over heating problems 2001 (with new head gasket still)

I've been having over heating problems with my 2001 cavalier 2.2L (78,000 miles) just within this past year. I've had 4 thermastats replaced, my alternator went out and replaced, a new radiator, and new head gasket, I've probably spent close to $3,000 on this car within this past year. I'm still having over heating problems with my car, the temperature gage reads 3 lines over the mid point ,when stuck in traffic,then the thermastat kick in, then it fluctuates between the mid 195 degree mid point and 3 lines over going back and forth almost reading to the 3/4 mark.I took the car to the dealership ,when I got the head gasket replaced and they said that this was normal for this car, but I still don't belive them. I don't know what to think of all this ,nothing but headaches with this car. Can anybody tell what's normal for my car temerture gage to read? The car over goes 2-3 lines over the 195 degree mid point in traffic, what the crap is going on this can not be be normal for my car, if the chevy dealership can't fix my car , and they give me a line of bull then who can? Any good insight on this anybody

uhh... that is normal. During the winter you'll see if run cooler since its cold out but during the summer and warm days.. its run at 195 then goes up till the fan kicks on and will drop back down to normal operating temps.

yeah it is normal, mine runs pretty warm, and gets extremely hot in traffic. i get nervous about that in traffic so i sit in 100 degree weather with my heater on and the windows down :screwy: . It helps a little. i need a more powerful radiator fan.

Make sure your fan works well. Even a fan that is running could be on the verge of failing because it's not rotating nearly as fast as it should.

You didn't mention anything about the condition of your coolant. Perhaps you are getting poor circulation and need to replace the water pump. You also should replace the ECT (cheap) for good measure.

While working on your car, I would also highly suggest buying some Prestone radiator flush and flushing out your coolant system (http://www.advanceautoparts.com/english/youcan/html/ccr/ccr20010501rm.html) as crap over time can build up. Also if your coolant/water mixture is incorrect even slightly, it has a surprising tendancy to change the operating temperature of your vehicle.

Hope this helps.

I think my car may be over heating a little aswell. I have a 2001 Z24, and my car is in the metric system. On an average day it will easily go up to 90 degrees C, I'm not sure if that is a little too warm or not. Also, sometimes I often smell this burning or something of the nature when I get out of the car.

I've had my oil changed a little while back and they mentioned that my oil was a little milky, or lightly coloured. They figured maybe something is getting in the oil, either the coolant or washer fluid so they told me to keep an eye on it. It may also be the head gaskets on mine aswell.

So, to wrap this up, is 90 degrees C a little warm to be getting to during the winter? And, should I be thinking about getting my head gaskets looked at soon?

Thanks