First not knowing what's been done I will have to give you general information on what to check first. This is going without knowing if your mechanic did everything right to start with. The first thing to check is oil level, if the oil is low it will overheat, if it's automatic be sure that fluid is red and not burnt. Next is the oil overdue for change? If not then the next thing to check would be the radiator and ac condenser. Use a flashlight to see if it is plugged with bugs, do it in a dark garage without it running and cool. If you see a lot of bugs and grass it needs to be cleaned and should be taken to a mechanic anyway. If it is clear the next thing to check is the Radiator cap, look for broken Gaskets or a bad rubber gasket. Next if you're not sure pull it off and take it to AutoZone where they can perform a pressure test to see if it's bypassing (won't hold pressure) while the cap is off be sure the radiator is full of antifreeze, also the antifreeze should be replaced every two years. Next make sure the belts are tight and last if you buy cheap gas we have seen problems with fuel that has too much ethanol in it and causing over heating problems This one is harder to prove but if everything else is ok in my write up so far then suspect this to be the issue and Buy Premium gas at least one tank and see if that helps. Normally the check engine light would come on and give a lean code so if the check engine light is not on then this may not be your problem. One last thing it could be is the catalytic converter could be plugging and causing to overheat. In this situation you need an Infrared Temp tester to see if the Cat is working if this does not find the solution let me know and I can give you some more things to check. It would be helpful to know if it heats up when driving on a highway or in town traffic. If it does it only on in town traffic that means it's likely the fan switch I hope this helps.
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It seems to overheat the faster we go. So basically when we're on the highway. When we took it to the first mechanic he said it was a cracked head gasket. We took it to a dealership where the mechanic told us it wasn't that. He said that guy wouldn't have known without taking the engine out. I never saw any symptoms of it being a cracked head gasket, but I'm no mechanic. We had the car at the dealership every week for a month or so. They could never get it to overheat. A new water pump and thermostat were both put in. I think they had said they flushed the coolant system???? And I thought they had said they did a pressure test. This was this past winter so I can't remember that far back! After we had it there the last time we decided to just drive it in town and it never over heated. We even took it down the highway to the next town about 5 miles away and it didn't overheat. And in recent weeks we've been able to run the a/c and it would be fine up until now. We're having heat index in the triple digits and so I don't know if the heat/humidity has anything to do with it. Like I said though...I'm no mechanic!
The engine does not have to be taken out to see if it has a cracked head gasket or a crack in the engine block. Normally if that were the case you can do a chemical test to test for exhaust gas's so anyway try a different dealer here are some other things that can cause this problem but are not as common but I have come across them over the years on all models of cars. Before I submit more I must tell you not knowing the mechanic that worked on it I would no ideal if he did all checks, but here are the things that can cause your problem. If it's hot and humid say 110% degrees and 70% humidity The air conditioner compressor cannot cool as well so the head pressure of the AC pump may be high, this has to be tested to see for sure, the best way to do this is get it to overheat and then take it to the shop while it's hot so they can test the ac compressor. If the condenser is plugged it would cause it to heat going down the road. Let me explain, Fan is used for in traffic only and air flow over the radiator during highway speeds so if it does it only when going highway speeds it has to be the Air conditioner is not properly charged or a plugged condenser on the outside not allowing air to cool the engine or the ac hose is plugged causing high pressure and causing the AC temp to raise the engine temperature. This condition would need to be verified with AC gages to be sure when it is hot. Flushing the cooling system does not clean the fins of the radiator or of the AC condenser so my guess is it's full of bugs and is causing it to overheat you can check that yourself with a flashlight when it gets dark or park it in a dark building. Open the hood and shine the light into the radiator from the engine side out to the air flow to inside the engine compartment look at the fins there should be no dirt oil or bugs in the Radiator or condenser. Also the high pressure switch could be sticking on the AC. Anyway here is a site that you can see what the condenser looks like.. let me know if you need help.
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/...
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