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Specific overheating questions

1K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  onetrombone 
#1 ·
I also posted this on the Solstice forum:

Okay here we go...another overheating thread. Before you ask, yes, I have read as many of the threads here and on the Solstice forum as I can get through about overheating--please forgive me if I should have found the answer already. ;-) Most of those threads include warranty repairs which don't apply to my new-to-me 12 year old car and my brain has turned to mush.

I purchased a 2008 Sky Redline with just North of 21,000 miles 6 weeks ago. My wife and I have put over 1600 miles on it since--perfect car that is working very, very well. However, we have had two overheating incidents that seem unrelated but both concern me:

#1. Near the end of a 1500 road trip home after purchasing the car, we had a late check out from a hotel. The car was sitting in the sun in about 75 degree ambient air. I started the car with AC to cool the interior off and let it idle for about 5 minutes while we loaded our bags. Just as I pulled away, the overheat lamp/ding popped on and (if I recall correctly) the DIC read 229. Drove to a safe spot to pull over in the shade, left it running, revved a bit and the temp gradually came down. Wrote this one off to the combo of factors and asked here about normal operating temps.

#2. This is the one that concerns me. Day before yesterday, I had the car pulled out of the garage to install the new wind restrictor so naturally we went for a quick spin before putting the car away for the night. Top down, but just over 50 degrees ambient temp, so I cranked the heat so we wouldn't freeze. While we are out my wife asks to get ice cream from a drive through, cause why not. I'm 8-10 minutes away from home sitting in the drive through and the overheat lamp/ding pops. I sigh and flip to the DIC temp which reads 250 (!). I am freaked out. Rev the motor some thinking it might help, having not read here yet about the heater making it worse not better. Now I know. After less than a minute we pull away and the temp fell rapidly back to normal operating temps.

Summary and questions:
  • Overheated, (hot!) not under load and still getting heat--and only for a minute and then back to normal.
  • Less than 10 minutes from startup with heat on.
  • There is no evidence of radiator fluid having discharged from the overflow tank. Ever.
  • Fan seems to work just fine--including running for a bit after shutdown.
So...
  • If I understand what I've read I could need a new radiator cap?
  • Or is this most likely trapped air? When I squeeze the top radiator hose I hear sloshing.
  • How can I tell if my car has had the check valves installed?
Thanks in advance for the advice and help--I've already learned so much from y'all.
 
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#4 ·
I would say that the answer you got on the Solstice forum is your best first step, go through the bleeding process to get the air out and see what happens next.

The only way i know of to detect the check valves is to pull the hoses off and look into them. I would only worry about the check valves if you get all of the air out so that everything works correctly, and then the problem comes back.
 
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