2001 Pt cruiser is overheating

[Mark]

My Pt curiser is overheating and when it gets hot it is coolant is all over the engine not sure where it is coming from but i checked the hoses and their ok. i've changed the theromstat and it did it again. i checked the relay under the hood and it seems to be working. The electic fan does not seem to be working so i took the electic fan out and plugged it up to my brother pt cruiser and it does not work. I was told that it could have been the sensor near the theromstat. any ideas it is apart and i'm not sure to by a new fan or if something else is the problem. HELP>

[JoAnn]

Did you ever figure it out? Mine's doing the exact same thing...

[Lorry NY]

My PT Cruiser runs beautifully for 35 miles until I stop at a light or a stop sign and it stalls. When I try to restart it I have electrical function but it will not turn over. The temparature gauge is in the middle. The vent air is very hot. I must wait 15 minutes and then it will start and drives perfectly. This problem has been progressing. I used to be able to drive 100 miles before it stalls and wait only 5 minutes to restart. By, the way, this only happens in the summer......HELP>>>SO S>>> I work 200 miles from my home and NEED TO TRAVEL!!!!

[Lorry NY]

Lorry NY wrote:

My PT Cruiser runs beautifully for 35 miles until I stop at a light or a stop sign and it stalls. When I try to restart it I have electrical function but it will not turn over. The temparature gauge is in the middle. The vent air is very hot. I must wait 15 minutes and then it will start and drives perfectly. This problem has been progressing. I used to be able to drive 100 miles before it stalls and wait only 5 minutes to restart. By, the way, this only happens in the summer......HELP>>>SO S>>> I work 200 miles from my home and NEED TO TRAVEL!!!!

have you found an answer yet anyone.....?

[Nicola Natale]

How is possible?
My 2002 Pt cruiser has the same problem. Overheating and coolant boiling so I had to stop during my summer holidays.
Reading these comment seem no one has found the exact solution of the problem.
I don't believe that neithe simple mechanics nor the authorized ones succed in to discover what's the origin of the problem.
Could it be in the software of the CPU car that we call "centralina"?
The actual tecnologies seem to be made to increase company profit and increase seriously our anxiety about good performance and last of our damned expensive car!

[Nicola Natale]

I correct again
I wrote from
Ginosa
Taranto
Puglia
Italia

[AMF]

Mark wrote:

My Pt curiser is overheating and when it gets hot it is coolant is all over the engine not sure where it is coming from but i checked the hoses and their ok. i've changed the theromstat and it did it again. i checked the relay under the hood and it seems to be working. The electic fan does not seem to be working so i took the electic fan out and plugged it up to my brother pt cruiser and it does not work. I was told that it could have been the sensor near the theromstat. any ideas it is apart and i'm not sure to by a new fan or if something else is the problem. HELP>

The cooling fan has a low and a high speed. The high speed on mine is not working as of now, but will not overheat until it idles a long time. I would like to know where the temp sensor for the high speed on the fan is. It has to be in a water jacket. If this sensor is bad, it will not send temp to the control module and the module will not turn on the fan speed to high.
Also, under the battery there are two relays, one for the low speed and one for high speed. I removed the start relay and the car would not crank. I changed out both the low and high relay in the start relay position and the car started everytime. My way of thinking, is if the fan is out, its out. I dont think that it would just run in low speed. If the control module doesnt know that the collant is getting excessively hot, it cant turn on the fan to high speed. New fans are on Ebay for 87.00 plus 13 for shipping.

[AMF]

Lorry NY wrote:

<quoted text> have you found an answer yet anyone.....?

In my opinion, you have an electrical issue since your coolant temp is ok.
I would try to reset the control module by disconnecting the battery and letting it 'reboot'.
If that doesnt work, I would opt for a computer diagnostic and have the codes checked to pinpoint it.
As far as the vent air,,,well...

[Jon]

My wifes 2001 pt just started overheating but only when it's idling or in slow trffic, I looked and the fan seems to be working, so if what you all are saying it's not the thrmostat or water pump what could it be?

[Jonathan]

Someone said that their pt cruiser was overheating? Mine did that before and the problem was the waterpump coolant bypass. Somehow it rusted a small hole and that caused the engine to leak coolant and overheat. Then a week ago it started overheating and it was caused from a vapor lock. So i would check the radiator hose under the vehicle while it is running and if it is cold while the car is warmed up then the easiest thing to do is squeeze the hose a few times and that should fix the problem!

[Zepp]

My 2001 PT is overheating after about 2 hours of running ... it doesn't overheat on surface streets, but after a highway run.
Took to Chrysler .. passed all inspections and tests ... No problem .. and they only charged me $150 to tell me..
They said it might be setiment on the system clogging the radiator, but not sure.
No leaks (the radiator is full) no codes, the fan is okay ..
Any ideas??

[StarCruser]

I have same problem with heating up of engine at idle. (2001 PT with 95,000 miles) While running at speed, engine kept cool. I noticed that the fan was not running with the temperature in red. The two relays that control low and high speed of the fan have burnt out contacts. I cleaned them (only temporary fix)and the fan worked fine with the temperature staying in center of gauge. I am going to replace relays and hopefully it will fix.

[Bob Wilson]

I had the bad relay problem too, but overheating kept coming back because I had not also replaced the 16lb radiator cap after removing it. Seems after it sat on the car since about 2006, the rubber seal had some deep indentations worn in it, that did not precisely line up when servicing. Result: continued overheating due to lack of a fully pressurized system.

[Bob Wilson]

My mistake, after the factory cap sat on the car since about 2001, (not 2006).

[kyle]

my pt runs fine but when i turn on the a/c it startes to over heat its a 2001 with 99000 anyone have any ideas about what could be wrong

[Jason D]

See my posts here, I think I've fixed my overheating issue:

http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/chrysler-pt-...

The problem seems to be that the radiator slowly dies from internal rust sediment and then the gradual increase in running temps fries everything else.

I had to replace the radiator, hoses and cap, water pump, thermostat, as well as timing belt and a couple of other odds and ends that probably were not related to the temps, but to the cars mileage.

[CampJen]

Keep us (Jason D) posted on the radiator replacement because my problem seems to follow yours exactly.

[Kims Cruzer]

Jason D wrote:

See my posts here, I think I've fixed my overheating issue:
http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/chrysler-pt-...
The problem seems to be that the radiator slowly dies from internal rust sediment and then the gradual increase in running temps fries everything else.
I had to replace the radiator, hoses and cap, water pump, thermostat, as well as timing belt and a couple of other odds and ends that probably were not related to the temps, but to the cars mileage.

Did the radiator do the trick? email me please!!!![e-mail]

[Dave]

Mine ('02 w/90K) started overheating recently while at a stop. Figured it was the thermostat--mechanic said it was water-pump. Had him replace both and also replaced the timing belt..which apparenty now comes in a "kit" form and costs about $200.00? Total bill was about $550.00 which is about $549.00 more than I think the car is worth.:) Took care of the problem, tho.

[Jason D]

I've had the new radiator in for a couple of weeks now and have had absolutely no issues.

It's been pretty hot here (90-105 degrees daily) and I have been running with A/C at full blast. I've not seen my temp gauge go above the half-way line which is where it always stayed before the issues started.