[Cloudrider]

Hi there, I'm new to the forums. Have had my Volt for just about three years, and up until this summer, I have loved every minute of it.

But now I am planning a trip to the dealership. The Volt no longer blows hot air into the cabin, and when I run in ICE mode, I can go for about 20~ minutes before I get three warnings within seconds of each other:

"A/C Off Due To High Eng Temp";
"Engine Overheating - Reduce Speed";
"Engine Overheated - Turn Vehicle Off".

Now, the funny part about this is the first time it happened (it's only happened twice, I've been extra wary of staying within battery range since this started) I was in Mountain mode, so I still had over 4KW in the main battery when it prompted me to shut down. I figured a quick power cycle would throw me back into Normal mode, but after five minutes of rest, turning the Volt back on started the (overheated) engine again! Seems pretty counter intuitive to me. After about 10-15 minutes, I was able to power on and keep going on Normal mode, but I was afraid to try and use the A/C.

Also, about a week or two ago, I heard a gurgling noise from in front of the firewall. A quick perusal of the forums suggests that that might be a leak in the coolant loop? And hence a potentially expensive repair? I'm not even at 120km/70K miles yet.

Thoughts?

 

[Don M]

When did you last check the coolant level??

Don

 

[4est]

Low coolant should trigger a warning

There may be a problem with the water pump

 

[Cloudrider]

The coolant reservoir is full.

My appointment with the dealership is made for Monday morning.

 

[vogonpoetry]

I'm guessing one of the two water pumps are dead. If the 2-way valve was stuck, then usually you'd at least get one or the other (cabin heat or engine cooling) though its possible its stuck in between positions.

 

[Cloudrider]

I'm guessing one of the two water pumps are dead. If the 2-way valve was stuck, then usually you'd at least get one or the other (cabin heat or engine cooling) though its possible its stuck in between positions.


View attachment 155443

That's what my rudimentary research determined also.

OOC: I'd love to hear more about this plugless inductive charger of yours, vogonpoetry.

 

[jbakerjonathan]

I will add a third vote for a circulation pump failure.

This may be of interest to you: https://gm-volt.com/2010/12/09/the-chevrolet-volt-coolingheating-systems-explained/

 

[vogonpoetry]

OOC: I'd love to hear more about this plugless inductive charger of yours, vogonpoetry.

Well, funny story, I had an amusing time trying to figure out why my volt had this weird plate under the back that no other volts did. Then I looked above it and saw it was wired into the HV system and it all became clear, though I still couldn't believe it. Apparently the previous owner had it installed but sadly they didnt sell the base station with it, and Plugless apparently got bought-out so I cannot contact them to inquire about buying one... So for now I am still plugging in but I hope one day I can get a base station for it.

 

[uchual]

The coolant reservoir is full.

My appointment with the dealership is made for Monday morning.

Keep us updated about what they find...

 

[Cloudrider]

Keep us updated about what they find...

Apparently the thermostat in the coolant loop failed, which was covered under the 8yr powertrain warranty.

Well, funny story, I had an amusing time trying to figure out why my volt had this weird plate under the back that no other volts did. Then I looked above it and saw it was wired into the HV system and it all became clear, though I still couldn't believe it. Apparently the previous owner had it installed but sadly they didnt sell the base station with it, and Plugless apparently got bought-out so I cannot contact them to inquire about buying one... So for now I am still plugging in but I hope one day I can get a base station for it.

That's too bad, hopefully other compatible base stations make it to market.

 

[Cord]

and only ONE of cooling tanks had a level sensor right -- The battery coolant tank ?

and even that one has to be around 1/2 empty to trigger . so alway correct to look at tank to check for a leak.
we all put a black marker line on the tanks -- right



base station - we talking about wireless charging or wireless radio ?

 

[Cloudrider]

Well, it was the auxiliary pump, as most people guessed. Also, the thermostat went. So that was a CAD$760 life lesson I could have done without.

 

[uchual]

Well, it was the auxiliary pump, as most people guessed. Also, the thermostat went. So that was a CAD$760 life lesson I could have done without.

Ouch...Thanks for the update. All is well now, I presumed?

 

[turboguy327]

Well, it was the auxiliary pump, as most people guessed. Also, the thermostat went. So that was a CAD$760 life lesson I could have done without.

Ouch, that dealer bent you over. The coolant pump is under $100 US and can be replaced in less than a half hour but most dealers charge 2-3 hours labor for it.