Can anyone help explain why my 2001 chev cavalier keeps overheating?

Question

i took it to the shop today and all he said i needed was to replace the cap from the coolant tank. I'm a bit skeptical! My dad replaced the fan motor about a year ago but i fear that is giving me a problem again. I drive long distances on freeways and while im driving, my car is fine, its once im stuck in traffic and idle that te temp starts rising. i'm hope im worng about all this in that it truly was just that cap. is it at all possible that the fan wouldnt run becuase of the effects that cap caused? please help! my father is no longer a part of my life and i need all the advice i can get. Thanks so much

Answer 1

You had a mechanic tell you that all you needed was a new radiator cap, and you question it ? Please provide the name and number of this mechanic for the rest of us, as I believe that this mechanic might be the most honest man on the face of the planet. Have you even tried to replace the cap yet ? Why not take the man's advice and then question is abilities. Jeez Louise !

Answer 2

Check your colant level. If you are losing coolant you may need a cap or you may have a leak somewhere. If you find nothing is leaking then let your car run to see if the fan comes on. It should come on somewhere between 200 and 220 degrees which is usually a little above half if you half a hot cold gauge rather than an actual numerical guage. If your fan is working then you need a new thermostat which is located at the end of the hose that goes from the radiator to the engine block on the engine side. Siimply remove the clamp from the hose then remove the hose( make sure the cap is off first so there is no pressure and the car is cooled down) Take the old thermostat out and put the new one in(make sure it is not upside down look closely cause many poeple put them in upside down. Then replace hose and clamp. and refill your radiator. Start the car with cap still off when temp gets up to 210 approx thermostat will open up and fluid levl will go down. Top off radiator fluid and replace cap(make sure to use correct fluid replace orange with orange green with green) Make sure to bleed your system if there is a bleeder screw. Let car run till fan comes on and you are all set

Answer 3

if the thermostat was bad then it would overheat at all speeds

due to the coolant being trapped in the engine block

if the new cap does not fix it then you needot check that the fan is coming on

this would be the cause of overheating only at low speed and sitting still

if it were a bad or clogged up radiator then it would be overheating at all speeds, and also if the water pump was bad

try the new cap and then make sure the fan is working

new fan motor is about 30 bucks, it could also be the relay for the fan but not likely

and greenberg is a moron

good luck

Answer 4

Listen to the mechanic, if he was going to lie to you he'd tell you something more extravagant. Besides, my mom has an '01 chevy corsica and it tends to be a tend in that year chevy models. Thier caps are made of aluminum, which is a very flimsy metal and if they get too hot once then it damages which causes the car to overheat. When the fan motor went out last year it probably damaged that cap. I would say that the mechanic is right. Either way, replacing that cap would be a good thing, even if something else does need to be done. The caps are not all that expensive anyway.

Good luck to you.

Answer 5

How long has it been since you had a coolant power flush? Where do you live?

If there are a lot of minerals in your water, your radiator can rot out (Or if you live somewhere snowy and have a lot of rust on cars)

Coolant needs to be replaced or it will decompose and start taking out your water pump radiator etc.

A cap is the cheapest thing to replace.. YOu should check with your dealer to see how often to have the fluid replaced

Beware! If you have never changed the coolant, and you have it flushed you may develop more problems, because the gunk in your system might actually be gumming up leaks.

Answer 6

If you warm up the vehicle to normal temperature and open the hood. Let it set running for a little while (keep an eye onthe temp gauge) and the cooling fan should start running. If it does not the fan is likely shot. The fan should start when the AC is turned on too.

Driving down the road keeps the motor cool as the air is moving through the radiator. Stopped it is the fans job...

Answer 7

If the car is running cool at highway speeds, than it the radiator cap has nothing to do with it running hot in place. Your fan is either not pulling enough air (if any). Have your cooling system checked and they should notice right off if the fan isn't coming on. (Side Note) A radiator cap keeps the correct pressure in your cooling system. If you have the system serviced, go ahead and have them replace it too. Just out of curiosity, Replace it first and if it solves your problem, you know you can trust your mechanic. (still doubtful though)

Answer 8

Warm the car up and see if the fan is running. If it is not, turn the air conditioning on and see if it runs. Turning the air on forces the fan to run. I am guessing that the fan temp switch has gone bad, or the radiator is plugged up. First I would buy a cap and see if your mechanic is right (they are cheap).

Answer 9

O.K. Your Thermustat sounds bad. They are cheep enough that you can just buy one and put it in to see if that works. I think that is the problem. Otherwise, check the coolant temp sencer.

Answer 10

make sure your putting the gas cap back on right and all they way. you may also need a new cap. the cap not being on all the way will turn that light on.