i have a 01 pt cruiser. never gave me problems until the radiator had a tiny leak and started steaming,but didnt overheat. took it to a mechanic he changed the radi, it was good for about 3 months.
Asked by Manuel Jun 07, 2015 at 02:13 PM about the 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited Wagon FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
this weekend it overhated. a bit of
antifreeze leaked. let it cool down and open
up the radi cap. it still had fluid. turned it on
and it bubbled. i bought a thermostat tried
chabging it my self but didnt fit. i noticed
the car was overheating again but fan isnt
turning on. can it be thermostat? fan? or
water pump?
5 Answers
That's not good, a cold engine with bubbles in radiator that has recently overheated. Could be the dreaded head gasket. I hate to alarm you, but that's what happens, compression being forced in to a water jacket = bubbles in radiator
http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-c1560_ds505175#msg166492
That link is a discussion you may benefit from. Hopefully it's not head gasket. Recommend you see it.
thanks guys. i found my problem. after having it sit for 2 weeks. i switched the fan relays. low speed and high speed relays. that wasnt it. i then changed the thermostat. wasnt it. this morning i bought a new fan assembly wasnt it. took everything apart once again. and youtubed pt cruiser overheating, i came across a non pt cruiser video and the dude does exactly what i did. but he actually just troubleshoots everything. he has all the necessary tools to check all the stuff i replaced. so he trouble shoots the coolant sensor and i drive to my auto supply store, buy the $16 sensor replace it and car runs like it suppose to. the thermo needle goes up slowly to the middle. i drive it for about 10mins. take it to a drive thru carwash leave it on. i gt home and still no over heating. and walaaah that was my problem. spent over $400 in parts including tow truck to get it back home in the first place. tow truck was almost $200.
RE: PT Cruiser Shut Down-- A large amount of vehicles have an auto shut down sequence (starting back in the 70s) . This is to let you know that something is wrong and needs to be corrected. ALSO Sometimes a temp sensor can go bad or just be disconnected. JUST REMEMBER; IF you are being shut down by the electronics, LOOK at something electronic. Sometime a code does not show up. BUT, your vehicle can be scanned by a shop that has the correct program on a computer. Or remember you need air, fuel, & spark
