03 Alero overheating/puttering

We have a 2003 Alero that has been the biggest pile of crap car I've ever had. No more than 5 months ago we replaced the thermostat in it because the heater was blowing cold and a mechanic told us that was the problem. That was in early spring and it solved the problem. It is now mid July (we live in southern Colorado where it is HOT... average 95-100 degrees during the day) and the car overheats in the morning on the way to work (6 miles hwy one way) when the temps outside haven't hit 90 yet. It also has recently been putting when it's started in the morning, we have to give it more gas to get it started. Car is pretty old and has a lot of miles on it so I don't know if these issues are related or it's just wearing out.
I've been watching it and it's like there's something stopping the coolant from getting from the radiator/resevoir to the engine. I just replaced the thermostat again and let it run in the driveway for a good 20 minutes. The temp gets slightly above the halfway mark and stays. I then noticed the radiator fans weren't kicking on. When should they do this? And if they're not working properly, is this something I can fix, and how? Any advice would be appreciated. I've replaced a bunch of random things on this car (I'm certainly no mechanic) so I figure I might try fixing this as well. If there are any other suggestions as to why it's overheating, I'm all ears. Thanks.

Welcome to AF.

It would help to post the engine size and mileage. TIA.

V6 180,000.. and it's not the coolant fan relay we replaced that today and it still overheats

Are the cooling fans turning on with the A/C on?

The cooling fans without A/C on will not come on until coolant temp reaches around 220 degrees F and 230 degrees F for high speed.

Are the cooling fans turning on with the A/C on?

The cooling fans without A/C on will not come on until coolant temp reaches around 220 degrees F and 230 degrees F for high speed.


would this be the same case for a 99?

I have a similare problem today.
I have a 2002 Alero with the 3.4 liter V6, and have about 70k miles on it.
I had the transmission and coolant service done last October, bought a new cap for the coolant reservoir at the time too. I also had the intake manifold gaskets replaced last October, at about 60K miles. I noticed every since the radiator service that there is frequently steam and anti-freeze blown out the overflow tube on the coolant reservoir, and today it got real hot and really blew out some fluid. I noticed that the radiator fans did not turn on like they normally do. The fuse was good, but is there something else that would prevent the cooling fans from operating when it gets hot? Thanks.