Engine is overheating

BROWNMITCH1990

MEMBER
2005 PONTIAC AZTEK
3.2L
V6
FWD
AUTOMATIC
135,000 MILES

My wife's car says it is overheating, but the engine isn't getting hot to the touch. I changed the water temperature sensor unit. The car says it is still overheating once you turn the car on, it isn't even warming up before the heat gauge is redlining. What else could it be or is there a way to reset the computer to recognize that there is a need sensor unit?

5 Replies

HMAC300

MECHANIC
48,601 POSTS

I tmay be a bad dash as they are digital and do that kind of stuff. Have it tested to see if it's getting a signal if it is then it's likely the gauge is bad or a wire leading to it is grounding out. The temp signal is the ltgrn/blk wire going to A12 on connector

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Sunday, January 17th, 2016 AT 10:56 AM

BROWNMITCH1990

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3 POSTS

Hopefully, I have a friend who thought it could be the head gasket leaking letting exhaust into the coolant. I had the head gasket changed about a year ago. Could that be a possibility. It only takes the gauge about a minute to go from cold to overheating

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Sunday, January 17th, 2016 AT 11:09 AM

HMAC300

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48,601 POSTS

If the engine isn't hot to touch then I doubt it's overheating. Fast overheats normally relate to thermostat due to not working but I don't think that is the problem here. If you have one of those infra red temp gauges that you hold by hand check upper hose if it's around 210 do what I said to check.

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Sunday, January 17th, 2016 AT 12:43 PM

BROWNMITCH1990

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3 POSTS

Ok thank you

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Sunday, January 17th, 2016 AT 1:26 PM

CJ MEDEVAC

MECHANIC
11,004 POSTS

HMAC300,

DOES THAT RIG HAVE A SENDER FOR THE GAUGE AND ANOTHER FOR THE COMPUTER? THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PARTS HOUSE DILEMMA, WRONG INFO AND ANOTHER WASTED TRIP TO THE PARTS STORE TO CORRECT IT.

I WOULDA CHECKED MYSELF AT AN ONLINE PARTS STORE, BUT THIS NEW SITE REMODEL AIN'T GIVING ME ENOUGH INFO, LIKE THE OLD SYSTEM DID.

RECKON THEY CHANGED THE WRONG ONE?

ALSO

(EVEN NEW STUFF CAN BE BAD TOO)

THE MEDIC