Engine overheats and shuts off?

Tiny
KDEEDIXON17
  • MEMBER
  • 2011 DODGE NITRO
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 170,000 MILES
Hello, I was driving it one day and out of nowhere, the gauge shot up really hot. I pulled over and let it cool down. I did this three times total before making it home and the car shuts its self-down because it is overly hot. I got the car looked at and the first thing the mechanic changed was the water pump and thermostat. He took it for a 10-minute ride again it shuts down. There is no oil mixing with coolant or anything. So, another mechanic suggested changing the radiator. We did and same thing. Within 10 minutes the gauge shoots up and it's too hot to drive. Now I have no idea what to do. Is there anything I didn't check that I need to get checked? Is it an electrical problem? One mechanic plugged it up to one of those diagnostic readers and he said over 19 codes came up. But he wasn't sure if it was accurate. I'm just pretty directionless and now my car is just sitting. Is it possible the car is savable? It will crank if it gets a boost off, but 10 minutes and it gets hot and shuts down.
Monday, July 18th, 2022 AT 8:21 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,535 POSTS
Hi,

When the gauge shoots up to hot, is the coolant in the engine or radiator boiling? Is there any steam from the engine compartment indicating it is overheating?

I ask because it could be a faulty coolant temperature sensor. If it is sending the wrong signal to the powertrain control module, the module doesn't know if it's wrong.

Also, there could be a short or faulty connection in the wiring.

Do me a favor. If it's possible, let me know what the nineteen codes were. Chances are there are one or two of them that are relevant and causing the others to appear. Also, when it does run for 10 minutes, does it seem normal?

I attached a pic below showing the general location of the coolant temperature sensor (pic 1). Just check to see if there is any evidence of damage to the wiring, connector, or anything out of the ordinary. Also, pic 2 shows the sensor.

This information is for the 3.7L V6 engine. Please confirm that it is the correct engine.

Take care,

Joe

See pics below.
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Monday, July 18th, 2022 AT 2:03 PM

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