1998 Pontiac Grand Am Engine cooling

aside from the gauge, are there any signs of overheating such as white smoke, leaking coolant or sluggish performance? it may be a faulty reading caused by a failing engine coolant temp. (ECT) sensor

[quote:8abda531e3="bluelightnin6"]aside from the gauge, are there any signs of overheating such as white smoke, leaking coolant or sluggish performance? it may be a faulty reading caused by a failing engine coolant temp. (ECT) sensor[/quote:8abda531e3]

There is a small leak somewhere next to the engine, I do not know where it is and it seems to be pretty minor.

the leak could be coming from your water pump, the leak itself may not be effecting the temperature but the failing water pump is .

[quote:3b1dd31b0f="bluelightnin6"]the leak could be coming from your water pump, the leak itself may not be effecting the temperature but the failing water pump is .[/quote:3b1dd31b0f]

I wish it was that easy. The leak is on the opposite side of the engine.

seems like a gasket leak of some type than, may need to have cylinder compression tested to see if cylinder head or gasket is at fault

[quote:45835c9b63="bluelightnin6"]seems like a gasket leak of some type than, may need to have cylinder compression tested to see if cylinder head or gasket is at fault[/quote:45835c9b63]

A mechanic checked for a head gasket leak twice. He did not pressure test, he used a die that apparently turns a color if there is a leak. Is this not an effective method?

yes, thats better than a compression check.. and you can't pinpoint where the leak is coming from? does it look like its coming from a hose or perhaps thermostat housing?

[quote:b78c579636="bluelightnin6"]yes, thats better than a compression check.. and you can't pinpoint where the leak is coming from? does it look like its coming from a hose or perhaps thermostat housing?[/quote:b78c579636]

I do not believe that it is a hose. It is on the right side of the engine closer to the thermostat. But this was also recently replaced.

was it leking prior to replacement? who replaced the thermostat? it's a common mistake to insert the tstat backwards which will prevent the thermostat from working properly which in turn causes overheating and possibly melting the tstat gasket ..

[quote:6edd8269b4="bluelightnin6"]was it leking prior to replacement? who replaced the thermostat? it's a common mistake to insert the tstat backwards which will prevent the thermostat from working properly which in turn causes overheating and possibly melting the tstat gasket ..[/quote:6edd8269b4]

Yes, it was leaking. I took it to a shop to have it replaced. The thermostat was the first thing that was replaced. It seemed to run normal for a couple days and my radiator exploded after little driving that was then replaced. It then seemed to be fixed for a couple days again. The car ran very hot one day and I took it in again there was a small leak on the radiator it was replaced again along with 2 hoses.

The weather has cooled off and I have been running with the ac off and the windows down. I'm not sure if this would make a difference.

are the radiator fans coming on? turn on the A/C and see if the fan(s) come on, they should automatically as soon as the A/C is turned on.

[quote:5eb44a28c2="bluelightnin6"]are the radiator fans coming on? turn on the A/C and see if the fan(s) come on, they should automatically as soon as the A/C is turned on.[/quote:5eb44a28c2]

The fan comes on a little after normal temperature and goes back to normal it has done this since I bought the car.