2018 XC90 OVERHEATING

Thanks all for the feedback. Coming back to report that the thermostat was replaced, drove it around town, and 2 days later (today) it overheated again! Going back to the shop - problem seems to be bigger than I thought.

Animal Farm said:

Probably the thermostat. What code(s) is it showing?

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I forgot to ask them for the code. However the thermostat was replaced and overheated 2 days later

likeXC90 said:

Flow restriction (contaminant buildup or kinked line, for example) can lead to reduced heat transfer to cooling fluid and thus an overheated engine. The condition of the cooling fluid during the bleed out (dirty with contaminants, best case) may or may not be an indicator.

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Trixstar said:

It might be the thermostat giving incorrect readings. If the coolant is up to level and the pump and fan is running I would guess its the thermostat. It may be stuck in the closed position.

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I forgot to ask for the thermostat readings but shop told me it was not opening, so they replaced it. Drove it for 2 days after replacing it and overheated again today! The overheating is intermittent which is the weird thing - the message disappears within just a few minutes, sometimes within seconds after it alerts me
to “reduce speed” or “pull over and stop”. The fans blow like crazy during that time and eventually cools things down. No coolant leaking - coolant expansion tank not bubbling over. Not sure 🤔

volvogod said:

Does the radiator cooling fan turn on? Turn on AC and see if the radiator fan turns on.

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Fan is working when AC is on and immediately kicks on when the “overheating” message comes on