250k miles 2013 malibu Lt took a few hours but just finished replacing both rear hubs. went for a test drive, before I pulled off to drive, the display warns me of overheating engine and the temp needle is pinned to the hot side of the gauge. both fans are running full-on. the engine is not even warm yet. no leaks, coolant in the system I can put my hand on the radiator hose cool to the touch. never had this happened before, is there a glitch? I waited a few minutes later to check like 10 minutes later and the needle was back to normal as well as the display. I drove for a few miles with no problem so far, but then the temp needle was bouncing around between norm and close to the hot side. weird I put my hand on the rad hose without burning myself temp seems normal to me. I was told to flash the computer to reset the sensors. what gives.
Look at the live data using an OBDII scanner - what does it show? If the readings are erratic - it could be a sensor.
Also are you sure that your thermostat is good? it could be getting stuck causing your engine to overheat without the warm coolant ever reaching the radiator.
bad sensor,
corrosion in a connector,
bad grounding,
nicked wire,
etc ...
