98 Dodge Neon overheating?

L

LittleOzzy

New member
Over the last few weeks my Neon has been overheating.

When idling the temperature gauge quickly goes up and you can hear bubbling coming from the engine. The car also starts beeping.

When the car starts moving again the gauge goes down and the car returns to normal.

What could be the most likely issue? It has plenty of coolant so I'm guessing it's either the fan turning off or the thermostat needs to be replaced?

Should I have them do a diagnostic test on the car? How much would it cost to have them thermostat or gasket replaced?

I have no idea what it could be. It's now done it three times over the last three weeks.
 
Since the car seems to cool down once it is in motion, this is most likely problem with the fans. When the car is stopped and and has been idling for a few minutes, check to see if the fans have turned on. If not, this could either be a faulty thermostat, a faulty fan, or both. The thermostat itself is relatively cheap, usually 20-60 dollars. The labor will set you back around 100/hr or so, depending on the mechanic's rate. It shouldn't take more than an hour.
 
Your radiator fan is probably dead- that's why the car cools down when you move - because incoming air cools the radiator so you dont need the fan at that time.

Try not to drive your car too much until it's fixed, ie.. when your gauge approaches 75%, shut it down and wait for it to cool otherwise you will end up damaging other parts. A friend of mine fried his head gaskets that way.

It is NOT the thermostat, if the thermostat was faulty your car would cool with increased RPM, instead of increased MPH.
 
Your radiator fan is probably dead- that's why the car cools down when you move - because incoming air cools the radiator so you dont need the fan at that time.

Try not to drive your car too much until it's fixed, ie.. when your gauge approaches 75%, shut it down and wait for it to cool otherwise you will end up damaging other parts. A friend of mine fried his head gaskets that way.

It is NOT the thermostat, if the thermostat was faulty your car would cool with increased RPM, instead of increased MPH.
 
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