Why is my engine overheating?

I have a 2001 chevy malibu. I just replaced the head gasket. I drove it for the first time and I could smell coolant burning. when I got home I could hear the coolant boiling. I checked the level and it was real low. Plus my car went past the halfway mark on the tempture gage. What could be wrong with my car

Replaced BOTH headgaskets also intake set and was heads check at machine shop ?

I am not sure what was detailed in head job. I had a complete head job. Whatever that details and it was done at a machine shop.

Engine Cooling problem
2000 Chevy Malibu 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

i have replaced the thermostat, water pump and flushed the radiator. what am I doing wrong

flush out the entire engine block too!

have you felt around on all the heater hoses. any of them have cold spots in um? upper radiator hose collapsed?

have you had the thermostat cap pressure tested.

how long does it take for said vehicle to overheat?

The coolant light stays on no matter what also the engine light is doing the same.. when I add coolant to my car it remains at a decent level until steam begins to come from my coolant tank (reservoir) and it overheats again.

Okay, the coolant light first. Have you checked or replaced the thermostat? Does it overheat when driving at highway speeds?

As far as the check engine light, have you scanned the computer to see what trouble codes are stored?

I have had the thermostat replaced. And yes it overheats when I'm driving on the freeway and in the neighborhood.. For the engine light. I took my car to AutoZone and they gave me a list of things that could be triggering he light to come on. how I do check the computer? Oh yeah the trouble codes.

To check for codes, you need an OBD 2 scanner. Do you have the list of codes that AutoZone told you they found?

Yes I do. Also I got the water pump replaced.

Intake air temperature was one trouble code.
And cylinder misfire detected-cylinder and those were the only 2.

remove cap and fill with water.leave the cap off. start it up and watch the coolant.if it comes out the filler neck you may have a blown head gasket.this is what is blowing the coolant out of the jug.you will need to pick up a hydro-carbon test kit at the parts store.it sniffs the coolant for hydro-carbons [ gas fumes from the cylinders] from the blown head gasket. also ck.the thermostat operation by putting a hose on low in the filler neck and remove the upper hose at the radiator. start it up and as the thermostat opens and closes you will see the hot water start and stop.if it does not start and stop you will need to replace the thermostat. remove the oil filler cap and ck for signs of water under the cap. start here and let me know.

Well. I can put the water in the coolant tank, for beginners lol and the other things. well I don't know too much about cars and this is my first one, so i am still trying to understand everything.

do you see bubbles in the coolant jug when you rev the motor up?

Good evening,

First, we need the actual numbers of all the codes that were set. AutoZone sells parts and are not technicians. They are parts salesman.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

If it is overheating as bad as you say, you have a very good chance of having a bad head gasket. A leak down test needs to be done to verify they are not leaking compression into the cooling system.

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

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

Once we get the codes, we can help narrow the area of failure for you.

Roy

I have a 2001 Chevy Malibu with approx. 125k miles on it. I've owned the car for a year and have replaced the Battery, Intake manifold gasket, Water pump, thermostat x2, and have had 2 coolant flushes done on the vehicle. I have also regularly changed oil {3 times since i've owned it using mobil 5000 oil or Penzoil High Mileage oil, and a Purolator Pure one Filter each time. I now deliver pizza for a living and my car regularly over heats. The temp gauge will go red and the light comes on. I am possitive it is not the thermostat, and i know it is not leaking fluid. The air valve has been regularly checked and bled. I don't know if the fans are going on/off properly when it is being driven on the road and I would love to know what I need to do to fix this problem as cheaply as possible. I don't make a lot of money and I can't afford high repair costs. I've already put in over 1500 dollars into the car.

Does the radiator have a cap? If so, if the coolant gets too hot,it will pop the cap and the coolant reservoir will fill up in a hurry, does it? As far as the radiator fan, when it gets too hot, pull over and stop, leave vehicle running, tranny in park or neutral and e-brake set, get out and look under the hood, to see if fan is running, is it? Any applicable trouble codes? Some national brand automotive stores used to check codes for free.

The pressure cap is built onto the reservoir and has no way of coming loose. The heat does not come out of the vents as if the thermostat were stuck but I have had the thermostat replaced within the last 2 weeks. There has to be some kind of flow issue with the coolant but i have no Idea how to fix the problem.

What kind of coolant you used? Chev recommends to use Dex-cool (orange color) coolant only for chev malibu to prevent over-heating.

Use an infrared temp tester to double check the gage. There should be overheating issues, besides the gage.

I have a 2001 Chev Malibu with 96300 miles and a 3.1L engine. Car started overheating. Found low coolant. Found intake gasket leaks. Replaced intake gaskets, and replaced thermostat and also replaced radiator cap. Filled and bleed cooling system, and now every once in awhile when driving down the road or when sitting idling, the coolant starts gushing out the overflow. It doesn't overheat as long as it can keep the coolant in, but it just won't keep the coolant in. Could and coolant surge tank cause this? Any other ideas?

bleed the system again to make sure all air pockets are out of the system. if thats good, you can purchase a engine block tester to see if you have exhaust getting into the coolant system. all it is, is a tool you put a blue chemical solution in the tool, place the head on the top of the overflow or radiator fill, and squeeze to bubble to let any gases mix with the chemical. if it changes color then you have a head gasket problem.