so i took off work today to get home in time to get my sons ready for halloween. i leave work ( its a 45 min drive home ) drive a few miles when my temp light comes on. i start fliping my dic to see the temp, it hit 250! then 260 i finally pulled over. it got as hot as 270+ so i sat there for a while while my temp goes down. now my fan is running but it didnt help at all. i turn on my heat and all it did was blow cool air out! once it the temp got down to a safe temp i took off down the road when it spiked again. and again i pulled over for a while for it to cool down, did this until i got home...so i m a little pissed off atm. now earlier this morning i hit a racoon on the highway. but that wouldnt damage anything that would cause my car to over heat?
help please! i ll be dropping it off at the dealership tomorrow for the problem.

 

Check all of your hoses for leaks. Let the car cool back down and dry up a bit. Start it up and check all of the coolent lines. Watch your temps however. You may have just puctured a hose.

 

also i hae to mention that the car is dragging! just over 10000 miles and barily had it a year, this defeats the purpose of my buying a new car that will be trouble free for a few years! grr

 

did you leak any fluid or has the tubing been pinched?

 

Sounds like your thermostat is dead. or your coolant pump. That if you saw no leaking occuring.

I would say its more likely your pump since no hot air was coming out of your vents, the heater core is not on the same tubing the radiator is.

 

great and i m losing sun light but she is @ 205' and is still very hot, i smell antifreeze but nothing leaking. yet

 

Check your grille for raccoon bits that may be blocking the airflow.

Also, I had something similar a while back with my Pontiac where the temp fluctuated all over the place. Turned out to be a bad seal on the surge tank cap. Check coolant levels, and if you're not leaking, it's either a lack of air flow or a lack of coolant flow. Air flow is obvious, and lack of coolant flow could be either a water pump, or as someone else said, your 'stat may be stuck closed. Could also be a pinched hose, but unlikely.

 

i thought the same thing since the fan was still going...but dead on a car that has 10000 miles on it! ( thats warrenty repair right )

 

just had the oil changed about 2 weeks ago too

 

dem damn coons be causin problems

 

the coon couldve busted a line/hose or possible damaged the radiator...does the radiator look ok??

 

i hit the "coon" with my tires so no way ( i think ) it could have hurt the car. its the only odd thing that happend. that was in the morning though

 

The more i think about it the more it seems that the pump has to be at fault. Coolant is always flowing through the heater core for the heating system so if that is cold the coolant isn't flowing or there is no coolant. Feel the coolant hose that goes over the S/C and feel the radiator and see if they are warm or cold.

 

I manage a paint and body shop and you would be amazed at what a racoon can do to your car. It would not surprise me at all if it damaged your radiator, hoses, or even your suspension. I had a 99 Mercedes SL 500 last week that ran over a small dog and did over $3000 in damage. Tore up the radiator, condensor, fan, fan shroud, RT shock, bent the rim and a few other things. Just keep that in mind

 

As long as it isn't damage from you hitting the coon, it will be covered under warranty.

 

My guess is the thermostat.

 

wish i had the s/c but no, i have a LT

 

so its either the coolant pump or the thermostat

 

well thanks guys for the help. i was hoping for someone else who might have had this problem before. but no response yet.
as far as the racoon, i didnt hit it head on. just hit it on the passager side tires, thumb thumb.

 

You know... in these cars, turning the heat on won't have nearly as much effect as putting the A/C on... when you turn on the A/C it will activate a secondary fan... and you can sit there and watch the temp. drop.

 

this is true

 

sounds like u have a head problem to me leakin internally an burnin .......270 head if def effed damn aluminum cant stand tha heat

 

Even if it was a head problem the heater would be putting out hot air unless there was no more coolant left with is very unlikely.

Art feel the larger grey or black hose in the front passanger side that is right in front, can't miss it. Also feel the radiator, this will tell you if there is circulation in the system or if nothing is flowing.

 

during the summer i ve notice that. but all it was doing was putting out cool air and not hot air.

 

well just dropped her of at the dealership. of course she heated up on the way there. the fan was still going when i left her.
2 things i fear from the dealership
a) they couldnt find the problem ( which i hear alot from the dealership )
b) there was no problem at the time they checked it