I have a 2001 pt cruiser with 42k miles on it that is overheating. I replaced the thermostat but did not do the trick. I do not have any leaks coming from the water pump and I can see coolant moving in the radiator. I noticed the fan is running but does not seem to be going into high speed mode. I replaced the high speed fan relay which took care of the check engine light but the car is still overheating. I am thinking about changing the temp sending unit at the base of thermostat housing next. Does that sound like a good idea?
I WILL NOT BE BEATN BY THIS CAR
WITH YOUR HELP I THINK WE CAN DEFEAT THIS EVEL AUTO
Does your PT overhear at highway speed on level ground. If it does ,then the fan and relay have nothing to do with it.Why do you think it’s overheating ? Does it smell hot with attendant Steam or coolant pouring on the ground ? Is it just a gauge reading? Have someone aim a infrared thermometer at it.Or buy one,they are pretty cheap at harbor freight and you canuse them to check brake and wheel temps.
Since you see the coolant moving it seems the thermostat may be ok. There may be exhaust gases getting into the coolant through a headgasket leak. Have a block check done to see if that may be the case.
How are you determining that it is overheating?
The gauge will run at 1/2 way for about 10 to 15 miles then it goes up to max unless I turn on the heater then it drops down in about 2min. The coolant does not overflow from the resevoir just boils and bubbles. If the car is getting that hot shouldn’t the high speed fan come on.
If this was a headgasket leak shouldnt you see some kind of smoke from the tailpipe in the form of steam or something.
The car will over heat on and off of the highway. Today it did start steaming and leaking coolant in the driveway after I shut it off when I got home. As far as the level ground question I am in Florida so the only hill we have for miles is the city dump.
Yes perhaps, if the leak is big enough. For a small leak, maybe not.
Temp gauge goes up. You can smell coolant. Shut the car down you can hear coolant boiling in the plastic coolant tank. Turn on the heater temp goes down in about 2min.
This is a pretty classic case of a bad headgasket sorry to say. The air bubbles are from the compressed gases in the cylinder leaking into the coolant.
If the cause of the over heating is the head-gasket or the thermostat or a bad water pump shouldn’t the high speed fan come on when the car is over heating in an attempt to cool the engine. We can run with the heater fan on low all day and the temp does not go past half way.
P.S. Thank you for taking the time to get back to me.
The car passed a block test but failed the clean radiator test. Although the car only has 42k on it it is almost 9 yrs old. The bottom of the radiator was full of gunk. I ended up replacing the radiator and that did the trick. Thank your the help. Take care.
The car passed a block test but failed the clean radiator test. Although the car only has 42k on it it is almost 9 yrs old. The bottom of the radiator was full of gunk. I ended up replacing the radiator and that did the trick. Thank your the help. Take care.
Glad to hear you got it fixed and it was just the radiator. Thanks for the feedback.
It was nice to hear it worked out for you. Thanks for letting us know.
I have had the same problem for awhile now, and its not the head gasket. The fan went bad, so i replaced the fan, thermostat and the water pump already. Have you had any additional problems with your car since you replaced the radiator? Mine is still bubbling into the overflow and so I dont want to drive it far.
I will not be beaten either!
Thank you for posting~