Why is my engine overheating?

Friends 2001 Chevy Malibu was overheating and was driven on into the red. I replaced the thermostat for her hoping for no further damage however upon restart and drive the car now blows white smoke, runs rough as if a piston misfiring, and still overheats. I'm thinking HG, warped head, cracked IM, or cracked block etc. I just need to know what you think? Most of all is how to diagnose correctly. Thank you in advance.

I guess I should have just gone to troubleshooting first lol. I found the main reasons and ways to check. If there are more tips or tricks that can help please post em thanks

Thanks saturn. Looks like no matter what though it's gonna be a project. Wish me luck

I have a 2001 chevy malibu. It has been getting hot whenever I am stopped but while on highway the temp goes down.I thought it could be water pump but when I turn the engine off, water leaks onto the ground from driver side next to where the wheel is it seems. What do I need to replace most likely or where can the water be leaking from?

Engine Cooling problem
2001 Chevy Malibu 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive 85'000 miles

car overheated and lost power as I tried to pull over. Now won't start, but sometimes have lights, bell, etc. Battery only clicks. Appears to be antifreeze under(on?)Engine driver's side. Did I burn it up?

Looks like what you have here is a blown head gasket. The loss of power/ability to start is due to the lack of compression. With a little luck, it may just be a gasket replacement ($600 +), but residule problems can become evident once the head is off. A warped or a cracked head can occur when the engine has been overheated. A warped head usually can be machined/repaired by a qualified machine shop, while a cracked head will need to be replaced.
Next question you have to ask is what is the root cause of the engine overheating. You may be looking at replacing your waterpump, hoses, heater core. Etc. All in all. This is usually a good size job for the shady tree mechanic (at least a weekend to replace the head gasket). Good luck. Hope things work out in your favor

Ok this is my problem
I bought the car and 3 days after I purchaced it the car got hot. The fans were not running so hey its a easy fix. Changed the relay and vola it works. But then it kep getting hot. So I hard wired the fans to come on with the turn of the key. It still got hot. I replaced the water resivor cause it didnt seam to hold the pressure of the system. I also changed the thermostat it still got hot. I completly gutted the thermostat so it would have the seal still. So basically there is no thermostat now. It still gets hot. But it takes a while like 30-40 miles or more some times. It is like a ghost sometimes its ok then other times its not. I dont know if it is the radiatior or maybe the catalic converter. Please help me.

Ok I forgot to mention that. I read that online and my engine oil is clean no water. And with the new tank I can tell that the coolant is clean too. When the last time it went to a mechanic he checked for a head gasket problem he said it was in good condition. The problem was that while he had it there running it never got hot. And he didnt know what to do about it.

It seams more in faster moving it seams to actually cool in slow traffic. The guage was actually faulty so it has a external temp guage. Non electronic just a simple guage hardwired in. And yes when it is hot it has steam comming from the bleeder valves when I open them.

Thank you it is going to the shop tomorrow and im gonna discuss it with him hopfully it is the radiator and I can get it changed and be on my way. So what do you think about it being the catalic converter?

Thank you hopefully this will help with my problems

My car overheats out of the overflow. The head gasket has been change, the level is were it should be. There is all kinds of heat, when I turn on the heater.I'm not really sure if the fans are working the way they are suppose to.