2006 chevy equinox 3.4 over heating I have changed thermostat sending unit and water pump and it still gets hot on the road if I just let it run in the drive way it does fine

Get the engine warm and put the interia heater on hot, with the engine idling are the heaters hot ? If not or they get warm by reving the engine id be looking at the water pump

Check or replace the thermostat, if still running hot check fans, fit pressure gauge to radiator to check for head gasket compression leak.

Do the cooling fans come on ? Your vehicle should have two fans controlled by The PCM - engine computer energizing three different relay's for low and high speed .

Have you confirmed that the radiator fan is working properly. A bad radiator fan would cause this type of problem, as when driving air is being pushed across the radiator and likely enough to keep the vehicle cool, however when you stop and idle that airflow is gone and the radiator will heat up very quickly.

Did you replace the thermostat as well? That could be your problem. Also make sure your radiator and reservoir are full.

thet moment stop your engine and grab top radiator hose, feel the heat then grab lower radiator hose they have to be hot same heat. Top hose very hot is radiator blockage, Or lower hose very hot thermostat damage ,for test thermostat tide whith a string or wire have one glass cold water and juck boiling water deep thermostat in and you have to see the opening if is not then you have to replace it. Don ever youse radiator flush with the thermostat on. Blown head gasket means continual air bubble when you remove radiator cap special white froth,check for loose or damage hose and heter leaks when cooling system is under pressure.check low and high rpm exhaust fumes.

The surge tank should only have a little water in it, not full. I hope you didn't overfill it, this can cause your problem, but I would look at the radiator and make sure it is not plugged and your cooling fans, make sure they are running as well. Then last but not least your water pump may be bad even though you changed it, check for good flow through the radiator, if flow is good and strong then check the fans. You have already done most of what can be done, make sure the thermostat is not in backwards, in fact take it out and see if the car runs cooler, this will help pinpoint the issue also.

This could be from many things.

Thermostat
Low coolant
Head gasket
Temp sending unit

Most common is the thermostat, simply change and see if it worked. Second , but first before I change the thermostat make sure your coolant is full and if it is not too dirty. Also make sure the water pump is in working order. Are you getting heat? If so the pump probally is fine as it is circulating water to the heater core. When running the vehicle does it have a thick white cloud of smoke and does it smell like antifreeze, also check to see if there is water draining from the tail pipe. These are signs of a blown head gasket. Is the vehicle truly overheating or is it the sending temp unit? This can give a faulse reading to make it seem the vehicle is over heating if the sending unit is bad.

Good Luck!

If the blower is blowing air just fine, but you cannot control the temperature, you need to listen to air coming from the vents while turning the temperature from hot to cold. If you do n ot hear any change in airflow, then you may a temperature door in the dash broken. this is becoming a common problem on the Equinox
Tech JK

the thermostat is stuck open. Youv'e got a little rust in the coolant, right?