car overheating when idle and antifreeze bubbling

50

Asked by laboyj127 Mar 01, 2018 at 09:23 AM about the 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2002 Chysler PT Cruiser and when I am idle for too long in traffic my
car overheats, also I can hear my antifreeze bubbling as well.  Can someone
give me some insight as to what may be happening?

5 Answers

101,335

Can you check if the cooling fans are turning on? Coolant level is good?

4 people found this helpful.
50

someone was telling me that it could be my head gasket and my fan. Is that possible? It's just hard to trust people nowadays

1 people found this helpful.
101,335

Head gasket can cause overheating and bubbling in the reservoir, but that's a worst case scenario. Fans not coming on can also obviously cause overheating. Either a fan controller, engine computer, or coolant temp sensor is not working. Pop the hood and run the engine for a few minutes til it warms up, and watch for the fans to start. You could also turn the AC on, fan should turn on right away. (if there are two fans, one should turn on). If you're not mechanically inclined, get the car to a shop, any competent mechanic could have you sorted out in short order. You can also test for a blown head gasket yourself, using a product called "Block Tester," although that test isn't foolproof.

4 people found this helpful.
50

Thank you that makes sense because when i do turn on my A/C the fan makes a funny noise so that can definitely be it.

1 people found this helpful.

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