Q: Overheating, blowing cold air, and engine block shakes when in neutral or park.
The car started to show signs of issues about 3 weeks ago. I drove it for about a week before it left me stranded. Come to find out it was the alternator that needed to be replaced so I replaced it. Around the same time that the alternator was faulty I noticed the heater was not blowing hot air. The car then began to overheat. The next day I replaced the thermostat. This didn't fix the issue. The heater still blows cold air and the car still shows that it is overheating. After I replaced the thermostat and I turned it on it appeared to be running smoothly but then after about 5 minutes in park the engine began to shake and appeared it wanted to shut down. The fans are turning on but it might be that the coolant is not flowing through the radiator because some of the hoses aren't really hot to the touch; they are warm but not hot. I don't know what can be causing all of this all at once so any expertise would be much appreciated. Thanks.
My car has 260000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Hello, you are probably right, with little to no flow of the coolant being the issue. This would have to be inspected for head gasket failure. The coolant fans are on because the computer reacts to overheating inputs. Over time coolant becomes acidic and can break down gaskets. There is a test that can be performed to confirm this. If you’d like, a certified Your Mechanic Technician can come to your location. Please look at this web site for more information and service options. overheating
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