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Overheating

2.2K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  beezerboy  
#1 · (Edited)
So my jeep is overheating after a 10 min ride into town or when sitting at a light idling. I have had to top off the coolant a couple of times in a month and the shop I went to said there aren't any leaks, the water pump is fine. I put the heater on full blast to keep it from overheating but even then the gauge goes up while idling. I asked if they checked the head gasket and literally got no reply. Any advice would be appreciated!

UPDATE:
After the shop ran pressurized air through the system to check for leaks it hasn't overheated. In fact, the needle doesn't even fully reach the center line on the gauge. Will monitor and update if needed. Thank you everyone for your advice!
 
#2 ·
Welcome to the forums.

A few thoughts....

Is the radiator core clean and free of any dirt or debris that could inhibit airflow.

Any bubbles in the coolant reservoir?

Is there any brown-ish milky goo under the oil cap, or does the oil look milky?

Are there any signs of white-ish exhaust, or the smell of engine coolant?

If so, you could take the plugs out and check them for signs of coolant, or inspect the cylinders with a camera.

There's also dyes around that can be used to detect the presence of combustion byproduct in the coolant.
 
#3 ·
Your secondary thermostat could be stuck closed. It's supposed to open at 203 deg F. to provide additional cooling. The primary stat opens at 173 and feed the upper radiator hose, so if a mechanic wasn't aware our engines have two thermostats, they may just feel the upper hose is hot and assume the thermostat (singular) is good.
 
#5 ·
no leaks and no evidence of a blown gasket would indicate (to me) a bad radiator cap. it has a 2 way valve to let fluid in and out of the coolant reservoir (overflow tank)(whatever). if it lets coolant in to the overflow tank, but not out, it will eventually fill the tank and spew overboard. now the coolant in the engine is low. guessing the mechanic doing the testing "fixed" it, maybe without even knowing it