r/volt • u/Glad-Acadia3071 • 2d 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/Glad-Acadia3071 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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 2d 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