2002 pt cruiser overheats
Asked by paulaevans Aug 24, 2013 at 03:42 PM about the 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring Wagon FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Went over a hill the other day car started to heat up pulled over let cool down added water...had someone replace thermostat & radiator cap...now when I go over 60mph starts warmimg up...have to turn on heater in car to keep gauge in middle line. seem to do fine around town.. had a pressure test done and no leaks...What would you suggest Thanks Paula Evans
4 Answers
Might try back flushing radiator. It could have sludge in radiator not allowing the water to flow thru it properly. Have you ever used any thing like stop leak? If so I would definitely suspect a stopped up radiator.
echristopher1 answered 10 years ago
Sadly, it could be a leaky head gasket. had that happen to my 2007
docwade931 answered 10 years ago
What we found was leaves and trash in the bottom one third of the radiator. Since the A/C Condenser and Transmission Cooler make up the front part of the radiator assembly. And the Water part of the radiator for the engine is the back half (( closest to the engine )) .... Trash, Gunk and Leaves had accumulated between the two parts. The bottom one third of the radiator was so clogged that no air could pass through the cooling fins. We hope this has been helpful......
i had my cooling system apart and have no issues with trash. i have heard about a possible blockage in the coolant system and causes the system to over heat. the radiator appears full, but may not be. i have removed the thermostat and that has helped. the problem appears corrected, but i dont trust it on theopen road yet. the bubbles are gone now. i would like to put the thermostat, but dont know yet. also, only plain water is in the system now. would anti-freeze help with the problem, or is that not a factor.
