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2008 Impala 3.9 issues

3K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  kingnutin 
#1 ·
I bought this car new in 2008 and it has about 60K on it. Last week i started a short trip to the grocery store and within 5 minutes the temp. needle shot all of the way up to the the hottest point and the dashboard display read engine overheat-idle engine and the temp light went on.

without stopping, it goes back to normal within 5-10 minutes. Now this occurs every time we start driving.

Now this morning, my wife on her way to work not only had this, but all of the dash lights and warnings came up (i think every single one) and stayed on for a few minutes and went back to normal. (all while driving)

Side note: last winter the heater would not blow any hot air until the car was driving for about 15 minutes. it would blow cold air only until 15 minutes in to the drive. even with the engine idling in park for 30 minutes, still had to wait for heat.

Any advice?

Thank you
 
#2 ·
The highest likelihood I can think of is low coolant. Suggest to check the coolant level, and to ensure all air is purged from the system.

Then there' the more unlikely but still possible things such as a sticking thermostat, radiator cooling fan(s) not engaging, water pump not pumping, etc.

Not sure what would cause all warning lights to activate... might be looking at a computer / sensor problem, rather than a traditional hardware issue.

Good luck, and keep us posted.
 
#3 ·
I bought this car new in 2008 and it has about 60K on it. Last week i started a short trip to the grocery store and within 5 minutes the temp. needle shot all of the way up to the the hottest point and the dashboard display read engine overheat-idle engine and the temp light went on.

without stopping, it goes back to normal within 5-10 minutes. Now this occurs every time we start driving.
This exact same thing happened to my car last winter. I have a 2006 LTZ. I added coolant to the reservoir and I opened the radiator cap (do this only when the engine is cold) and I saw this orangish gunk in the radiator spout.

I took a cloth and wiped it out then added some coolant directly into the radiator. The needle went to the halfway point where it is supposed to be and it has worked properly ever since. My guess is that the gunk was making the thermostat read incorrectly. :eek:k3:
 
#4 ·
Sounds like air in the system alright, get it topped off and bled out, then see.
 
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