Mine overheats too

A couple of years ago I had an overheating problem. The car was taken to a shop because we thought the head gasket had blown. Come to find out the head had been warped. It was taken and shaved down ( I think that's what they called it). Now, for over a year, I have been having to add water to my water tank. It never got hot and I've not been able to find a leak anywhere! The only problem that could be found was that the cap on the water tank kept getting stuck. Stuck to the point that when we took the cap off it broke. The top part came off and left the rest of it lodged in the tank. We had to pry it off. Because of this we thought maybe the bottle needed to be changed. Well, yesterday, I had no heat and there was a godawful sound coming from the water tank. Like the water was bursting to get out. I know that having no heat means that I need a new thermostat. My fan hasn't worked in some time either. It should come on by itself to cool the engine from what I was told but it only seems to come on when the heat/air is running. So, any thoughts? How hard is it to change a thermostat? Do you think I will need to change the bottle as well? and what should I do about the fan?
I would welcome any and all thoughts on this and any help I can get would be utterly fantastic!
Lisa

Hey,

Would say it was a problem with the thermostat. When was the last time the coolant was changed and how old are your pipes. You could even have some kind of blockage in the cooling system. Does the car still run hot? and do you fill it with ordinary tap water in a hard water area?

Hey,

Would say it was a problem with the thermostat. When was the last time the coolant was changed and how old are your pipes. You could even have some kind of blockage in the cooling system. Does the car still run hot? and do you fill it with ordinary tap water in a hard water area?

Sorry also have you checked your oil cap? If there is a creamy substance that looks like mayo then water is getting into the combustion chamber. this is bad, very bad. And the fan may need a new fan switch- very minor

Yes, the car still runs hot. I went out to turn it on and warm it up. Left it running for about 15 minutes and when I went out, it was right at the red. I noticed then that I had no heat. I thought I would try and drive it anyway because it's done that before ( not the no heat part, but the temp rising) and then went back down to where it was supposed to be. Wasn't the case this time. It started making that bad racket, like the water was going to burst from the tank, and I turned it around and parked it. I haven't checked my oil cap yet, but I will and thanks for that bit of info. As for the pipes, they've never been changed but it's only a 2000 model. Do they need to be?
It just bites being a female that has male friends that know NOthing about working on cars. Ironic huh? I'm going to learn to do all this myself! :)

The pipes will be fine on a 2000. Bet your warranty is up huh? that sucks. Sounds like thermostat to be honest, not chaged one myself but it's just really hard to get to on GM's nowadays. I would say the fan switch need replacing but do you know holw old the coolant is? I guess it must have been changed when the head was planed, so if it was a good coolant it should be fine. The fan should come on automatically at about 90 degrees (water temp). Fan switch is quite cheap and not sure about placement on that car (2.2 ecotec right?) but these aren't to hard but it just has to be done when the engine is cold as collant will run out. Also, put you hand on the top hose coming off of your radiator when the engin is hot. if the hose itself is hot the the coolant is running fine if not then may be your waterpump or some kind of blockage

does it really get that cold in SC anyhow? it's been minus 25 celcius here in Toronto. Thats when you need heat!!! also no reason why females can't know more than guys it's almost 2005. Women usually have smaller hands to fit in places to fix cars, No offense!

Thanks for all the info noshun! I really appreciate it. As for the cold? Sunday night we had snow flurries and it was down to 21, I believe. It only got 34 all day Monday and, for here, that is cold!
No offense taken to the smaller hands fitting in smaller places. I totally agree. And, if I know how to fix things myself it makes things easier for me. I guarantee you that I Will learn this stuff!
Thanks again! If you think of anything else, let me know.

No problem whatsoever. It nice to know you may be helping someone out especially this time of year ( I apologise to anyone reading this that doesn't celebrate christmas it's just engrained!!!).

Sorry Just trying to see if my sig worked. I hope everything worked out and that I proove to be of service

hmmm.. it could be something like an air bubble in your vent. you should change out your coolant, flush the system.. see if you can get fluids to flow, then take out your thermostat, and put it in a put of water.. it should open up just before the water starts to boil.. you also might want to check your belt to make sure that it is spinning your waterpump correctly, and with that maybe check your waterpump as well.. make sure you do flush your system out though! you dont need a hose.. you can just pour it in thru the top and undo the bottom to watch it pour out..

hey noshun, i like those rims.. where didcha getem??

Well, I think I'm going to try and take the thermostat out myself today. I went and bought the cav book at the parts store, so at least I know what I'm looking for now.
I'll let you know what happens and... keep your fingers crossed for me. :)

hey noshun, i like those rims.. where didcha getem??


They are APC Icon W64's. You really should check out their line of rims they are all beautiful and at a great price.

by the way. those rims are photoshopped on only hade my car a week need to sort the credit card first too.

check out the apc website www.4apc.com

[url]www.tiretrends.com[url] have a promo on these at the moment $154.48 for 7.5x18. bitchin' rims.
Don't know if they stock the w64 though

umm, thats a cool site.. but its not for rims dood..

It's me again. :( I replaced the thermostat. I now have heat but I'm still running hot. Any more suggestions?

if your still running hot after you changed the thermo. it could be you have a clogged radiator or a vapor lock in your coolant system. Sounds unlikely thats a vapor lock being you mentioned the system hasn't been flushed and filled because it's only a 2000 model.
Easy way to see if you have air in the system is to let the car cool off.
After it's cool take the radiador cap off and start the car. Watch the coolant in the rad. if you see it bubbling up it's air in the system. as the car warms up turn on the heater full blast and watch the coollant in the rad. Try and not to let it overflow the top. ONce all the bubbles stop you shouldn't have any air left in the system shut off the car and replace the cap.
only other reason you would be running hot is because your fan isn't turning on. I know you mentioned in your first post that it hasn't been working in months. I bet you that if you get your cooling fan working again your overheating problem will be solved.

It's me again. :( I replaced the thermostat. I now have heat but I'm still running hot. Any more suggestions?

Have you checked to see if your top hose coming from the radiator to the engine block is getting hot. if it is when your engine is at normal temp it will be hot enough that when you touch it you'll pull your hand off of it real quick if it's not hot then or just warm you have a flow problem so a blockage or the water pump.



umm, thats a cool site.. but its not for rims dood..

There'a link for their Icon rims bro. go to 'products' on the menu bar then in 'exterior' it says 'icon wheels'. Try that.

www.4apc.net

I found out the fan does work. We took the relay switch out and changed it with another one. Once the car heated up it came on. When we changed the switch back, it still worked. So, that is not a problem.
I will try the things you have all told me though. I desperately need to get my car back on the road. Wish me luck and I wish everyone, that celebrates, the Happiest of Holidays!

Oh yeah, the hose does get hot. It took a few minutes but it did happen. Believe me, I was touching All the hoses to see what got hot and what didn't.

Well, I finally got it fixed. It had to be towed to the garage because it couldn't be driven like it was. Cost me a good bit, but found out the problem was a blown head gasket. Anyway, it's fixed and thank you to the ones that were trying to help me out.
Lisa

Well you have it fixed. Thats the main thing