Engine Overheating

[MackAttack]

Hey guys, thank you for taking your time to read my post
I have a 2009 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LT, and something weird is happening. My truck turns off the AC, and says that engine is overheating, and the fans go crazy in the front. I replaced my Thermostat, Thermostat Housing, Coolant Temperature Sensor, Water Pump, Radiator, all new fluids, everything in the cooling system. The car takes a long time to heat up, then the temperature will go down a little while driving, and after about 20 mins the entire needle goes to 0 and the car starts trippin. Here’s the thing. When I disconnect the battery (Brand new 3 weeks old Duracell) and reconnect it, the temperature works 100% fine, warnings and everything go away, and the car runs perfectly fine! Is the computer going bad?
Thank you guys so much for your help
Mack

 

[OR VietVet]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

Are you saying that when you disconnect the battery and reset everything, that eventually it starts the same pattern/problem all over again?

 

[MackAttack]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon.

Are you saying that when you disconnect the battery and reset everything, that eventually it starts the same pattern/problem all over again?

Yep, exactly. Happens everyday. I keep a 10mm in my glove box so that I can disconnect it everyday

 

[Geotrash]

Hey guys, thank you for taking your time to read my post
I have a 2009 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LT, and something weird is happening. My truck turns off the AC, and says that engine is overheating, and the fans go crazy in the front. I replaced my Thermostat, Thermostat Housing, Coolant Temperature Sensor, Water Pump, Radiator, all new fluids, everything in the cooling system. The car takes a long time to heat up, then the temperature will go down a little while driving, and after about 20 mins the entire needle goes to 0 and the car starts trippin. Here’s the thing. When I disconnect the battery (Brand new 3 weeks old Duracell) and reconnect it, the temperature works 100% fine, warnings and everything go away, and the car runs perfectly fine! Is the computer going bad?
Thank you guys so much for your help
Mack

Did you replace the pigtail on the coolant temperature sensor? Lots of people miss that and it's a common source of precisely the headache you're describing. Some vendors bundle the pigtail with the sensor because of it.

 

[MackAttack]

in the box for the coolant temp sensor, I only received the sensor itself and had connected the original wires. Should I buy new wiring?

 

[Geotrash]

in the box for the coolant temp sensor, I only received the sensor itself and had connected the original wires. Should I buy new wiring?

If you want to be certain, you can put a scan tool on it and see what the coolant temperature is reading from the sensor. If it’s erroneous, replace the sensor again with one that comes with a new pigtail. This is the one I used on my ‘07 and it’s working great.

Duralast Gold Coolant Temperature Sensor SU112DG
https://www.autozone.com/engine-man...=coolant+temperature+sensor?vehicleId=3090501

 

[Fless]

How are you verifying that it takes a long time to heat up? By just the gauge, or checking the temp of the upper radiator hose?

You could compare the scan tool engine coolant temp reading with actual using an infrared temp gun on the block or head. See if they are similar. Monitoring the difference when it happens might tell you if the sensor value is in line with actual. Better yet, use a graphing scan tool and graph the engine coolant temp over time.

 

[OR VietVet]

Yep, like @Fless said, you'll know when the thermostat gets hot enough to open, by holding on to the upper radiator hose. Then, it is warmed up.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

 

[MackAttack]

Alright awesome ordered a new one and it is coming Sorry for the long wait, i am having a new issue with the truck xD. I am sending pictures right now of my pride and joy

 

[MackAttack]

i am having 2 issues. On a cold start, the truck cranks like crazy, barely starts, and dies again, i have to rinse and repeat 2 times for the truck to start lol. The second problem i am having is that every time i come to a stop, i hear a Clunk from a little go the front of under me, and it feels like someone hit me from the back in a minor car accident. You could say the car “Jults” or “jerks”. The truck has 164,500 miles on it and I’m hoping it’s not the tranny lol.
Mack

 

[MackAttack]

How are you verifying that it takes a long time to heat up? By just the gauge, or checking the temp of the upper radiator hose?

You could compare the scan tool engine coolant temp reading with actual using an infrared temp gun on the block or head. See if they are similar. Monitoring the difference when it happens might tell you if the sensor value is in line with actual. Better yet, use a graphing scan tool and graph the engine coolant temp over time.

I am feeling parts of the engine, and they are not hot just warm like normal operation. When i squeeze the upper radiator hose, it is stiff/warm as if the thermostat opened. If I don’t unplug the battery, I have to drive up to 20+ Miles for it to go up to about 180, then drops to zero and says the engine is overheating. If I do not touch the battery and keep going for a while, here and there it will all of a sudden go straight back to 210 like nothing ever happened and stay there perfectly fine. Something else weird, when the temp is at 210 and everything is great, if I drive when it is cold out, the temp can go down a little lower (about 10 degrees) never seen this before until I changed every part of the cooling system. Does this just mean the new cooling system with all new parts is doing its job well?
Mack

 

[tbone911]

I had a similar issue recently. I recently had the engine replaced in my 2011 Denali. After a few hundred miles, I was filling up at a gas station (car running) and I got the same error message as you did, and the A/C shut off. On the drive home, I paid close attention to the temp gauge and saw it see-sawing left and right like a slow metronome. The cool air flowing through the radiator brought the temps down though and the A/C returned. When I got home, I cracked open the (half full) overflow reservoir and all the coolant sucked up into the engine! I suspected they did not properly burp the coolant system after installing the new engine. I added coolant, started the car and continued to burp the system. It took another half gallon of coolant. I kept an eye on the temps whenever I drove it for the next two months and noticed some minor movements and some leakage on the ground. I feared a blown head gasket but I was getting a vacuum in the reservoir, not bubbles, white exhaust smoke or odor. Sometimes I had to add a little coolant during the week and then the next day it blew it onto the ground. I remained perplexed for a month of troubleshooting until I found coolant on the water pump (another minor panic). I determined it was coming from the top radiator hose. They did not tighten the clamp enough on the hose at the water pump and the hose was very loose in my bare hand. In my opinion, the I.D. diameter of the hose and the O.D. of inlet do not mate up closely enough, on top of the clamp tension. I tightened the bejesus out of the worm-drive clamp, added a little coolant and continued to monitor. After a month of observing - the puddles under the car are gone and the temp has stabilized in the center of the gauge. The loose hose would also explain the air entrapped in the system as the pump was sucking air into the system.