Engine overheating while I drive?

Tiny
MARGARET BRUSHWOOD
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 189,000 MILES
Over heating Chevy Malibu 2000 Replaced Thermostat and water pump, because Heat was not working It works now but all fluid leaked out this wk. Over heated Can not find leak! Radiator fans are working.
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Sunday, February 20th, 2011 AT 12:54 AM

23 Replies

Tiny
MHPAUTOS
  • MECHANIC
  • 31,938 POSTS
Did you bleed the cooling system of air, it may have boiled in the block and thrown out a fair amount of coolant, re check this and do a cooling system pressure test as well. It sounds like you may have a blown head gasket these guides will help us find it.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-overheating-or-running-hot

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

Please run down these guides and report back.

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Sunday, February 20th, 2011 AT 6:37 AM
Tiny
BATMAN746
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 6 CYL
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 163,000 MILES
I been having this overheating problem for about two or three days know I placed a thermostat and a heat senor and it ran good for about two or three days. But then all of a sudden the same problem started to happen again. But know it seem as the problem is getting worst. Know when I pull out the fans are on high when the engine is already cool. But it dont seem to cut on when the water starts to boil out of the coolant bottle.
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:55 PM (Merged)
Tiny
MIKE H R
  • MECHANIC
  • 3,094 POSTS
Most overheating problem are caused by a couple of things, a bad thermastat or a clogged radiator or cooling system check out our How Does It Work section. Go into cooling system. It will give you a brak down of the cooling sytem and have answers to most problems. Note, the cooling fans will come on if the car is started and the a/c switch is on. This is a safety thing, the a/c creates a lot of strain ona engine and will heat up faster and hotter
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:55 PM (Merged)
Tiny
YOUNGKA
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 164,285 MILES
When my car over heated. I had someone (non-mechanic) replace the water pump. So of course that did not resolve the problem. I let a mechanic check it out and he said my lower intake gasket needed to be replaced. While that was being replaced he also changed my spark plugs, placed in a new thermostat, sensory and changed the oil. After driving less than 5 miles, my car started to over heat. I returned it and the mechanic lift the hood and my engine was not overheating at all he plugged something to it and it showed the temp. Was indeed normal, but for some reason the gauge was all the way up to hot and would shut the car off. So even though my engine was not over heating what could cause the gauge to show that it's overheating when it's not. I drove my car back home (after it cooled down) but I'm puzzled. I'm suppose to return it tomorrow, but I just wanted an idea on what could they check next.
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
F4I_GUY
  • MECHANIC
  • 3,302 POSTS
You have a coolant gauge sensor on that vehicle. The purpose for this sensor is strictly to show the coolant temperature to the driver via the instrument cluster. What you will most likely find is that the sensor has failed causing a false reading.

Goodluck.
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
LUISRENTERIA1
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU
Engine Cooling problem
2000 Chevy Malibu 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

My car overheats, and I already replaced the water pump, thermostat, and the gaskets. What else could it be? The radiator? And how would I know?
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
BASSTECH
  • MEMBER
  • 236 POSTS
You may have fixed the original problem being one of the leaks or a sticking thermostat. But due to them leaking and overheating a few times you mey have warpped the cylinder heads or blew out one of those gaskets.

One way to tell is to watch the coolant overflow bottle while the engine is running and see if bubbles are coming up before it starts to overheat. Also you may have a problem with lack of heat in the car if the system is getting air forced into the system due to a bad head gasket.

Let me know what you see with them
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
GIGI26
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU
Engine Cooling problem
2000 Chevy Malibu 6 cyl 189000 miles

My car recently overheated and the engine had to be replaced due to some blown head gaskets, well the car is still overheating after the engine, water pump, thermostat replacement and a radiator flush. What could be the problem?
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
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You could have a bad radiator cooling fan or the wire going to it.A bad coolant temp sensor or a blocked radiator by a bag sand debris etc. When it over heats can you hear your radiator cooling fan running?If so is there a lot of air being pulled threw it?Also do you have any code's?How hot does it get when it over heats?Does it over heat when moving in traffic or at idle?What model malibu and engine size do you have?
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
RVALENT2
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  • 1 POST
  • 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU
2000 Chevy Malibu 6 cyl Four Wheel Drive Automatic

Chevy malibu 2000, almost overheating
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,014 POSTS
Hi:
Make sure the coolant is full. If you need to add, make sure to use the correct coolant. If the car has DEXCOOL in it, DO NOT add anything but dexcool.

