2001chevy venture minivan temp gauge says its over heating Soon as it starts warming up temp needle goes straight to the red.please help!!!

20

Asked by joyce445 Jan 31, 2015 at 02:50 PM about the 2001 Chevrolet Venture Base

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

It started before thermostat and
pump got changed.happened while
driving. So bf changed them ,but did
no good.took to a shop and they ran
a test on it and came up with alot of
stuff.they didnt run a head gasket
test. Someone told bf i have a
cracked head. Oil is not milky
looking but does need to be
changed.have white smoke coming
out of tailpipe and water. But doesnt
that happen when warming up a car
anyway? How can you tell you got
an air pocket?

15 Answers

30,465

Probably a $10 thermistor (Device like a thermometer) that transmits the temperature to the readout device. They are usually located in the top engine connection where the large hose is attached. Praise God some of these mechanics don't work on aircraft or the chances of getting hit with a falling airplane would become very good

2 people found this helpful.
20

So that could be the problem,while the temp needle heads to the red while warming up??

2 people found this helpful.
30,465

That's not to say that a ground or other electrical problem may be doing it ... but if the engine ain't hot to the touch .... it ain't hot. BTW .. if you live in an area that's been experiencing bitter cold weather ... your car won't be alone with temp fault indications. The adverse weather plays hell with solid state thermistors

50,705

I know no questions are stupid, only the ones not asked. Her it goes. Is there antifreeze or a good enough amount to compensate for the bitter cold weather? If it heats up that fast, it means either your out of fluid, (easy to check) or the radiator and engine is frozen, or the incorrect amount of anti freeze is in the engine. (Also easy enough to check.)

50,705

If it is at or near freezing, the liquid if it has not enough antifreeze properties in is will freeze inside the radiator when the fan pulls cold air through it, and the flow of coolant will stop or slow down enough to cause the engine to heat up very fast. Please check it. You ruled out a head gasket leak if your not losing coolant. Was the thermostat put in correctly? Some times, not saying this is the case, but just some times it is put in upside down and what your experiencing is a common problem. You said this was going on before the new water pump and thermostat was replaced? There also are two directional water pumps. Make sure the correct direction for the water flow is on. One is for the v-belts the other is for serpentine belts that turns the water pump in a different direction because the belt travels the other direction turning the pump. A bad sensor also can be the issue. Before tearing down the engine or buyi9ng new parts, have the sensor checked for proper working. Tom is good and knows what he is talking about.

50,705

Sorry about your cold temperatures. We also are suffering with 80 degrees and light breeze.

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