Introduction and Question...
 

Howdy, Y'All!

New to forum but not PTs. We bought a 2002 Touring Edition new back in the day and had to put it out to pasture after about 120k miles. We just picked up a nice 2001 Limited Edition, Dark Blue and other than some trouble getting home and spending about $450 on tows we finally got back to TX and I think things are sorted. First, after about 75 miles into the trip at started to overheat so I coasted to the shoulder and called the first tow-truck. $110 later we were at a reputable repair shop waiting for a diagnosis and it turned out to be a cracked thermostat housing and weak radiator cap. They installed a new one and after the shop owner test drove it we were on our way. A couple hundred miles later it started running warm again so I coasted the the shoulder once more, but we were only 47 miles from our destination but called a wrecker. $300 later the Cruiser was sitting in my driveway.

This afternoon I took it to a shop across from my house and requested they replace the thermostat and do a flush and fill of the cooling system. While they were replacing the thermostat they found a collant sensor that was leaking so we replaced that as well. This may be the issue as when it started getting hot the second time I was watching the gauge more than the road and watched it slowly increase from 1/2 to a little over 3/4 so I shut it down. Don't think I'll ever do this king of 400 mile trip again but it is a really smart looking car. Ok enough of the backstory...

The car has an ABS and TRAC light on. After first startup the lights extinguish for about a second and then come back on. This leads me to think it might be a wheel sensor? I hooked up my scanner and found no codes so I'm not sure where to start looking so any hints will be welcome.

Justin B.
2002 PT Cruiser LE

Couldn't find an edit button so I will clarify the last sentence above. After car is started, putting it in gear and starting to roll off the lights go out for maybe a second then come back on. My BMW motorcycle will give an ABS fault until it rolls a few feet until it "sees" signal from the sensors then ABS light will go out.

getting hot while in a stop and go driving condition or wile open road? as far as the abs you will need a scanner tat can talk to the abs module to see the codes.

In addition to pulling diagnostic codes from the abs module, be certain to pull the stored codes (previously active and stored for 30-40 restarts).

I believe the heating problem is now taken care of so that should no longer be an issue - knock, knock...

I have a scanner and it found no codes and the only thing of note was two monitors NA.

as i said you need a scanner that can read ABS modules a cheap code reader will not work.

Thanks, I'll see if I can find somebody with one that would be willing to do a scan for me. Mine wasn't really cheap (mid-range Autel) but it apparently does not have the ABS module. I'll have to see if I can get a software update for it...

Well, things go from bad to worse. It seems the head gasket is blown and I'm having trouble finding a reputable shop that is willing to work on it. If I was younger and by back wasn't messed up I'd take a stab at doing it myself. The search goes on...

I found that one of my neighbor's uncles is a mechanic at a Chrysler dealer and does work on the side at his home. I dragged the car over to him and he took care of it at a very reasonable price. While he had it up on stands I also had him replace the lower control arms (bushing worn) and tie rods. Thing runs great and feels like a go-cart with the new tight suspension. :-) The connector for the cooling fan was also melty looking so I had him replace the fan as well while he had it apart. Temp gauge stays rock-solid on 1/2 now.

Justin B.