If it is full, you may want to start with a thermostat. It may be stuck and not allowing coolant to flow fast enough. It's a cheap repair. If you open the rad cap when the engine is COLD, start the engine and allow it to warm up. Once it hits a normal operating temp, the coolant should be flowing quickly through the radiator.

Also, in an emergency, turn the heater on high. It will help cool the engine.
Let me know what you find.

Joe
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
BBRAN851
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
  • 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 165,000 MILES
My Malibu had an overheating problem and had a replaced engine because of the issue. About 2 months later the head gasket went out because the newly replaced water pump failed. I have been through 3 water pumps in 3 months and 2 thermostats. The "new" engine has roughly 70k miles on it with a now replaced head gasket also. I lose about a liter of water from the reservoir every 150-200 miles and keep refilling water. Right before the water pump goes out or it over heats I get a coolant smell inside the vehicle and the temp slowly climbs. Opening the cap on the reservoir shows to be steam coming from the reservoir usually with little to no water left. After I refill the reservoir while the engine is still warm I try to hand pump water from the reservoir to the radiator by squeezing the tubing from the radiator to the engine block, but no water comes through. This problem has proved lots of money in repairs for me and an answer or a lead would be greatly appreciated!
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
LEGITIMATE007
  • MECHANIC
  • 5,121 POSTS
Hi, thanks for the donation, greatly appreciated. I think your problem may be with a clogged radiator, also try flushing the radiator, filling with 50/50 diluted antifreeze/coolant. No more water. Also change the radiator cap. See how that goes, if its still going haywire, we will continue to troubleshoot. We will always be here for you so dont worry. Another thing I want to ask. Is there a check engine light on? And we need to verify if the radiator fans are coming on.
Joe
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
LEGITIMATE007
  • MECHANIC
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Another way to check the radiator for clogs, is too. Pressure test it. That you may want to have the shop help you with. But it is do-able.
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
BBRAN851
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
I checked and the radiator fan does not come on even when the temperature starts to climb. This weekend we plan on replacing the thermostat to see if that is the problem with the fan and then flushing the radiator and checking for plugs. When I ran it this morning again to check the radiator fan wanst running and I still lost most of the water in the system, but I couldnt see where it was coming from, just a few drops falling out by the right front tire. Any more suggestions would be awesome, and thank you for the first post!
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
LEGITIMATE007
  • MECHANIC
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Check the lower radiator hose, located at the bottom of the radiator. Im sure this is a simple problem, its just that we havent found it yet. We'll get to the bottom of it. If you can reach the lower hose, run your hand along the bottom and check for wetness
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
BBRAN851
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
There is no wetness on the hose below the radiator, the outside of the crankcase seems to be wet, but not dripping water, there is no signs of water in the oil, and the heat is now working so its not the thermostat. If you would be interested in calling me we are working on it right now and my number is 715-965-1378. Thank you.
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM (Merged)
Tiny
LEGITIMATE007
  • MECHANIC
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How long have you been putting water into the radiator?
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:57 PM (Merged)
Tiny
J LOPEZ
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2000 CHEVROLET MALIBU
Engine Cooling problem
2000 Chevy Malibu 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

the car is over heating /when I disconnect the wire connector on the temperture sensor on the neck of the termostat the fans startup super fast and dont stop untill put back the connector
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:57 PM (Merged)
Tiny
RHALL77
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Is it full of coolant, do you have a leak somewhere?
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2020 AT 5:57 PM (Merged)

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