My engine is overheating?

2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU
210,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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BDAVIS94
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My car is overheating which is causing my car to completely shut down and also causing the battery light my oil light check engine light and coolant light to all come on at once. it is also causing my car to leak all my anti freeze out of the reservoir and out of the hole on my water pump. what can or is causing this? i just don't know if it's the thermostat, the water pump, the radiator or if there is pressure in my lines not allowing it to circulate through my car. if any one can please help it is the only transportation me and my fiance have back and forth to work, doctors appointments and taking our children to and from school. Without our vehicle we will be truly devastated and have no means or resources to provide for our family because we do not have the money currently saved at this point. due to the fact we also have a baby on the way and have been putting are extra savings into preparing for are new born daughters arrival. i am truly begging anyone that may be able to help and relay some insight on what is or maybe the problem that is causing are car to overheat and spew out every last drop of anti freeze. please and thank you.
Dec 13, 2019 at 7:38 AM
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KASEKENNY
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Clearly the engine is overheating so the only way to know if it is one of the things you named or something else is to test each one of them. The reason it is leaking all the coolant out of the radiator and cap is because it is getting so hot that the coolant is just boiling out and the pressure finds the weakest point to exit the system.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/symptoms-of-an-overheating-engine

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-overheating-or-running-hot

I attached the system info so you can get familiar with how it works but we need to start with filling the system and monitoring if the cooling fans behind the radiator are coming on. If they are then we need to check the upper hose to see if it is hot. If when the temp is in the middle of the gauge that the upper hose is not hot to the tough then your thermostat is not opening and needs to be replaced. It could be a failed water pump but a thermostat is much more likely. I would remove it and put in boiling water and see if it opens before the water gets to 215 degrees. If it doesn't open then that is the issue.
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Dec 13, 2019 at 7:02 PM
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NATE331
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I have replaced the thermostat and the water pump, and for the first week or so I'll have minimal problems with my car overheating. Now, the car overheats and I get no heat when I turn it on. What could it be? Is the radiator the only thing left???
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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MMPRINCE4000
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Are the cooling fans working? this guide will help us

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-overheating-or-running-hot

Please run down this guide and report back.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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RASMATAZ
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Cooling fans are working on time-radiator not clogged-could be airlock in it-try bleeding the cooling system -don't work get it block and pressure tested

This guide can help us

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

Please run down this guide and report back.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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NATE331
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nah its not leaking, I did a radiator flush, changed the thermostat and water pump. I think its the coolant temp sensor, but for some reason I keep getting conflicting answers on where it is. I thought it was on top of the radiator hose, but I hear its near the thermostat housing...any clues?
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Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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NATE331
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It was the head gasket leaking cost me $980.00 to have it fixed.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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BRITTANY THOMPSON
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My car is overheating. It is back flowing out of the reservoir.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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STRAILER
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Hello,

This sounds like stuck thermostat which is common. Here are two guides that will help you confirm and repair the problem which diagrams below to show you how the repair will be on your car:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/replace-thermostat

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-overheating-or-running-hot

Please run down these guides and diagrams and report back.

