00 Intrigue Overheats- I'm not sure what it is

[ccamarocutie999]

howdy-

i have an 00 intrigue and it runs like a dream- at least until tonight.

i was driving home, getting off a highway and my engine heat started creeping up. i pulled into a gas station parking lot not too far from my house, turned my heaters on, and popped the hood.
it cooled down for a minute, and i was told to drive it around a little to see if that would cool it. (spoiler alert: it got to the red line on the temp gauge.) i pulled over AGAIN, let it idle, turned it off and let it cool. (at some point when i was stopped, the light came on again and my check engine light came on a few times). the hoses were hot. my fans were definitely blowing.

at that point my spouse took over driving it, and i followed him. he got probably a minute of driving in before the engine temp went back up. we pulled over, the hoses were cool this time. fans were STILL blowing. we managed to limp it back to the house, and it was slightly hot when it got back into the driveway. since then it's been off and i haven't went out to check on it. (this happened in the past hour)

i've been told/read that:
if you get heat in your cabin, you have enough coolant (i couldnt tell if it was leaking coolant anyway- it's wet outside)
it could be a thermostat
it could be a radiator issue

does anyone have any advice on what it could be ? i love this car and it's all i have to get me around town.

thanks.

 

[ccamarocutie999]

may i also add-

we just did a bit of maintenance on it TODAY and it drove fine. (oil change, trans fluid, and a new air filter since the old one got chewed up by mice)

 

[307-5a]

When the engine cools off , you could take the rad cap off and look inside the rad for coolant level . Also when the rad cap is off use a turkey baster to suck out as much coolant as you can to look at the cooling tubes in the radiator. You should be able to determine if the tubes are plugged or choked . Do you know when the thermostat was changed last ? do you know what temperature range the thermostat is in your car ? if not then change out the thermostat . You need a real temperature gauge ,even if its is only in the engine compartment. The temp gauge you have could be off . You had mice , mice chew wires , could be a wiring issue . Sounds like you have electric fans , maybe they are coming on a bit late , if so then maybe a temp sensor telling fans to come on later . Hold a trouble light up behind the rad , look over the whole rad , is the rad choked with bugs and bent over fins ? When the engine temp was up did you have AC on ? AC creates load on the engine so creates more engine heat .cools you down but increases more engine heat temp . Do you have the option of turning head lights off when engine heat climbs .

 

[ccamarocutie999]

When the engine cools off , you could take the rad cap off and look inside the rad for coolant level . Also when the rad cap is off use a turkey baster to suck out as much coolant as you can to look at the cooling tubes in the radiator. You should be able to determine if the tubes are plugged or choked . Do you know when the thermostat was changed last ? do you know what temperature range the thermostat is in your car ? if not then change out the thermostat . You need a real temperature gauge ,even if its is only in the engine compartment. The temp gauge you have could be off . You had mice , mice chew wires , could be a wiring issue . Sounds like you have electric fans , maybe they are coming on a bit late , if so then maybe a temp sensor telling fans to come on later . Hold a trouble light up behind the rad , look over the whole rad , is the rad choked with bugs and bent over fins ? When the engine temp was up did you have AC on ? AC creates load on the engine so creates more engine heat .cools you down but increases more engine heat temp . Do you have the option of turning head lights off when engine heat climbs .

the coolant tank was disgusting and i did the best i could to clean it. we replaced the thermostat, did a coolant flush, and i always make sure it has enough coolant before i go anywhere. the radiator has normal wear and tear for a 23 y/o car, and the fans seem to work.

we got the car to stop overheating (in fact it would run below temp) and then it started giving me issues AGAIN. whenever the temp climbs i rev it and it goes right back down