Hey guys,

As you know, I replaced all my fluids in the last month and got the transmission replaced under warranty last week.

So we come to today, apparently the car went into limp mode and didn't let me accelerate (kept bogging down the throttle) and service engine soon light came on.

Now after I parked it for 30 minutes, came back, service engine soon light still on but it seemed fine (temps, everything). But as I drove off, the temperature started to skyrocket and eventually into limp mode for obvious reasons. I checked all fluid levels and they were fine. But as I shut off the car, I heard something slowly sputtering to a stop (clunk clunk clunk). Mind you when I had the car running, the fans were running fine.

Had to get the car towed to the dealer, they put me into a courtesy car and will check up with me on Monday.

Any ideas guys?

 

Yikes. Maybe you spun a bearing, cracked a head, warped a head or blew a head gasket. Did the sound come from the front of around the tranny? Sounds like you're under warranty. I'm sure everything will be covered and hopefully it wasn't something the dealer mechanic overlooked

 

The sound came from around the front of the car.

Yeah, quite lucky my powertrain warranty expires at the end of August. But it just seems strange for it to have problems after I get it serviced and course after replacing the tranny.

 

I agree. I couldn't tell you what it may be. We'd need to hear it first to attempt what it could be. Make sure you keep all documentation of service incase this comes up again after your warranty expires. If you feel it was the mechanics error, call corporate to document the issue to CYA if the same thing happens down the road.

I think it blew the head gasket and then spun a bearing or warped a head

 

DId the SES light bilnk/flash on and off, or was it solid?
How far did you drive it after the light came on?
Was it on for some time before the car reduced the available power?
After you started it up the second time, was the light solid or blinking?
How far did you drive it before the temps went up and it went back into limp mde?
DId the engine seem excessively hot after you finally quit driving it? (Steam, gurgling, ticking, hissing, etc.)

I'd give a nickel to know the engine code behind that SES light

 

From memory, the SES light came on and blinked when it initially reduced power. Drove it 10km (25 min) before the light came on. Was solid when i started it again, temps rose after a minute of driving. It was sliwer when idling. Went into limp after 4-5 min. No steam or hissing or gurgling, just that clunking for a few seconds like something slowing down (not that normal ticking).

Dealer decided they'll pull the code on Monday since came a bit late. Will definitely update about that.

 

Yeah, that blinking SES light is usually more serious and an indication that continued driving may cause damage. I hope it turns out ok for you.

 

After the initial limp mode + SES, its just a solid SES after that. Just really didn't like that clunk noise it made after I shut it down that last time.

Thanks, I hope so too.

I'm just hoping it'll all be covered under the powertrain warranty or if its something the mechanics did while it was in the shop. That tow bill wasn't cheap!

Once they pull that code, the truth will be told! Or it'll just be a bigger mystery...

 

Hey guys...

The SES light was code P1217 OVERHEAT. So guess the SES didn't blink.

Dealer told me the cooling fan resistor got shorted, so they replaced that.

Picked it up, drove it in a spirited manner around to just make sure there wasn't any problems (to heat it up a bit) ... and guess what? That temperature needle started to crawl back up to H. So I let it sit, it cools a little, drive it gently up to speed and the needle starts to crawl back up.

Verdict: Car is back at the dealership as we speak, drove it in short bursts because I didn't want to trigger the SES again since even if I let it cool, it'll start to climb again once I get going... slowly!

Will provide another update.

 

If they found a legitimate cause for the initial overheating and fixed it, then what's going on now? I'd be seriously concerned that you do not NOW have a head gasket issue caused by operating the engine in an over temp condition previously. Most likey culprit for the initial overheat was the t-stat, but they found a resistor instead, so hopefully the t-stat or some additional electrical issue is ALL that is going on currently. At this point, things could get a lot more serious if it's not something simple like that .

 

This is a wild guess for me: if they said that they changed the cooling fan resistor "knowing they did all the procedures" can it be theres still "BUBBLES/STEAMS" in the tube that circulates in your lines and just need to bleed out? ( I had a coupe before and overheated on me, bottom radiator hose leaked. I changed it everything seems fine but after 20mins the temp went up and went to limp mode. on top of my head I knew I just needed to FLUSH all the bubbles from the engine. But after few days noticed some weird noise from the engine and sad to say I cracked the head gasket) So Make sure they get pressure test and ask them if they Bleed out your coolant. -just my cent

 

Really glad I made the decision to drive around prior to heading back, since the bridge i have to cross usually moves at a crawl during rush hour. Don't think it would be fun to be in limp mode in the middle of a bridge.

At this point, i'd assume it's the T-Stat. Though yes, i'm very concerned about the effects of the overheating to the engine at this point. It's nice to still have 2 months of powertrain warranty, though kind of odd how cooling systems (other than water pump) are not included in it since it's essential to the operation of the powertrain.

Yeah, because I remember when I first called them, they told me there might be air bubbles in the lines from the coolant flush a month ago. But judging by the work order, all they did was check for coolant level, physical damage and fan operation. I don't know how accurate their km IN and OUT is but it never changed on the work order.

Honestly when I was driving around, it sort of sounded slightly different, but I couldn't put my finger around it when I had put it under heavy acceleration. Or maybe it's just because I haven't driven it for a few days that I forgot how it kind of sounded like.

 

The initial reason for overheating may have been caused by them not bleading all the air out of your radiator since they replaced the fluid. You can check your thermostat by removing the cap and watching the fluid. Once and if the thermostat opens the fluid will move quickly. I hope the dealership didn't ruin your motor by there inability to do the remove/fill correctly.
Gary

 

Ok now you have "somewhat answer" why it overheated again. As Gary and I stated just ask them to bleed all the air out and since your still have warranty left Make sure they do a pressure test on your engine. Another concern for me is the T-stat if they replace that (its recommended to replace that whenever you had a overheat problem).

What you stated about It sounded different when you drove it can be cause of Paranoia sometime. But in my case I felt and hear something weird on my engine bay from accelerating from stop and idle. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

As it stands, they said its the thermostat that needs replacing. This whole thing is no charge to me and what i paid for the resistor stands as a service credit (will have to get it confirmed).

Will make sure they do a pressure test due to the temperatures the engine experienced.