A common cause of overheating can be a failed head gasket which allows the coolant to be consumed by the engine. When this happens, soon there’s not enough coolant remaining to cool the engine and the car overheats.

But it may not be as serious as that. You could simply have a stuck thermostat. This is the component that prevents coolant flowing around the engine when it’s first started, forcing the engine to warm up faster. Then, as the engine gets warmer, the thermostat starts to open to allow the coolant to flow through the engine and do its job, maintaining the correct running temperature in the process.

Other possible causes for overheating include incorrect ignition timing, a slipping fan belt, non-functioning cooling fans, a collapsed radiator hose, blocked radiator, a worn water pump and many others. A good mechanic should be able to make a diagnosis and tackle the problem from there.

You could have an engine problem that is causing the vehicle to lose power. The cause of this could literally be a thousand different things. An electronic scan of the vehicle might shed some light on the root cause of the problem, and most mechanics would carry out such a scan before doing anything else.

If the engine is not at fault, you might find the problem can be traced to a transmission that is not shifting gear properly or is slipping, or perhaps even something as simple as a dragging brake or poorly adjusted park-brake. But before you hit the workshop, you can check simple things like the condition of the engine’s air filter to make sure there’s no obvious cause. If your car is a turbocharged model, check the plastic trunking that carries the boost from the turbo to the engine’s intake. This trunking can split or fall off, leading to a loss of boost pressure and, therefore, performance.

I believe the part number you need is GM96683849. That’s what shows up for the 2003 Cruze, anyway. But if you can’t find one, then maybe try a Suzuki parts specialist. Because the Cruze was heavily based on the Suzuki Ignis of the time, there’s a good chance the clutch cables will be interchangeable.

If you still can’t locate one, there are specialist businesses out there that can make you a clutch cable to any specification from scratch. This might be more expensive, but if it keeps you on the road, then it’s worth the extra. By the way, the cable for your Cruze, through a parts store, shouldn’t cost more than $100.