Engine overheats When a car or truck overheats idling, in town, on the highway, while towing, etc. it is important to find out the reason to prevent engine damage. First, with the engine cold, make sure the radiator is full of coolant; if it is low, fill it and keep the radiator cap off while the engine idles to insure all air is bled out of the system ( air trapped in the system can cause overheating also). Check the coolant level daily; if the coolant goes down without visible leaks, it may be a head gasket starting to leak which will also cause the heater to blow cold air due to the lack of available coolant. If the coolant stays full, but the car continues to overheat, the next step is to replace the thermostat in the engine and flush the cooling system if that has not been done over the last few years.Buy a thermostat at a parts store and a PRESTONE flush kit which has excellent directions on the package.After completing these steps and the vehicle still overheats, have your cooling fan sensor/switch ( if equipped)checked out to insure it is coming on. Water pumps are seldom the cause as they are mechanical and will continue to work until their bearings give out. Finally, the radiator itself is often the problem as it tends to build up corrosion internally which prevents it from transfering engine heat to the coolant. Remove it and have it 're-cored'. One of these steps will solve the problem.
Take your thermostat out and put everything back together, run your car without a thermostat... If your car no longer overheats, replace your thermostat.
Your thermostat is stuck closed. you will need to replace it. The thermostat controls the circulation through the radiator - when the engine heats up the thermostat is meant to switch circulation from just-engine to engine+radiator. Sounds like this isn't happening.
replace upper radiator hose and install a new thermostat. see what happens. or turn it on without the thermostat for a while and see if it still overheats.
Drain the radiator. Remove the lower radiator hose from the motor. Unbolt the hose inlet, and remove the thermostat. Replace the thermostat and the inlet, the hose, and refill the radiator.
It could be you thermostat is bad.take it out and replace They're cheap and easy to install.
To replace the thermostat on a 2002 Cavalier 22 Ecotec, drain the radiator and remove the upper hose assembly. Replace the thermostat and refill the radiator.
bad thermostat, engine coolant temperature sensor(ect). not enough coolant. radiator is pluged up try flushing,or replace radiator.
I would do a complete coolant replacement and have the system flushed. Also replace the thermostat, and radiator cap, which may very well be your problem. If you are loosing coolant and there is no apparent leak, then you may have a blown head gasket. This can do serious damage to the engine. Have this looked into ASAP.
To replace a thermostat on a 2000 Ford F-250 V10, drain the radiator. Locate the thermostat on the top hose assembly and remove the screw. Replace the thermostat and refill the radiator.
Check if the thermostat is working properly. See if the top of the radiator is very hot when the motor starts to overheat, if it isn't hot then chuck out the thermostat or better still replace it.
Stuck closed thermostat. Replace the thermostat.
Drain the radiator. disconnect the top radiator hose from the engine. Remove the water inlet that the hose was hooked to. The thermostat is in the housing. Replace the gasket when replacing the thermostat.