Overheating, coolant full

[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]2008 Aveo, 61k kms[/COLOR][COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
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[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]About a month ago I had the oil changed at Wal-Mart (oil regularly changed). Ever since then, the car would occasionally smoke from under the hood, and through the vents if i had the vents on. I figured they might have spilled oil on the engine and it was just burning off. After about a week or two it stopped smoking, but I could still regularly smell a faint burning smell, particularly when I cut the wheel sharply. [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]The temperature had always been normal, but yesterday I was idling in a friends driveway when I noticed the temperature in the red. I turned it off and let it cool. I figured I was out of coolant, but when I opened the cap the coolant was full. This is where I started to worry. [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]That being said, there is no coolant leak, and the coolant in there doesn't seem to be doing anything. Just trying to figure out what the issue could be? [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]I hear the thermostat on Aveo's can cause a lot of issues, or it could be a blown gasket. Is there a possibility the coolant lines could be clogged? I'm really hoping it's not a gasket ($800-900 fix as far as I know). [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]As I said, its been smoking and giving off a slight burning smell for about a month (usually when the wheel is cut all the way) but the temperature has never gone up until yesterday. Can anyone make sense of this? Please help! Thanks[/COLOR]

Idle the car until the engine gets hot. Does the cooling fan turn on? Don't let the car overheat, shut it off if the temp gauge spikes.
The fans not turning on while idling will cause overheating issues. Issue could be a blown fuse/relay, burnt out fan motor, coolant temperature sensor. (I haven't dug into the coolant temp sensor on an Aveo yet. In my old DSM, there was a seperate one for the ECM (incl. fan control) and for the dash gauge)

Test the thermostat. A thermostat that is stuck closed will cause overheating issues. Remove the thermostat and throw it into a pot of boiling water. Does it open? If not, it's a bad thermostat.

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Originally Posted by MTNG

Idle the car until the engine gets hot. Does the cooling fan turn on? Don't let the car overheat, shut it off if the temp gauge spikes.
The fans not turning on while idling will cause overheating issues. Issue could be a blown fuse/relay, burnt out fan motor, coolant temperature sensor. (I haven't dug into the coolant temp sensor on an Aveo yet. In my old DSM, there was a seperate one for the ECM (incl. fan control) and for the dash gauge)

Test the thermostat. A thermostat that is stuck closed will cause overheating issues. Remove the thermostat and throw it into a pot of boiling water. Does it open? If not, it's a bad thermostat.

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Thanks for the reply. Is there a way to add video/pics to this thread? I dont know much about cars. When i the engine starts to warm up there is a repetitive clicking noise that comes from the thermostat area. At first i thought it was simply some dirt on the belt located next to the thermostat, but now i'm worried it might be the thermostat. Do thermostats click? The fan is not kicking in either.

I just had the car running idle for about 25 minutes. It reached the normal temp (half way on the gauge) in about 5-10 minutes and stayed there. I took it for a few laps around the block and it still maintained a good temperature, however the cooling fan did not kick in once. (It has also come to my attention that a clicking noise I thought was coming from a rubber belt located next to the thermostat might actually be coming from the thermostat?). It only heated up one day, but it happened multiple times that day. Today was the first time I had it running since (3 days) and it seems to be fine all of a sudden? Not sure what to make of it.

The thermostat shouldn't click.

While a car is in motion, air is forced through the radiator which cools the coolant. Try letting it idle until the fan comes on. When the car isn't moving, the fan is what causes airflow across the rad. Idle long enough and either the fan will come on or the car will overheat. If the fan comes on but the car still gets too hot, your problem is somewhere else.