed it, as I just woke up not long ago but do you see the coolant moving in the water neck when you hit 180* with the coolant? If not, it could mean the pump is no longer doing its job. Do you see any liquid coming from the weep hole on the top of the water pump?