Car overheats when driving, not when idling.

Asked by GuruD96N93 Sep 04, 2023 at 09:04 AM about the 2014 Hyundai Sonata GL FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Car runs at normal temp when idling. Drive less than a mile and it rapidly
overheats. Park it temp immediately goes down.
New thermostat, new hi/lo fan fuses, new fan.

5 Answers

307,225

Seen this happen a lot. Make sure the fans are running in the correct direction.

1 people found this helpful.

I'm going to be a little ignorant here; how do I tell and in what direction should they be going?

307,225

If they are mounted in the engine compartment they should be pulling air through the radiator. If they are mounted just behind the grill they should be pushing air through. Both types of fans will be exhausting air into the engine compartment. Make sense?

155,195

Sounds like a bad water pump. An engine that overheats only when driving has a coolant circulation problem. You replaced the thermostat so the next suspect is the water pump. Other causes may be a cooling system blocked by rust and junk, air trapped in the cooling system, a lower radiator hose collapsing under higher engine RPMs, and a very low coolant level. This is not an airflow problem. An engine that overheats only at idle has an airflow problem. BTW I've seen water pumps that don't leak or make noise but the impeller inside has rusted away causing poor circulation. Hope that helps! Jim

I am currently having the same problem with my 2016 Hyundai Elentra, overheats when driving but if I slow down or stop for a second the temperature goes back down. The car is fine while idling. I was just wandering if you ever fixed the problem if so what was the solution? TIA

Your Answer:

Sonata

Looking for a Used Sonata in your area?

CarGurus has 826 nationwide Sonata listings starting at $1,543.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    sumcon
    Reputation
    5,850
  • #2
    clifford
    Reputation
    2,190
  • #3
    toDumbToNotKnow
    Reputation
    2,060
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Hyundai Elantra
156 Great Deals out of 3,062 listings starting at $1,995
Used Toyota Camry
52 Great Deals out of 1,143 listings starting at $2,500
Used Honda Accord
47 Great Deals out of 963 listings starting at $2,995
Used Honda Civic
198 Great Deals out of 4,044 listings starting at $440
Used Nissan Altima
30 Great Deals out of 678 listings starting at $3,512
Used Kia Optima
9 Great Deals out of 251 listings starting at $4,700
Used Toyota Corolla
137 Great Deals out of 2,301 listings starting at $103
Used Hyundai Tucson
105 Great Deals out of 2,806 listings starting at $3,455
Used Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
11 Great Deals out of 89 listings starting at $5,995
Used Hyundai Santa Fe
57 Great Deals out of 1,696 listings starting at $499
Used Chevrolet Malibu
47 Great Deals out of 1,068 listings starting at $1,995
Used Nissan Maxima
11 Great Deals out of 199 listings starting at $1,450
Used Dodge Charger
31 Great Deals out of 910 listings starting at $5,995
Used Ford Fusion
26 Great Deals out of 457 listings starting at $1,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.