Q: Car overheats when idling

asked by on February 09, 2016

My car overheats when it's idle.

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The cooling fans on your vehicle are controlled by your powertrain control module through the fan relay when your vehicle gets to a set temperature. There have been issues of the fan relay and module failures. If these two components are tested to be ok, and power is getting to the fan, you may have a bad fan motor. I recommend having a mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, diagnose your overheating issue, and recommend the best path to repair.

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