I sat in traffic for around 30 minutes a couple days ago in 80 degree weather and the temp guage showed my car was too hot. A couple of minutes after my temp guage showed that it was too hot, the car died. It started back up alright but i was not able to get off the highway for another 10 minutes or so. So i would throw it into neutral when i would stop in the traffic and give it a little gas so it wouldnt die. When i finally got off the highway i popped the hood and let it sit like that for 20 minutes. I checked the coolant overflow bottle and it was full, still is today. But since it overheated, the engine has been shaking the car. I only notice it when the car is stopped but it is definitely noticeable and isnt normal. And the car hasnt had any trouble staying running at idle since i let it cool off overnight. Any ideas whats wrong?

 

if it overheated while idleing... check:

hoses/clamps
correct 50/50 or 70/30 depending on freeze (last month it has been anywhere from 10-80 degrees lol)
radiator leak/failing
faulty sensor / sensor going out
faulty thermostat (sticking) or going out. or winter thermostat
gasket leakage (lower intake or heads)

is that about it?

 

You forgot to check the fan if its electric.

Also, if its now shaking, it souns to me like you have a misfire. You could have possibly blown a head gasket during the overheating and now you have a dead cylinder.

Or you could have a cracked head, etc.

 

Overheating while idling with these cars is commonly the fan. Air is rushing through the rad until you stop...and if you stop for more than a few minutes it starts to climb. I drove around for 2 months like this until I fixed my fan. Many times I've been sitting in the Taco Bell drive through cursing at the slow people as I watch my temp gauge climb into the red.

As for the roughness it could be a lot of things, although I admit it doesn't sound good. Have any codes? I would probably check the plug wires and see if one of them melted and is grounding out, and then start checking for dead cylinders. You might try pulling individual plug wires and listening for changes in the engine sound...if pulling one doesn't make a difference you have a dead cylinder. Since its TPI can you pull the fuel injector plugs instead of the plug wires? Not sure on this but it seems like it would be easier. Don't try this until somebody chimes in, not sure if its bad.

 

check ur timing it lead to all kinds of probs

 

I forgot to note that about 3 weeks ago I replaced the intake manifold gaskets and thermostat. When i replaced these, i also got my timing checked by my mechanic. And the radiator is not leaking at all, and it does have the correct 50/50 coolant mix. Also, the fan is working.

 

How hot did it get?

 

He said it didn't lose any coolant so it didn't get that hot. I think it did get hot enough to smoke out a weak sparkplug, plug wire or injector though. That's what I'd check. He still needs to fix the cause of the overheat.

 

also check ur egr valve it can cause overheating rough idle no idle bad emmisions and so forth...

 

Usually if the EGR is causing problems, it will barely idle - if at all. It wouldn't idle long enough to over heat. Plus, it would also set off the SES light.

 

If the engine overheated and now your engine is rough
I would say that you would more than likely have a blown head gasket.
You are experiencing a lack of compression in one of your cylinders.
Although unlikely, a blown head gasket does not always = coolant loss.

Test your compression for all of your cylinders, checking your plugs at the same time.
I am a diesel engine rebuilder and I know allot about head gasket failure.

 

do alot of NA diesels blow head gaskets?

 

I am asuming that you mean " Naturally asperated Diesels"
and yes they do blow head gaskets just like any other type of engine.
What I meant by that was there are more symptoms to a blown head gasket
that the most obvious ones
eg: burning coolant (tons of white smoke from exhaust)
coolant in oil
burning oil
overheating
...

 

Sometimes, depending on the leak, the engine doesn't get coolant in the cylinders, but it does lose compression into the cooland system. Pull the cap while it's running (cold!!!!!!) and watch for bubbles.

 

I have a question. I was driving stopped at a red light, and car turned off on me. I turned it back on and I smelt like something burnt. Had to drive it to my destination which was like 3 minutes away, and turned it off once I got there. Left it off for lik3 20 minutes, added water slowly and I kept hearing bubbles. What can the problem be?

 

Probably, all the coolant had dripped out.

Good place to start would be to find the leeeeeks and then maybe even fix them then fill it back up with coolant.

Those pesky details.

Speaking of details, the details about your situation might depend on things like, what kind of car is it, what motor, etc. Maybe we can point you in the right direction if we know what we're working on. Details.

 

it depends. What kind of car is it, and what's under the hood?

 

 

Internet FIX MY CAR FOR ME NOW!!! and then disappointment when it doesn't happen like that.

 

your replying to a 17 year old post. I would start a new one, but when adding coolant to a system that was low bubbles are normal and car should be run with cap off until thermostat cycles