Over Heating

well i just bought a 99 alero with 120k on it i test drove it all seemed fine so i bought it for 3k. Today i went around driving and hit road construction i noticed my temp gauge was going up so i turned the heater on and i had to sweat it out since it was 90 outside.... so i bring it home hook up my scangauge and notice the water temp is at 208 degrees! in my truck a ford ranger it only gets up to about 190 and sometimes it will hit 200 but thats a rare event.

So my question is what is the stock thermostat set to? 200? 195? am i over reacting ?

UPDATE : i went out and tried to see what temp the fans would kick on well it got all the way up to 200 and i decided to turn the AC on this time. So i did that the fans kicked on then the temp started dropping down to about 180


now i only had the ac on for like 15 seconds but the fans stayed on until 180 so im going to guess the fans are not kicking on when they should.


any ideas??

I have a similar 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.

I have a similar 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.


Hopefully someone can answer us we have the same engine and i also had the gaskets replaced.


Im considering to see if i can wire up the fans to a switch that way i can turn them on manually when i want them on.

I have a similar 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.


Hey seeker i found my owners manual and it says our thermostat shouldnt kick in tell 195 Degree's which is kinda high IMO I'm still going to try and wire up a manual switch for the fan.

Thanks for the info. I let it cool overnight and am adding fluid and will see if the fans kick in if I turn on the A/C when it gets hot

ace your concern may be normal i'd run it to see when fans kick on.if they dont come on before gauge reads 3/4 then i'd be concerned but they probably will about 210.
SEEKER YOUR PROBLEM SOUNDS LIKE AIR IN SYSTEM TRY TO BLEED.BLEEDER IS AROUND THERMOSTAT HOUSING NOT SURE WHERE 2ND ONE IS

Ok, I filled up the coolant overflow reservoir, verified proper oil level, then ran the car long enough to get it warmed up. I verified the fuses and relays for the cooling fans work ok and come on before the temp gauge hits midway. Per the Haynes manual I verified that the thermostat is working. Drove it to the carwash and cleaned off the engine then drove it some more. It didn't overheat. I will see about making sure there is no air in the system and see how it goes. Thanks for all the suggestions and info.

thanks for the reply.

Ok i let the water temp go up to 220 and they didnt turn on so i said enough turned the AC on and bam the fans spooled up and cooled her down.

I dont think 220 is hot enough thats why i said 3/4 on gauge try again

I dont think 220 is hot enough thats why i said 3/4 on gauge try again


that just seems dumb of GM to let it get so hot before the fans would turn on.

Its all about emissions