there could be many different factors in the problem could be that your cooling fan does not come on or your radiator is plugged or maybe your thermostat does not open or it could even be low on anti-freeze.
First check fluid level
make sure fans are working when it is hot
make sure thermostat is opening when hot
check water pump
coolant temp sensor
Often the smell of burning rubber is an electrical wire that is overheating and causing the plastic sheathing to melt and burn. Sometimes there can be enough resistance to heat a wire but not cause the metal to melt, just the plastic. Trace out with eyesight and your nose, to find the area and possibly the faulty wire. If not findable, pass what you could discover onto someone that is able to look further into this matter.
Depending on which circuit Could be defective component Vibration causing a wire to short to ground
A fuel leak that you havent detected yet maybe try this I had this prob w/ my 95 Cherokee after having everything else checked out .... I replaced the gas cap, a 5$ fix, o-ring was worn and allowed fumes to leak out causing smell....hope that helps
Maybe because there's no such car? The last year for the Cherokee was 2001. I had the same problem on my 2003 jeep grand cherokee. One reason it will stay on is after you wash it or a good amount of water gets in the engine. If it is below freezing the water freezes in the radiator causing the fan to continuously run
Have the ujoints inspected. As they get old and worn they will develop play and the reason it thumps is caused by the ujoint being at one side then you shift towards another direction and it switches sides essentially hitting and causing your thump.
Low coolant, failed waterpump, stuck thermostat, missing belt, inoperative fan, plugged radiator.
are the cooling fans coming on
A bad head gasket certainly can, as coolant will continually leak out, eventually causing overheating, yes.
more than likely your idle air control motor(IAC motor)is not responding properly causing the engine to stall
a 2002 Alero could have several problems causing the overheating. Thermostat, water pump, or clogged radiator issues are the most common causes of overheating.
Several possibilities - from easiest to most expensive: Faulty or inoperable radiator cooling fan - causing overheating. Faulty thermostat - causing overheating. Water pump failure - causing overheating. Blown head gasket - allowing exhaust gasses to escape into the cooling system and expelling the coolant.
The coolant fan continues to run after the engine has cooled and then turned off. The fan continues to run and runs the battery down.
The engine is overheating.
chk coolant, chk coolant hose to turbo if it's a turbo. my hose was leaking causing overheating. My 2006 had a clogged heater core causing flow problems. Also the cooling fan is known to fail after 100k miles.
Check your temperature guage. Is the vehicle overheating? Are you losing coolant? Did you overfill your oil or do you have fluid leaking anywhere onto your exhaust? If you are using coolant or if its running hot, it is probably a head gasket issue.
Your radiator might have a small pinhole in it, causing it to not build up pressure.
Overheating can damage any seal.