Hello, I have searched tons of forums and videos and nothing is helping. I have a 2019 Challenger SXT, 3.6L with approx. 94k miles. I had a bad thermostat code and overheat light when I left my house one day. I pulled over immediately and let it cool, then drove it home after about 10 minutes (about 2 miles). I decided to upgrade the radiator and replace the main components as well. I had Pepboys replace radiator (all aluminum), water pump, thermostat (Dorman aluminum upgrade), and hoses. I drove it home which is only about 3 miles. The next day when I left the house, it overheated. Pepboys checked it for pressure, checked for head gasket leak and still can't get it to run cool. They also tried to bleed the system again but said no air came out. I also tried bleeding it myself from the port on the thermostat and no air came out, just coolant. I also replaced the radiator fan, and the coolant temp sensor myself. The fan comes on, and it also comes on when I turn on the A/C. I'm out of ideas.. please help!
Pep Boys is about the worst possible place to take your car for anything. Might as well have the 3 Stooges work on your car.
Find a real mechanic to check it out. If inclined to work on it yourself see the troubleshooting section of the site FAQ.
you shouldn't need to upgrade anything. Cars shouldn't overheat from the factory.
Did you check if the fan runs?
Is the engine actually overheating, or are you just getting a dummy light?
Nice reply from a moderator.. real helpful.
I call them as I see them, and over the last 50+ years I have not seen much good come out of people taking their cars to Pep Boys for repairs and service. (If you do an internet search you'll come up with plenty of horror stories.) Of course it's possible there are a few Pep Boys service centers out there that are better than the others. If that's the best option in your area hopefully you have one of the better ones.
As far as your overheating issue the parts cannon approach has obviously not worked. Especially these days it cannot be assumed that new parts are good, there is far too high a percentage of defects. (Were OEM temperature sensor and thermostat installed? Was the radiator a decent brand or just random Chinesium?) So from what I can see you need to approach the problem without assuming the new parts are good or even that the new radiator has sufficient cooling capacity for your car. Start from scratch in diagnosing the problem as it sits. As previously stated our FAQ is a good place to start. Also, an infrared thermometer can help confirm your dash temperature readings and find problems as well.
Nice reply from a moderator.. real helpful. The only "mechanics" around here just replace parts, they don't like to troubleshoot anything. Unfortunately, PepBoys is about the best option here. The last independent shop I went to tried to charge me $600 for a single coil pack replacement.
Anyways.. It's idling at 235-240F. As stated in my original post, the fan does work and I also replaced it just in case.
Items replaced:
Fan
Radiator
Water pump
thermostat
coolant temp sensor
reservoir cap
Oil cooler
all hoses
Things tried/checked:
Pressure test
head gasket leak test
radiator fan resistor swapped with another
bleed system multiple times