Cheers, Ken
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Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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AZKICKER911
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2003 malibu is overheating. With the heater on, it keeps going back and forth from hot air to cold air. Temperature needle keeps going up and down. Put in new thermostat, radiator, and cooling tank. Ran fine for a couple of days and then started overheating again. Is it possible for the thermostat to be opening and closing while driving?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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MHPAUTOS
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Did you replace the pressure cap? re check the thermostat as a new one can be faulty, ensure fans are working correctly, if thermo make sure that they are turning on and staying on until the comes down and if viscus coupling type fan get a mechanic to inspect coupling for leaks and that it is driving the fan fully.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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AZKICKER911
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Looks like the new thermostat was bad. Removed it and so far no problems. I will drive it a few more days and if all is still well, I will replace it.
Thanks.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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PMANNIN
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where can I find the intake and out flow hoses to the heater core to flush it. it might be clogged. i just done a complete a full gasket change on the gm 3100 engine. and now my car keeps over heating. trying to figure out how to burp the lines and if that dont work. how do I flush the heater core. wheres the hose location or diagram.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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The heater core if it was clogged wouldn't cause a overheat.Is both upper and lower radiator hoses getting too hot to hold?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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Also is the radiator fan working and blowing really hot air out of it when it turns on?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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Plus is the radiator fan blowing tons of air out of it?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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PMANNIN
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the driver side hose that leads to the water pump is jot. the two on rhe passanger side are cold. yes thw gan kicks on hard and blows a ton of air.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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PMANNIN
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im sorry the driver side hose that runs from the radiator to the thermostat gets that hot the one that goes to the passanger side dont it stays cold.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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When the fan blows out tons of air is the air really hot or cold?If only one radiator hose is getting really hot sound like there is no flow thru the radiator.Did you ever replace the thermostat when you made the repairs?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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PMANNIN
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yeah but the thermostate gasket dont fit in the slot on the engine. the gaskets bigger than the divit made for it. and melts the gasket every time. i reved it up to 3000 4000 rpms and the hose going to the theromstat did get hard. it stayed loose. I took it to the shop to get flushed and they told me the head bolts were never changes i wasnt getting presure. which the head bolts were steel. not aluminum. but still not heat car still over heating. and i got a nother question with that. how do you torque the headbolts right on this car. does the front sequence. mean the same for the back headbolts?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:28 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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Sounds like you need to get a factory thermostat and gasket so it will fit properly then or find a aftermarket one that will fit correctly. Also which gaskets did you replace and why?Was it overheating before you changed the gaskets etc?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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PMANNIN
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yes the head gaskets blew so i replaced all the gaskets head bolts. and a new water pump and thermostat. yes it was over heating thats why i went threw the process of figuring out why it was overheating and no hot air out of my vents. So now i gotta try to figure out why its still over heating and still no hot air.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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PMANNIN
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before all this when i was driving a week prior the theromstate guage read normal at first when the heat would work. then when it shot up for a few miles cold air shot out till the temp went back down.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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Did you torque the head bolts the correct torque and torque pattern?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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PMANNIN
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yes i did 44 ft lbs and a second time at 95 degrees.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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There is no bleeding procedure for this car let's try this remove the thermostat and let's see if it still overheats?I had a grand am with a quad four engine put in a brand new thermostat in it.The engine was overheating only one radiator was getting hot and the radiator fan was blowing cold air from the radiator.Removed the thermostat and it didn't overheat hot air out of the radiator and both hose got hot.Put in another thermostat and it worked.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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PMANNIN
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ok will do. i called autozone today amd they said something about getting air out of my lines by rumning the car with the radiator cap off.is that true. i will keep u posted .
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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I looked up your car on my Mitchell on demand for coolant replacement and refill it just says fill the coolant let it run and add coolant as needed as the air works its way out.Running it with the cap off can be dicey that hot coolant doesn't blow all over you when it gets hot.Keep me posted on what you find.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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PMANNIN
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ok i put the thermo in with factpry gasket. no over heat but still no heat out of heater. and also the hose that runs to the water pump is hot so is the hose from the radiator. to thermostat
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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Alright we fixed one problem at least.When its hot see if both heater hoses going into your heater core at the firewall are both too hot to hold?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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PMANNIN
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no both hoses a just barley warm.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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SATURNTECH9
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Are the hoses kinked? There is no heater control valve on that car. Is the heater core clear and not plugged?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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ACROWE81
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I drove my car bout 13-15 miles and my car overheated and started smoking bad. I've never had a problem with this before and haven't noticed any leaking. I checked my reservoir and it seemed to be low so bout 5-6 hrs later after work I drove it maybe 5 mins down the road and put in a whole gallon of water but it still overheated immediately! I didn't check the oil to see if maybe it's a head gasket or intake manifold. Needing to know what it could be
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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CARADIODOC
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If you don't see any external leaks, the main suspect is a leaking cylinder head gasket. Coolant will get sucked into the cylinder and go out the exhaust. Combustion air will get pushed into the cooling system where it is common to pool under the thermostat. That will prevent it from opening. Thermostats have to be hit with hot liquid to open. Hot air won't do it.

Your mechanic can perform a chemical test at the reservoir to verify a head gasket is leaking. You can also add a small bottle of dark purple dye to the coolant, then search later with a black light. The dye will show up as a bright yellow stain that you can follow back to the source. If the head gasket is leaking, the dye will show up inside the tail pipe.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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BARRYSHATZ
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I have had cooling system problems since January. The system overheats. The low coolant light comes on, the gauge needle usually climbs, sometimes to the top, I have no heat, and when I shut the engine off I hear the thumping noise of water boiling in the engine. When cool the overflow tank usually takes about 3 quarts of water. Sometimes when I add water to a warm running engine it comes right out the overflow tube all over the ground. On a few occasions boiling water and steam came pouring out of the system.

There is no sign of water mixing with the engine oil, nor is there any white smoke coming out of the tailpipe. The system and heater core have been backflushed a few times, and bled for air pockets thru the coolant air bleeder multiple times. The surge tank cap was replaced. Nothing has worked. What do I do?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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RIVERMIKERAT
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It sounds like you have a blown head gasket. You can buy a test kit at parts stores. You can also stretch a balloon over the radiator opening with the engine running. If the balloon fills, you can bet you've got a blown head gasket.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:29 PM (Merged)
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BALOOE1989
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Why does my car squeak everytime i press the gas?? It sounds like the top pulley is the one squeaking everytime i press the gas. Although my car gets hot somtimes and dont keep the coolant in the tank it spits it out the overflow hose. Is it possible some of the antifreeze dripped on the pulleys causing it to squeak?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:30 PM (Merged)
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SERVICE WRITER
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Coolant on a belt will make it slip.

The temp. gauge never gets into the red I hope. You don't want to overheat the motor or you can be risking having to do some expensive repairs.

IS it that the coolant is being overfilled maybe as to why it spits some out?

Are you having to add coolant?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:30 PM (Merged)
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BALOOE1989
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Well I havent really overfilled it.. But before it was leaking coolant which i think is coming out of the overflow hose and steaming. It hasnt gotten into red just got hot. But im thinking it might be a pulley gone bad which is causing the squeaking everytime i accelerate. Is it possible it could be either the belt or the top pulley? Its a 2003 chevy malibu V6 3.1L
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:30 PM (Merged)
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SERVICE WRITER
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It can be the belt, it can be a weak tensioner causing the belt to slip, it can be any pulley other wise.

By description it sounds as though the belt is wet or not tight enough, because it happens on acceleration when the noise occurs.

Look at the water pump pulley, does it look rusty at all. That may be a sign that it is leaking. They can leak intermittantly.
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:30 PM (Merged)
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TIMOTHY_POPE
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can the themostat be replaced without removing the intake manifold and what type of coolant do I use?
Oct 28, 2020 at 2:30 PM (Merged)