Overheating 97 Gt

swtnatlee

New Member
Feb 22, 2014
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I was stuck in traffic the other day and my car started to overheat and I could smell that sweet smell of coolant (?) .Smoke was coming from my hood. It took a while to find a spot to stop. Long story short I filled it will coolant and in 4 miles it was completely gone. No visible leaks in the driveway. No other issues. Please help!
 
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I wouldn't automatically guess head gasket. Check the oil to see if it has any coolant in it if that worries you.

Make sure the fan is operating properly. If it is shutting off at idle you will overheat...especially in traffic. My car used to overheat in the summer especially. When my fan bit the big one I replaced it with a new one. They had been redesigned with better blades. After that I never had issues again.
 
The oil was also low when I added the extra coolant which I thought was odd because it had only been changed about a month before. I looked at the dip stick but wouldn't even know what to look for if there was coolant in the oil. :/

I wouldn't automatically guess head gasket. Check the oil to see if it has any coolant in it if that worries you.

Make sure the fan is operating properly. If it is shutting off at idle you will overheat...especially in traffic. My car used to overheat in the summer especially. When my fan bit the big one I replaced it with a new one. They had been redesigned with better blades. After that I never had issues again.
 
Look inside the oil cap 1st. It will look and have the consistency of peanut butter (don't eat it :D ). Otherwise you have to drain the oil and see if there is any water in the oil.

The oil will not be low with a blown head gasket. It may be that it was low after the change. These cars take 6 quarts instead of the normal 5. If you took it to an oil change place they may not know that.
 
I had the same problem with my 98. The cooling fan was not turning on. I checked the fan itself, and it was fine. It turned out to be the plug terminals were not making good contact with the fan terminals. In my case I cleaned the female connectors inside the plug and cut some plastic away that was interfering with the connection. Problem fixed.

It could be the computer that controls the fan, but they are kind of expensive an there are other alternatives to buying a new comp.

Good luck!