right after i washed my car i drove it to the park to dry it off...well when i got done, my engine temp was almost at 260 degrees! when i parked it, coolant was overflowing from the dip-stick tube by the battery, and it was still right at the top of the tube. well i let it sit for an hour then went to pick it up and drove it home(about 2 miles) and it ran at normal temp which is never more than 200 degrees. so what do i need to do to make sure it don't happen again? i checked the radiator and it was clear full.

however i noticed that my cooling fans didn't kick on when i have the car in the "on" position. i checked all the relays. how do i know if they're bad?

Thanks!

 

how many miles on the car? stock cooling system? check the stat?

 

It's a dual cooling fan system...idk if it's upgraded or not? but the fans aren't working...i had the car at idol and crawled under it to look at em and they weren't moving so how do i go about tryin to figure out what's wrong? i checked the relays but idk how to tell if they are bad or not. let me know what you guys think! thanks!

 

The fans won't turn on until the temp is well over 200.

Try turning the AC on... once the pressure of the AC system builds, it will turn the fans on regardless of the engine temp.

 

This sound suspiciously like a stuck thermostat. This can sometime happen once and never again. Wouldn't worry unless it starts happening often.

 

k, well i got it out a couple more times last night and it didn't do anything! it ran about 180 degrees w/ out any problems...i got on it a couple times to make sure everything was fine and nothing went wrong. so what do i need to do? just watch everything closely or what?

 

Check The Stat

 

The stock computer turns the fans on at 226F. I agree with the above posts that your thermostat might have gotten stuck.

 

Just a fun little time killin trick - remove thermostat n drop it in a pan of water and boil it. If it opens, thermostat is good. If it doesn't open, buy a new one.

 

well it's doing it more often now...should i get a 160 degree thermostat or what? let me know what you guys think

 

well i changed out the stat...it was just a 180 one, but the temp still get's outta control! i mean like 250ish...so what do i check now? the coolant ratings? radiator cap? is there a bubble in my system somewhere?

i need this thing fixed before i start to go crazy guys! help me!!

 

alright guys...now i'm mad, i haven't drivin my car for about 4 days now and i'm goin crazy. what do i need to check? how do i check to see if my electric water pump is working?