Car running hot

Hi tucker284,

Thank you for the donation.

Is the coolant level in the radiator always correct?
Are the cooling fans working?
Is the Check Engine Light indicating?
When engine could not start, did you test to see what is missing, fuel, sparks or others?

The thermostat would cause overheating if it is stcuk in closed position but the non starting could be due to a fault with the Engine Coolant Temperature sensor. This is different from the temperture gauge sending unit.

I would start with a thermostat. Have the rad checked for flow. Make sure the fans are operating at the correct temps.

As far as the trans. It is a separate issue. It may be too much throttle pressure but you need a trans shop to check it for you and give you a bid.

Roy

I do not know what temp you are talking about but at 240 degrees, the head gaskets become vulnerable to fail. Half way to me represents about 170-180, so above that is tough to figure. I would get it attended to asap so you dont do internal damage to the motor.

Roy

Check thermostat.

It is the first thing I would check. If it isn't opening, the engine will overheat. Check that and let me know what you find.

What do you mean by 'run heavy'?

If you have to add coolant regularly, that means you have a leak somewhere.

Was your coolant level really low when your message center told you 'low coolant'. You could have a bad sensor.

When your car is running hot, there are a few possibilities including:

-low coolant (add coolant) which in a lot of cases means.
-. Leaks in the cooling system (pray for an external leak and not an internal one): pressure test the cooling system. If pressure OK, then the problem is elsewhere. You should also visually inspect your cooling system for leaks (preferably with engine running because it makes the leaks easier to detect).
Do you have a lot of white smoke coming out of your tailpipe? Do you have coolant in your oil? That would suggest.
-.A blown/leaky gasket (head gasket usually). I hope for you it's not the case. A compression test should tell you if it's the case.
-defective thermostat (stuck closed). Turn on your car and let it run until it reaches normal operating temp. Feel the top radiator hose with your hand. If it doesn't get hot, replace thermostat.
-defective water pump (usually it's leaking, especially when car is running): replace it.
-defective radiator (probably not in your case since you replaced it).
-Defective radiator cap (weak spring): the cap can't hold the pressure. Replace it.
-Sometime, you can have clogged waterjackets or a clogged hose.
-defective electrical fans (make sure fans come on when they're supposed to).
-Although it is more rare, sometime your serpentine belt is slipping on your waterpump pulley, which prevent the waterpump from working properly. Check belt tension. If tension too low, replace belt and/or belt tensioner.
-Defective sending unit (sensor). Make sure your sensor is working well. You can hook an autoscanner to your car and check the temperature received by your pcm (usually anywhere from 195 to 212 F). Compare this temperature with the temperature you get from an infrared thermometer at the thermostat housing (which is where your sensor is located on this model I believe although I'm not 100% positive). If the two temp are very different, your sensor is probably bad. If the temp are about the same, but your gauge reads high, you probably have a bad gauge, or a problem in the wiring.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Check and suspect lower intake gasket and or head gasket

You may have some internal damage from one of the previous overheating like a blown head gasket or cracked head. This problem may have started as a leak but developed into something more serious now.