Engine overheating?

Tiny
CRUSNIKJ01
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 CHEVROLET VENTURE
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 159,000 MILES
So I have been fighting this problem for a while. Car seems to be overheating. Changed radiator, water pump, thermostat, thermostat sensor, bled the lines. The gauge still says red. But when I used a light thermometer to test the temperature of the engine and pips it reads 150 to 139 and looks like the radiator is pushing the antifreeze into the overflow reservoir. Saw what looked like bubbles coming out of the hose that goes from the radiator to the reservoir.
Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 5:47 AM

50 Replies

Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Good morning,

The pressure build-up and the bubbles are the clue.

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

Sounds like you have a failed head gasket from the overheating allowing compression gases into the cooling system.

A leak down test will confirm. You need to remove the spark plugs and insert an air fitting into each cylinder one at a time. Then use shop air to pressure up the cylinder and watch for coolant movement in the radiator. That will confirm if a head gasket has failed.

Roy
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Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 7:27 AM
Tiny
CRUSNIKJ01
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  • 8 POSTS
I used a laser thermostat and shot it at the engine the pipes and it read a lot lower then what the gauge said on the dashboard.
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Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 8:22 AM
Tiny
CRUSNIKJ01
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And can you put the temperature sensor to far in?
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Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 8:36 AM
Tiny
CRUSNIKJ01
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  • 8 POSTS
And this morning I drove it to work the gauge said that I was in the red. I pulled over turned car off then turn it right back on and the temperature went down a little. Then when I started driving the temp started dropping fast.
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Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 8:38 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Okay, no, you cannot put the coolant sensor in too far. As far as the driving, that is an indication of the head gasket. You could try a thermostat but I doubt that is the issue.

This guide can help us fix it as well

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

Please run down this guide and report back. Roy
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Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 9:32 AM
Tiny
CRUSNIKJ01
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I'm driving it right now not overheating.
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Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 12:00 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
It will. You need to have this checked. My bet is you have a failed head gasket.

Roy
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Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 12:05 PM
Tiny
CRUSNIKJ01
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Me and my dad are testing it tomorrow. A mechanic told him about this stuff we can put in the radiator that may fix it.
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Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 6:06 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Do not do that. There is no additive that will stop a head gasket leak.

It will cause more issues. It will clog the radiator and heater core and compound the issue.

The best way is to fix it correctly.

Roy
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Friday, January 10th, 2020 AT 6:26 PM
Tiny
CRUSNIKJ01
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  • 8 POSTS
Well, it is the gasket.
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Sunday, January 12th, 2020 AT 7:10 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
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Just what I figured.

Make sure you do both gaskets, not just one.

Make sure the heads are checked for cracks and for being warped as well.

Roy
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Sunday, January 12th, 2020 AT 10:04 AM
Tiny
CRUSNIKJ01
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
We going to see what the dealership will give me if I trade it in and pay $5,500.00.
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Sunday, January 12th, 2020 AT 11:03 AM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
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The repair will be around $1,500.00 to $1,800.00.

On a 15-year-old vehicle, it would be about $500.00.

Roy
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Sunday, January 12th, 2020 AT 11:13 AM
Tiny
EASYOFF
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
  • 2005 CHEVROLET VENTURE
Hi, I have a 05, chev venture, I noticed that my heat gauge is going over the half way mark and it did not do that before. The fans are not turning on. But when I turn the ac on the fans turn. (So the fan motors work), I checked the fluid levels and are top off, I opened the two bleeders and no air in system. The fuses are good but I dont know how to check the relays to see the are working also dont know witch one to check, I have 3 that says its for the cooling system.
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Friday, August 21st, 2020 AT 11:44 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BLUELIGHTNIN6
  • MECHANIC
  • 16,542 POSTS
If fan comes on with A/C then relays are working. Most likely a faulty engine coolant temp. (ECT) sensor it causing fans not to come on other than with A/C.
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Friday, August 21st, 2020 AT 11:44 AM (Merged)
Tiny
EASYOFF
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Thx for the fast reply, I will try that and post results.
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Friday, August 21st, 2020 AT 11:44 AM (Merged)
Tiny
EASYOFF
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Sorry for the delay, I wanted to make sure I had $$$ in the bank first. Ok, so I went to midas today and they hook up a computer to it and said that every thing was fine with the engine and sensors, the engine temp gage in-dash would go to the fist large hash mark past center then the fans would kick in, it did not do that last year, they show me that with there comp, it goes to 108 degrease and fans start. They say that my dash cluster is not working right and that every thing was fine. He suggested me to go out and buy another one from the dealer our scrap yard.
But why would/how could the instrument cluster engine heat gage get out of sink?
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Friday, August 21st, 2020 AT 11:44 AM (Merged)
Tiny
BLUELIGHTNIN6
  • MECHANIC
  • 16,542 POSTS
With new vehicles there are small computers and gadgets everywhere on them, used to the coolant gauge was just a mechanical style gauge that went from the inside of car to near the thermostat so it could be sitting in the coolant. Nowadays it's electric and all built into the instrument gauge. So if it fails it will give out inaccurate readings and the only way to fix it is to replace the entire instrument gauge cluster.
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Friday, August 21st, 2020 AT 11:44 AM (Merged)
Tiny
RUTH HARPHAM
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 2003 CHEVROLET VENTURE
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 187,800 MILES
Bought the van and the guy had just put a radiator in it and apparently he didn't hook up the pump or the hose down below properly so they run some wires up to a switch on the dashboard and rigged it so it will turn the fans on right now we're trying to put the thermostat in we've got the car tore apart because it got different information from different people we can't actually see where the thermostat is located different pictures on different examples is not very good for just trying to get the thermostat changed over to see if that will help with some of the overheating the switch does work as far as turning the fan on so it works we was told that the engine everything has to be disconnected so they can get to that hose to put a clamp on it to connect it so we're waiting to get the money to have all that done but the meantime we thought we would change the thermostat see if that would help their overheating so the kids can get back to work or needing help with getting thermostat put in and getting it hooked back up though cuz right now we do have the engine tour part so I need somebody's help thank you
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Friday, August 21st, 2020 AT 11:44 AM (Merged)
Tiny
EASYOFF
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
THX, I guess ill have to get use to it until something else goes wrong on it :(, are they expensive?
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Friday, August 21st, 2020 AT 11:44 AM (Merged)

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