engine gets hot when A/C on

Asked by 234midland Aug 19, 2015 at 12:09 AM about the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze 1LT Sedan FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

my chevy cruze engine gets hot when A/C on , also I have to add water/antifreeze
everyday, I already replaced the thermostat/sensor.  please help

8 Answers

188,365

Nothing leaking on the floor im assuming? Have you check the oil to see if you have any antifreeze in you engine? Is the car blowing white smoke from the tailpipe? Is so you could have a blown head gasket....if not then have you checked you raditor cap, you could be boiling and its escaping from the cap, is your overflo reservoir vent cap clogged. Is the fan running when the car comes up to temperature? Have you checked the water pump, also its possible the raditor could be clooged, you might have to flush the system...

5 people found this helpful.
30,465

First ... get this documented at dealership incase there is a service bulletin. Your car is only 3 years old and unless the mileage is very high .. you should have warranty protection. The above answer is the second thing to do. If you are adding anti- freeze and there is no visible leak then the liquid is going somewhere and that's probably into the oil or combustion chamber ... either way you are looking at serious/fatal engine damage and the exhaust gasses are coating your catalytic converter

4 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful
240

I know this is coming a bit late, but you "Car Gurus" crack me up. The chevy cruz has a pattern failure that is misdiagnosed by poorly or untrained technicians all the time. The 1.4 DOHC has a plastic water duffel that sits below the impeller on the pump. It is a poorr design and it's failure is constantly misdiagnosed as a bad thermostat/temp sensor assembly and/or a blown headgasket. When it breaks, several things occur. First, the impeller chops it to pieces like a 154 horse power food processor. Unfortunately, it doesnt chop it all up and it is common to find a large chunk wedged in the inlet port from the pump to the engine block, causing a partial restriction. The medium sized chunks migrate into the cylinder head and wedge in various places in the water jacket that surrounds all 4 cylinders in the block. The Finley chopped up stuff eventually migrates and sticks in the heater core and radiator. Now here is the real kicker, the reason this is diagnosed as a blown headgasket si often is that it develops a constant flow of tiny air bubbles once the vehicle heats up like it has a pin hole in the headgasket. And it fails a block test because it blows coolant from the reservoir into the test fluid and noone catches it. That shattered plastic disc, that fails around 60k, is a baffle that channels cool and into the block. Without it, most of the fluid swirls in the pump and does not provide adequate flow into the block. That results in overheating in the block around the water jackets which in turn creates bubbles in the block which eventually blow out the reservoir. The temp sensor reads 210 degrees, but the low flow causes inner block temperature that are catastrophically high leading some people to think they dont have a true overheat when they are actually cooking the engine.

24 people found this helpful.
20

Arrownine1, thanks for the info as I too have the same issue. So what would be the fix on this. Replace the part that broke obviously, but how to clear the other jammed up parts in the system. Replace all those as well? Thanks javiercervantes69@yahoo. com

2 people found this helpful.
30

Arrownine1...I have this same issue. Please advise to a fix. I don't have cash and try to fix things on my own. Have no clue what/how to fix this. caabrams@live.com Thank you!!!!

3 people found this helpful.
10

I was also wondering about a fix. I appear to be having an issue that matches.

1 people found this helpful.
10

Arrownine1, thanks for the info as I too have the same issue. So what would be the fix on this. Replace the part that broke obviously, but how to clear the other jammed up? What all would have to be replaced? The water pump has been replaced, the thermostat twice and all gaskets. I’ve taken it to several repair shops and they don’t know what else to do.

1 people found this helpful.
10

So arrownine jus throws some somewhat logical explanation out there but no solution .....wtf u guys are idiots if you believe that guy

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Cruze

Looking for a Used Cruze in your area?

CarGurus has 1,104 nationwide Cruze listings starting at $2,495.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    SusanSchwarz
    Reputation
    1,730
  • #2
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    1,430
  • #3
    GuruLWF92
    Reputation
    1,380
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Chevrolet Malibu
49 Great Deals out of 1,078 listings starting at $1,995
Used Honda Civic
193 Great Deals out of 4,001 listings starting at $440
Used Toyota Corolla
135 Great Deals out of 2,256 listings starting at $103
Used Toyota Camry
44 Great Deals out of 1,139 listings starting at $2,500
Used Honda Accord
51 Great Deals out of 978 listings starting at $2,995
Used Ford Focus
15 Great Deals out of 497 listings starting at $2,995
Used Hyundai Elantra
159 Great Deals out of 3,035 listings starting at $1,995
Used Ford Fusion
21 Great Deals out of 449 listings starting at $3,488
Used Nissan Altima
34 Great Deals out of 671 listings starting at $3,795
Used Nissan Sentra
62 Great Deals out of 1,905 listings starting at $3,995
Used Chevrolet Impala
8 Great Deals out of 133 listings starting at $3,495
Used Chevrolet Equinox
104 Great Deals out of 3,249 listings starting at $1,695
Used Chevrolet Sonic
8 Great Deals out of 174 listings starting at $2,995
Used Volkswagen Jetta
87 Great Deals out of 1,909 listings starting at $1,704
Used Ford Escape
139 Great Deals out of 4,275 listings starting at $3,999

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.