2002 Pontiac Grand Am Car Overheating

ADAVIS832001

MEMBER
2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
125,000 MILES

My husbands car has been down now for 3 weeks. He had the intake gasket replaced, it still was over heating. He's replaced the thermostat for a second time, had the radiator flushed, by passed the heater cor thinking it could be pluged, fans work correct, run super radiator flush into the system, took apart water tank fins are still intack, the guy that did the intake said it looked good as cracked head or gaskets. The exhaust works so its not a pluged catalytic converter. We are at a dead end on whats causing it to over heat still. Any ideas because I am about to just give it back to the bank, owes to much for amount of miles no one will take it for trade.

6 Replies

BLACKOP555

MECHANIC
10,371 POSTS

I noticed that you stated that you havnt checked the water pump yet?

Run the vehicle and when the top hose gets hot then the thermostat is open.

With a pair of gloves on pinch the hose shut then release you should feel water pressure build and then when you release rush past you.

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Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 AT 9:50 AM

ADAVIS832001

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4 POSTS

We checked the water pump too, had to buy new gasket to put it back together.

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Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 AT 12:31 PM

BLACKOP555

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I was hopping that it was just hte pump.

But since sounds like everything is checked I would suspect the engine is running lean or the ignition timing is off causing the engine to run too hot. Have the radiator fins cleaned out, you can use a air nozzle and spray it out get all the bugs and dust out.

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Thursday, June 19th, 2008 AT 12:26 PM

ADAVIS832001

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Ok he also would like to know what is causing the water tank to drain empty then when car is turned off the water returns back into the tank. Mean while causeing the low coolant light to come on when it isnt really low.

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Thursday, June 19th, 2008 AT 1:28 PM

BLACKOP555

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The water is being sucked down from the resevoir to the radiator because when it is hot the fluid expands and when the engine is turned off, the pressure goes down and it causes it to return to the tank, but when its running it sucks it out into the system.

Try filling it with the vehicle running see if it will fill up then.