Car Overheats At Idle

Bampppp. Would really like an opinion on this from anyone who can, I know it's not much info but it's the best I got.

does car seem like it lost power from before it had any issues? is it smoking?

id start by doing basic checks that are simple. look for leaking oil or coolant externally or on ground. pull oil dipstick or oil fill cap and check if it is milky looking. if you have a compression gauge check all cylinders for compression. these are all simple checks that can be quickly done. other checks require pressurizing the cooling system and doing a leakdown check on all cylinders.

i have seen a water pump failing cause overheating at idle. that mixed with a faulty fan clutch will not allow radiator coils to effeciently cool while sitting idle.

also get the code pulled and get the code number. that will help a lot in diagnosis.

>>17659183
The coolant levels have been fine and it's been smoking from the engine, not from the tailpipe which is why I'm questioning the head gasket diagnosis.

do you mean a little shaky as in engine running rough? that is a tell tale of gasket cracked in between cylinders or a cracked cylinder head. if it was caught quick enough the head should be fine as gasket will go before head will crack on those engines.

>>17656987
If she overheated it there is a very good chance the HG is blown and the cylinder head possibly warped.

OP it's fucked. The Head gasket is gone like the mechanic says it's not even drivable. Enjoy your $1000 repair bill, that's what you get for falling for the Honda meme.

>>17656987
A blown headgasket could cause it to overheat. Check the oil, if it looks like a chocolate milkshake, you are fucked.

Could also be the fan sensor switch. It essentially reads the coolant temp and tells the fan when to turn on, which is usually at a stop. You can nigger rig the switch until you get a new part by jamming a paper clip into the plug, but the fan will always be on, which is better than over heating. If the fan sensor switch is the issue, buy it from a dealership. Seriously, I had this issue in my 99 Civic, I went through 3 Autozone parts in 2 months until I gave up and went to the dealer and bought one. I never had a problem after that.

>>17659268
Headgaskets can also blow between the combustion chamber and coolant jacket. That's how my scoobydoo blew. It wouldn't milkshake the oil this way, it would be blowing exhaust bubbles out of the coolant reservoir while it's running.

The headgasket being blown pressurizes your cooling system, which is why you ran into the other problems.

Buy another car.

>>17659268
What this guy said. I had the same issue with my 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Anytime I came to a stop at a red light for any length of time or just idling in place for several minutes my engine would overheat. Replacing the fan sensor took care of the issue. It was a pretty fucking cheap solution too.

>>17656987
When the car is moving, air goes through the radiator which cools it. When it's idle, it needs the fans to do the work of blowing the air. Check the fans. They should turn on when the temperature reaches a certain threshold. If they don't it could be a sensor or the fan motor is bad.

If you suspect it's a blown head gasket, there are kits to test for that. If it tests positive and you don't have the money to fix it properly, there are gasket sealers that might work.

>>17656987
Check and see if the fans are working at idle.

>>17656987
Check your oil color, if it's white or creamy at all, it's probably a head gasket. If not I'm thinking water pump.

>>17656987
Get a new radiator and/or fan and water pump for the hell of it