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2013 Chevy Malibu Camshaft and Engine Overheating


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ConorWHoward
New User

Jul 28, 2019, 2:59 PM

Post #1 of 6 (967 views)
2013 Chevy Malibu Camshaft and Engine Overheating Sign In

Hello! My wife and I recently took our 2013 Chevy Malibu (2.5L engine; 85,000 miles) to a mechanic we trust(ed) to have the camshaft position sensors replaced since the error code for the camshaft was coming up and the car was presenting with all of the general symptoms of a camshaft sensor issue. The mechanic replaced the parts, but the error codes are still coming up. They suggested that it could be an electrical issue. The real concern, however, is that within 6 hours of leaving the mechanic we have started experiencing issues with the engine (supposedly) overheating. The temperature gauge will rise rapidly if the engine goes over about 2.5k rpm and we will get an error message saying that the engine is overheating, it will shut off the A/C (or say it is shutting off the air, since we have started driving it without the A/C on), and instruct that the engine should be idled. Sometimes when it says it is shutting off the A/C, the gauge will drop all the way to the bottom. After about 5 minutes with the engine off, the car will start normally and not have any temperature issues for 5-10 minutes. There have also been a few occasions that the engine will keep running after the ignition is off. This usually happens when the car has had an issue with the engine temperature, but there is not a one to one correlation.

My question is, is there anything that the mechanic might likely have done to accidentally cause these issues when replacing either of the camshaft sensors? I can't find an engine diagram that has the location of both the camshaft and temperature sensors, but from what I can find, it does seem that they are relatively close, all things considered. I would like to know if these knew issues are likely due to some negligence on the mechanic's part, or if this is just the worst of coincidences. Any other thoughts on issues that might cause these problems and at least short term fixes would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jul 28, 2019, 4:21 PM

Post #2 of 6 (965 views)
Re: 2013 Chevy Malibu Camshaft and Engine Overheating Sign In

Why is everyone's first response all the time, "can I blame the mechanic"?

No, at this point you can't blame anyone. You need to have your problem diagnosed properly to find out what actually happened before you can say someone did it.



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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Sidom
Veteran / Moderator
Sidom profile image

Jul 28, 2019, 5:23 PM

Post #3 of 6 (954 views)
Re: 2013 Chevy Malibu Camshaft and Engine Overheating Sign In

Anything is possible, take it back and have them look at it, 90% of the shops are honest so if it was something they knocked loose/broke they'll take car of it.

Being in this business 35+ years I can't tell you how many times a car came in for one repair and right after leaving something else broke...or even worse broke while it was still in the shop... That was never a fun phone call for the writer.
I get the thought process and this is where you need to be dealing with a shop you trust.....because we are all human....so yes..... The other 10%, the dishonest ones, will break something and try to hide it....


ConorWHoward
New User

Jul 29, 2019, 6:08 AM

Post #4 of 6 (914 views)
Re: 2013 Chevy Malibu Camshaft and Engine Overheating Sign In

I'm not jumping to blame. If I was jumping to blame, I would have contacted the BBB or demanded a fix. Its simply called the process of elimination, and knowing if it is a reasonable possibility that it is the mechanic's fault, intentionally or no, is an important part of informing oneself before continuing with the process of getting our car fixed. All I was really asking was, are the parts close enough that it could happen, because I'm not a mechanic and I can't find a diagram that has both parts in it.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jul 29, 2019, 6:16 AM

Post #5 of 6 (910 views)
Re: 2013 Chevy Malibu Camshaft and Engine Overheating Sign In

Do you even know that the sensor is causing the issue. That would be your first step, not looking for someone to blame.

Finding out what your problem is is the first step.

I will be the first one to apply blame where it belongs but not when you have no reason whatsoever to start the blame game.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Sidom
Veteran / Moderator
Sidom profile image

Jul 29, 2019, 7:34 AM

Post #6 of 6 (903 views)
Re: 2013 Chevy Malibu Camshaft and Engine Overheating Sign In

When doing repair work on a engine/car it is always possible to break/disturb something and create another problem.

We can't speculate on the cause until we know the problem. Yes it's overheating but we need to what is causing the overheat.

A freshly broken sensor/wire...... More than likely tech error.

Blown head gasket/leaking intake gasket......Very unlikely it was tech error.


find out what the problem is and we will give you our opinions......keeping in mind that we will only be getting one side of the story.






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