need help with my Grand AM before I get screwed out of $1400

[redlined]

I think my mechanic is trying to screw me.

the car has been overheating. once u start the car, the temperature keeps rising til it stalls out.

The mechanic is telling me its a head gasket. its not losing any coolant, or burning white smoke, doing anything else. When the mechanic moves the coolant lines around with his hand and revs the car, the temperature drops. AND when the heaters on and the cars at 275 degrees. it only blows out cold air. to me..I think thermastat or a block in the radiator / coolant lines NOT a head gasket


Opinions please, they already replace the Intake manifold, and 2 coolant lines. which cost my parents 550 bucks. Should I take it to another mechanic? or to a Pontiac Dealership?

 

[JadeFalcon]

okay, the lower intake gasket ALWAYS goes out on those motors, that was most definately probable. However, I'm skeptical like you.

Check the oil for coolant, and check the coolant for oil.

Take the radiator cap off and start the car and let it run, see if yuo see any small bubbles( cracked head) or alot of bubbles that smell like exhaust (bad head gasket leak).

Then, if all this checks out, tell him this:

theres no coolant in the combustion chamber, there is no oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil, there is no exhaust in the coolant, and I'm not loosing any coolant. If it's a blown head gasket, then don't fix it, because it isn't blown.

Replace the thermostat yourself, thats your problem I'm sure.


with no coolant in the heater core, then I think you might just have an air pocket, and if you squeeze lines, you can force coolant around and get new coolant across your temp sensor, causing temp to drop.

check everything I told you to, drain the coolant, replace the thermostat, and put new coolant in it and milk the lines.

 

[redlined]

as you said..when he "milked" the lines the temperature did drop. the second he stopped the temp climbed again. Ill check it all out, thanks man

 

[sunburstpony]

what year is your veicle? what engine is in your vehicle? i work in a pontiac dealership
and i need this info first.

 

[MadMatt5oh]

Does it have the 3.1? I have had a similar problem and just replaced the the Tstat and bled the air out. Works excellent now, going to a mechanic wasnt an option for me

 

[a_turbo_stang]

Yea replace the thermostat first and make sure you have no leaks.
If it is the Quad 4 motor than it could very well be the head gasget. Those had to have been the worst motor GM has made. The price is about right. My shop will charge more than that if it is the quad 4 and about the same for the 3.1.

 

[redlined]

the car is a 94 GT with a 3.1 EFI, I purposely avoided the Quad 4's. The motor was also rebuilt under a year ago.

 

[IndyBlk5.0]

evidently there isnt excessive pressure in the system. He milked the lines.. It cooled down. Think about it, when he squeezed the lines water moved throughout the block. It could very possibly be a water pump... no milkshake anywhere? I say water pump just becuase i dont think you are moving coolant throughout your cooling system, it is worth it to get your radiator dipped too. MUCH cheaper than 1400
Also replace the thermostat while your at it. You can do all this that i said above yourself.

 

[IndyBlk5.0]

just a question, what would a shop charged me for doing a head gasket job on both sides? (i also got a complete valve job, and port and flattened heads) i did this all for about 500-600... Thats if you do it yourself

 

[squeeeg]

The 3.1 engines were porely designed. If you have any problems with your coolent it is going to cost a lot of money. Yes the head gasket is prob blown and possibly the intake gasket as well. Then there are 3 bleeder valves to get the air out of the system, and they don't work that well. Good luck and i prob would believe the mechanic this time.

 

[redlined]

the tried bleeding the lines..ONLY SMOKE came out. this is why I dont think its head gasket. No coolent is going threw the lines

 

[redlined]

no coolent in lines, til he milks it...That still sounds like a block to me. btw: the t-stat was acting up last month along with the water pump

 

[drgn5.0]

time to get rid of the car maybe?

 

[sunburstpony]

you should change the thermostat and flush the cooling system, you said that it was rebuilt lately. all the s#!t that was in your system and s#!t that was left from the rebuild could have your thermostat not working properly.

 

[MadMatt5oh]

Yes, it could be the block. Ive had one with a cracked block as well. I didnt find that out until I replaced one of the heads- the crack was below the head! By the firewall!

 

[TheFleshRocket]

If it is the Quad 4 motor than it could very well be the head gasget. Those had to have been the worst motor GM has made. .

What's so bad about Quad4s? I knew a guy who had a Beretta GTZ with 180K miles on it, and it was still even pretty quick. Another guy had a Grand Am, one of the boxy ones, and the motor was still going strong with 150K miles on it, untill he flipped the car and totalled it.

There are plenty of motors from GM that I'd like to have much less than a Quad4.