First check that the electric radiator fan is turning on when the engine gets hot. If it's not, the engine is going to overheat at low speeds but not at highway speeds. Next, look at the cooling fins on the radiator. If they crumble like a rotten chocolate chip cookie, they're corroded and unable to transfer heat to the passing air. The engine will overheat worse at higher speeds.
Feel all four corners of the front of the radiator when the engine is hot. One one area is cold, some of the cooling tubes are plugged.
The last suspect is a leaking cylinder head gasket. Usually that results in the unexplained loss of coolant, but not always. If you see air bubbles in the coolant reservoir when the engine is running, suspect the head gasket. There's an additional chemical test that can verify that.
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Sunday, July 20th, 2014 AT 8:12 PM
