Car gets hot and then it Jolts while driving

[surferd15]

Have a 2003 Murano around 76K, if you drive the car tends to get very hot and then throws the p1217 code (engine overheat/hot). It gets hot and then goes back to normal but after it gets the engine light the car jolts. Its hard to explain but say your driving 25 mph and then you accelerate the car jolts (almost like you have been hit in the rear) its scares the crap outta you! It will continue to jolt if you try and accelerate. I took the car home and put it in park, the car won't rev freely and will get to 2500 rpms and cut off at 3300, so it will surge between those rpms. No other codes are shown. Can someone explain to me whats going on? Is it a failsafe? I have had cars shut down but not like this this thing feels like it wants to drop the engine and trans out! I was thinking the overheat problem is the thermostat, I know the coolant level is okay and there appears to be no leaks. I am not sure if the issues are connected or not. This is my mother in laws car. Could it be a CVT issue?

[Pilgrim]

The Gospel of Diagnosing and Working on Cars, according to Pilgrim:

When they car vexes thee, panic not.
Ask thyself this question: What be the simplest, most basic issue which could cause this vexation?
Lookest thou first at that issue.
Verily, 90% of the time thou shalt find the problem.

Commentary:

If it won't turn over, is the battery dead? Are the cables dirty?
If it turns but won't start, is it out of gas?
If it's running too hot, is there coolant in it?
If there's coolant in it, is the thermostat sticking?
If there's coolant and a good thermostat, is the cooling fan running?

Etc., etc.

And another thing - tackle one problem at a time. In your case, I'd try a thermostat change first.

[njjoe]

Check the following:

1) Are the cooling fans working?
2) Sufficient coolant in the radiator?

Did you ever change the coolant or is it the factory fill? If you are running the original coolant then I would do a flush and fill.

-njjoe

[surferd15]

I checked all the obvious before digging into the motor. The fans all worked etc. I changed the t-stat and all is well. The temp gauge is a little above the c and didn't even go halfway on the temp gauge as before after driving for 5 mins it would be on the H. I did a coolant flush as well since I was not sure of the last coolant change. The jolting has not come back yet but I only drove it for about 10 mins. Hopefully the two were connected and it won't do that anymore. Thanks for the help. I followed the write up on here for replacing the T-stat, good info!

[zebelkhan]

Originally Posted by surferd15

...It gets hot and then goes back to normal...

Sounds like there may be a air pocket in the cooling system which lets coolant thru when pressure builds up.