Hi,

I have a 2.2L HHR that is giving me issues and I am at my wits end as to what to do next.

The temp after about 15 minutes of driving creeps up to over 230 -245 and eventually goes into cooling mode until I turn it off and let it cool down When I am stopped I can hear the coolant boiling in the overfill bottle.

The car runs absolutely great ac works fine but will overheat every time. I never allow it to get to the red zone because I only use it for very short trips but if allowed it would definitely go there.

So far I have replaced the water pump, radiator, thermostat and temp sending unit. I compression tested the engine to see if there was a problem and that seemed to come back fine ( see attached photo ) Cyl 1 - 4 were 170,160,170 and 165 respectively.

I also did a cooling system pressure test and it held fine at 15 lbs for 20 minutes. I did burp the engine as recommended to remove any air pockets as well

I will attempt to upload the short video of the overfill tank boiling over.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-c...ew?usp=sharing

I've run out of point to check from here
BTW just started throwing 2 new codes which I think are unrelated;
P0102: Mass or Volume Air Flow Circuit Low Input
P0113: Intake Air Temperature Circuit High Input

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

to the forums!!

Both of those codes are related to the MAF sensor, make sure it is plugged in and there are no bent or loose pins in the connector. If that checks out, you could get some MAF cleaner and clean the sensor. No other type of cleaner or you could ruin the sensor.

Now the overheating. Did the cooling system get properly "burped"?
And keep monitoring the coolant level, I would say every morning for 2 weeks.

The video you posted, that often indicates a bad head gasket, but your compression test results don't seem to back that up. Still a possibility.

 

Has anyone checked the water pump chain to see if it's attached and turning the pump ?

 

That is not the "overflow" tank. It is the pressure cap. If you remove the 15 PSI from the system it will boil at a lower temp. What you show is "normal".

Does the heater work? Could be a blocked heater core.

Does the cooling fan work? It should come on at about 219F and stay on until the temp gets back to 180F.

This is the "coolant recovery tank"

 

How would I check to see if the chain is working the pump?

 

Heater is working well and the cooling fan does come on aroundd 219 if not already on due to the ac being turned on.

 

Did you replace the water pump yourself? Did you use the tool to hold the sprocket?

You would remove the sprocket cover and observe it while the engine is running.

 

Yes, I did replace the water pump myself and used the tool that held the chain in place while changing out the pump.

 

Regarding the overflow tank, I guess my point was it boils in the tank even when I don't remove the pressure cap.

 

Could be your pressure cap is toast! When you changed the water pump did you replace the Dexcool? Or mix in other type of coolant?

Check the MAF connections, have you cleaned the MAF?

https://www.obd-codes.com/p0102

https://www.obd-codes.com/p0113

Leads me to the loose harness theory.