Overheating Question

Hi, I have a 1996 MC with 100,000 miles on it that seems to be overheating when I sit in traffic. My local mechanic tired to tell me that it was the computer($400 later and it still does it) now he is telling me that it is something with the coolant leaking into the engine oil or somthing($1000 to fix).......I have heard people tell me that it might not be that big of deal and that my mechanic might be wrong.......Any ideas???

bad water pump, leak in a hose (upper or lower), blown head gasket, bad thermostat or faulty fans.

are all possibilities

is there antifreeze on the ground after you drive it and park?
Does the belt squeal when you drive it?
Can you hear the fans turn on when the engine gets hot?
Pop the hood to see if they turn on, you should be able to hear them run though...

Is your monte carlo a 3.1 or 3.4? (z34)

have you had to replace the head gasket recently? I did this and my car did the same thing and after i found out that my cooling fan went bad b/c of the engine getting hot. It could also be an internal head gasket leak or an all to common intake manifold leak

if your mechanic was saying water may be getting into the oil he may have been referring to a bad intake manifold gasket. I don't know why he would've replaced the computer the first time. Ask him for your money back on that one.

Hi, I have a 1996 MC with 100,000 miles on it that seems to be overheating when I sit in traffic. My local mechanic tired to tell me that it was the computer($400 later and it still does it) now he is telling me that it is something with the coolant leaking into the engine oil or somthing($1000 to fix).......I have heard people tell me that it might not be that big of deal and that my mechanic might be wrong.......Any ideas???

If it only overheats when in traffic, then it's probably the radiator/cooling fan. Low coolant, thermostat, bad water pump etc... will cause the car to overheat all the time.

Airflow over the engine while the vehicle is in motion (coupled with the other components in the cooling system) will keep the car from overheating. The cooling fan is designed to keep the engine cool during extended idling, such as sitting in traffic.

Take the car to another mechanic and have him/her check the cooling fan and or fan control circuit. Actually, all you should have to do is take it to another mechanic and tell them exactly what your problem is. Any good mechanic will know the fault would probably lie there, after checking basic system operation.

Anyway, I hope that is your problem as it's much cheaper than doing major engine repair. I hope you post your results.

1)Check your water pump for leaks (cardboard trick)
2)bleed air from the coolant system.

1) Bad water pumps normally leak coolant through the pumps seep hole after the car is parked. If that's the case and your using coolant you should smell a light anti-freeze odor in or around your car. Place a large peice of cardboard on the ground under your engine compartment after taking a nice long drive. Check it for drip spots an hour later. If your water pump is leaking you'll know it.

2) if you recently added or topped off your coolant without bleeding the air from your coolant system (Z-34's have 2 bleeders) you could have an air pocket that's restricting the coolant flow. This would definetly cause some cooling issues.