02 Pt Cruiser Limited Edition over heating to a boil and smoke.
Asked by 02cruise Nov 22, 2013 at 08:04 PM about the 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited Wagon FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I am not to familiar with cars but my car is overheating to a boil and rolling smoke. I put
water in it and it seems to just come right out and it looks like rusty water. I drive with the
heater on full blast if I don't it does it. I am not in a position to take it to a shop because of
financials, Is there anything that I can do that will help until I can afford it? Or better yet
what could be the problem?
6 Answers
Sounds like your thermostat might be stuck closed. By driving with the heater on full blast you are actually partially cooling the water in the system. Have you ever added anything to your cooling system like a stop leak product?
No I have no Idea what to put in there. Sorry I know NOTHING about cars.
Well that's good. I was afraid that you might have put some in and that was causing the brown water. Never use stop leak products. You will need to have someone check it out for you. Driving it with it getting that hot will only cause bigger issues. If it is the thermostat stuck closed they are fairly cheap and most are not that hard to replace. Have them check it first.
Greatttt! That's so not what I need. A friend of mine told me about putting a can of pepper in the radiator. She said she did it to her car and it has no issues. Could that cause potential harm or make things worse?
About how much am I looking at here to have it looked at? I'm also having issues with my tire it sounds like I have a flat but I don't and it pulls slightly to the opposite side. I hate my car. :(
I don't advice adding anything to your cooling system other than coolant/water. Home remedies/fix in a can fixes don't fix the problems they only hide the symptoms from you. They most always lead to bigger problems in the long run.
