So I just got my first z yesterday and changed the oil and took it out for a drive because everything seemed good. Everything was going good just like casual driving even with a couple small pulls. I got on the highway and car was below the half way point but after I got off into stop and go traffic it started to go up and up and up. I just parked shut the car off and let it cool down a bit but was still hot. Maybe 3/4 of the way on the thermostat. I made the dumbest decision by slowly driving the car because it ran cool when moving but was still around 3/4 of the way and even hit a bit higher than that. I only drove it like that for 2 minutes before I got onto the highway again slowly which immediately cooled the car more and more as I drove and by the time I actually got on the high way it was running back at under the half way point. I don’t go over 2500rpms. I got off the highway and temp seemed normal and then eventually just parked it back at home and haven’t touched it since. Now because I ran it that hot I’m afraid I warped something in the engine or just like ****ed it. I know the decision I made was stupid and really regret it a lot and only got to drive it 1 time. Is my engine cooked now and I just don’t notice. It doesn’t sound rough and there’s no smoke out the exhaust. No smoke from the engine bay. It just got really hot and I decided to get back on the highway to cool down and didn’t go above 2500rpms which worked really fast but I still drove with it hot at low rpm’s and am just sad and upset with my self.
is the engine no good now and is it even worth trying to fix the cooling issue or do I just get rid of the car and take my lose. Everything is completely bone stock and has 74000 miles.

The yellow line is the hottest it got with the car on and I drove it a bit while below the yellow line. It sat at idle around this temp for a minute before I turned the car off. Did I **** my engine only after first drive. I know I’m stupid and regret it so much and wish I just sat there for a couple hours.

 

Anything and everything helps a lot. I really wanted to take great care of the car and keep everything as oem or oem+ as possible and now just feel like I completely destroyed the engine first time driving it and if it’s even worth keeping which is hard because I was so excited to take great care of it and made the dumbest decision of my life and idk what to do.

 

It's a cooling problem, settle down (and no need to triple post - removed).

Zs are just another car. Troubleshoot like any other. Run through the usual cooling issues. Start with coolant level. If good, check the fans since moving cools it down. If that checks out then move to thermostat and water pump. If none of that fixes the issue, THEN consider selling it.

 

I apologize on the triple post. Do you think I did irreversible damage to the engine or do you think it is okay?

 

Very much doubt there's anything to worry about. The VQ engine is pretty robust and a little extra heat isn't likely to hurt it. Just get the cooling issue taken care of then worry if there's any odd running conditions. Like I said, very doubtful there's any lasting damage.

 

As Mic has said, there's no need to panic. Wait until the engine has cooled down completely and check how much coolant is left in the radiator with the engine is off. If it's full of coolant and oil, try starting it and see if it starts easily and holds and idle. If it's down on antifreeze, be sure to check the radiator cap and make sure it holds pressure. Don't assume anything, just start looking at components of the cooling system.

 

If the coolant level is fine, based on what you describe (engine temp cools as you drive faster, and increases at a stop or slow speeds), sounds like air is not being pulled through the radiator effectively. Check the fans. Probably one or both fan motors is not spinning or not spinning at the proper speed.

 

Yeah this is a textbook fan issue. Hardly cause for concern at this point, just get the fans replaced with OEM or OEM replacement fans asap.

Next time this happens you can run the heater on full blast. The heater is enough to keep the engine cool in traffic/very calm slow driving when the fans die.