gets really hot when were at idle

my friends da gets really hot when were at idle, but once you start driving the temp goes down pretty fast. he just got a new radiator, and thermo stat. what should we look into? it has plenty of coolant in it and the reservor

Its likely that there is air trapped in the system.
Bleeding is not difficult, the bleed valve is on the thermostat housing. Be careful, some people have broken their housing when loosening the valve. I’ve never done it but I could see it happening. Make sure the heater is on when you do this so no air is left in the heater core.
Do some searching around this board, I’m sure its been covered in detail many times.

If that doesn’t do it the water pump might be starting to go if there are no leaks anywhere. I bet its air though.

Does the fan ever turn on? if so, then if it cools when driving maybe the water pump? any leaks from the driver side under the motor?

i am dealing with the same problem but when i turn on my heater when idel the temp goes back down… did you guys fugure out what was going on

better chance then not its fan, thermostat, or air bubbles…especially as the OP mention the new radiator, etc. cause a vehicle doesnt need a fan if you’re driving down the road the moving air will cool it

seriously, get a new radiator cap. I had the same problem and thats what i needed the whole time.

its a cheap fix to try first if nothing else

When you say “gets really hot”… do you mean the needle actually climbs towards the hot side? If so… do you know if the fan even turns on?

If not… it’s most likely your ECTS (temp sensor)… known to fail on our cars. But first try changing your radiator cap… it’s a cheaper fix… then go from there…

[QUOTE=hybrid90;2064860]When you say “gets really hot”… do you mean the needle actually climbs towards the hot side? If so… do you know if the fan even turns on?

If not… it’s most likely your ECTS (temp sensor)… known to fail on our cars. But first try changing your radiator cap… it’s a cheaper fix… then go from there…[/QUOTE]

:up:

Before you even try buying a new radiator cap, burp the system. That’s free. :slight_smile:

99.999999999% its the fan switch. fan not coming on… when driving you have air blowing from outside… also ur water pump moves faster

And the .1% is that your friend’s car is on fire due to improper disposal of the lit joint when you guys go pulled over.