Replacing a water pump is only as challenging as getting to it. You should see the temperature dip as the water pump spools up. You can test this by putting the car in neutral or park and revving the engine to about 1000 RPM under the redline for a few seconds. When the car is overheating when idling the water pump is not able to move the coolant through the radiator and back to the engine. Solution: A bad water pump isn’t efficient. When the vehicle is idle, the water pump is turning slowly. As the engine rpm increases, so does the speed of the water pump. The water pump in your car is turned by the Cobalt’s engine accessory drive system. Here’s more on this: Chevy Cobalt: Bad Thermostat Diagnosis Most likely you’ll just need a ratchet, extension, and 10mm socket. You’ll need to replace it, which is about a 2/10 in mechanical difficulty. It usually takes an engine a while to overheat when it is full of coolant. Does the vehicle get hot within a few minutes of driving (and the coolant is full)? That could be enough to tell that the thermostat isn’t opening all the way. Solution: It can be tough to tell if a thermostat is bad without just replacing it. It’ll either be on the block or water pump. Your Cobalt’s thermostat controls when coolant does and doesn’t enter the engine. Here’s a good guide to troubleshooting a radiator fan. If they are, you’ll need to replace the fan. If it is not turning at all you know you have a bad fan.Ĭheck the fuse and fan relay to see if they are getting power. Solution: With the engine hot and idling (but not yet overheating) pop the hood open and see if the fan is turning. These fans are most important when the vehicle is idling. Most vehicles use electric fans to cool the radiator when it gets warm enough. If the coolant level appears to be fine, then the next easiest thing to look at is the fan. Here are the signs of a bad water pump in the Chevy Cobalt. This is often where the leak is coming from when there’s a puddle under the center of the engine bay and you don’t see a leak anywhere. This is often a hard one to see, because all of the accessories (alternator, power steering, serpentine belt) are going to obstruct your view. If one of these gaskets fail, then there’s going to be a leak. Water Pump– There are gaskets between the water pump and the engine block.If it has a big gouge on one of the fins, or a streak going down it that looks like coolant has dripped from it, there’s your leak. Determining if there is a leak is going to depend a lot on whether or not you can easily see the radiator. Radiator Leak– Take a look at the radiator itself.Even if they are dry, they should still have a chalky look to them where they have been leaking coolant (it’s mineral deposits). Take a look at them and see if they have been leaking. And the other one sends the coolant back to the water pump to cool the engine. One sends the hot coolant back from the engine to the radiator to be cooled. Cracked Hoses– There are two hoses that come and go to your Cobalt’s radiator.If there are, start directly above those puddles in your search. Look under the vehicle when it is parked and see if you can see puddles of coolant. The cold engine coolant can “shock” the block and cause a crack or even a freeze plug to drop out.įilling it back up is not the fix. Solution: Fill the radiator and coolant reservoir back up. While it seems counter intuitive, when your Cobalt is low on coolant may run ok with wind hitting the radiator, but when idling there’s just not enough coolant to properly cool the engine. Electric fans can kick on at any time.Ĭobalt: Overheating When Idling Causes and Solutions 1. Make sure to inspect and work on the engine when it is cold. If it’s overheating at all engine speeds, check out Chevy Cobalt Overheating. If your Cobalt is running and driving fine, but you end up stopped somewhere and it begins overheating when idling, this guide is for you. So, let’s start with what’s easy and take it from there. This guide is intended to help you find the cause of this overheating in the most efficient way possible. The most common ones include a bad thermostat, water pump, electric fans, and low coolant level. There are a few reasons why your Chevy Cobalt would be overheating when idling.
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