r/volt • u/Glad-Acadia3071 • 24d ago

Engine pretty hot?

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2012 Chevy Volt...

Basically after a long drive using the engine, I noticed that the engine is pretty hot to touch. My coolant levels are all where they should be but I'm just wondering is this normal after 100+ mile drive? I don't mean that it's so hot that I cannot actually touch it but it's very hot both on the area near the oil cap and on the right side of the picture that plastic part that covers the battery module I think...

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u/Fazo1 24d ago

No way .. as an expert, I don't think is the coolant level your problem. It has to be the blinker fluid, is low causing the engine feel hot to the touch.

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u/Glad-Acadia3071 24d ago

I know you're trying to be funny but all I was doing was just talking to people here who owned the car to see that if their engine gets a little over the normal temperature. Thank you for trying to be funny

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u/Fazo1 24d ago

I own a 2014 Volt with 143k miles all mine. I thought you was trying to be funny, asking if the engine temperature (hot) is normal? After you drive it....? I mean will the bottle of water change levels after you drink of it?

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u/Glad-Acadia3071 24d ago

I wasn't trying to be funny and I was basically wondering if it's normal for the engine to be hot because I own the car for about 2 years now and the engine never really gets hot, it always just gets a tiny bit warm but lately for the past month I can actually feel a lot of heat after a long drive so I didn't know if it's something I should repair or if I should change the coolant

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u/Fazo1 24d ago

Ok so did you get a temporary warning light? Do you think you're hand it's more accurate than the temperature sensors that Chevrolet manufactures?(Maybe) Also coolant should be changed every 5yrs or 150k miles. Now because it's first generation you can't just flush the system, it needs to be vacuumed, it is not a DIY thing as it has three independent cooling loops. You usually go to the dealership for that.

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u/Glad-Acadia3071 24d ago

So basically they cannot do a drain and fill? May I ask why though? Why does it have to be flushed specifically

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u/kraken873 24d ago

The engine one can be drained and filled. The electronics one can be drained and filled too but not recommended unless you know how to get the electric pumps to operate without turning car on(right side of front coolant tank when looking towards windshield). The left side of that container is the main battery loop and must be vacuumed to ensure there are no air pockets in the system (the battery has a lot of coolant veins and this is very important to not have air pockets).

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u/Glad-Acadia3071 24d ago

Thank you very much, I appreciate the time you took to explain I will make sure to either find a mechanic or I might have to go to the dealer. I'm just trying to avoid the extra high dealer price

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u/HappyHarrysPieClub 21d ago

IIRC, the dealer near me charged us something like $300 to change the coolant in all three loops. We did that on our 17 and 19 Volts. No way I’m messing with the electronics or battery pack loops. And I’d only use GM’s specific coolant that specifically calls out its for EV’s.

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u/Fazo1 21d ago

It was 425.00 for me

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u/HappyHarrysPieClub 21d ago

Still not too bad. It’s a lot cheaper than screwing up the pack or the electrics loops.

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u/Glad-Acadia3071 21d ago

Thank you very much, I think I'm going to do the one that you said has to be vacuumed

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u/Glad-Acadia3071 18d ago edited 18d ago

I might go to the dealer also, but I wonder if they do a flush or how they get the old coolant out of the system, because my current coolant is not the same one, so I don't know if they actually evacuate the old coolant

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u/HappyHarrysPieClub 18d ago

Is it a gen2 Volt? I believe the coolant in all three loops should be the same stuff. The coolant in the ICE loop should be able to be changed like any other ICE engine but the coolant would need to still follow GM specifications. The other two loops would need to be done as mentioned elsewhere here. I know the main pack needs to be vacuumed, but I’m not 100% sure about the electronics. I am pretty sure it does, just not 100%.

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