Please help! 94 Grand Am overheating

[geminiprincess76]

I posted this in the wrong forum at first sorry! I think i have it figured out now! The car is a 94 Pontiac Grand Am 4 cylinder is all i know.

I am new here! Hi everyone If only i had known this place existed way back when! I have a big problem. I think i made a huge mistake. I agreed to help a friend replace a radiator in his car. ( i am a girl!) I have some experience working in a garage here and there. So here's the thing. I began replacing the radiator (by myself) i took the old one out. (should have labeled all the cords!) Now i have this one connector that i can not figure out where it plugs in! It is a cord that comes from the firewall ( i think) then come around the side of the water resevior and then it "Y"'s off it looks like a thin hose on one end of the Y and then an electrical connector on the other end. The electrical connector is a smaller one. The shape is oval and i think it has 3 or 4 holes.

But this is not the worst of my long list of problems. When i took the fan out i only disconnected one electrical connector but there are 2 laying down there. I was never sure where the other one went because i didn't take it out!

So here is another question... My friend tells me after the fact that the car over heated before the radiator got a whole in it! So this will not even fix the problem! Can anyone tell me how to check the thermostat and possibly the water pump?

IN addition, i am certain he blew one of the head gaskets. However, he has not cracked the head YET. If the overheating problem gets resolved but he doesn't replace the head gasket right away will coolant still get in the oil???

Any advice, suggestions or expertise would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in Advance!

Raine

[ricebike]

one head gasket on a 4cyl.. if it overheated that much to warp the head, then you're SOL & will have to change that out too...

but do a cooling system pressure test... check oil for milkshake consistency/ how was the condition of the coolant? was it mixed w/ oil?

automatic i presume? may wanna check it too just to see if it overheated as well. since the cooler is built in to one of the radiator endtanks...

as for electrical connector, time to look up a manual!

[geminiprincess76]

There was no oil in the coolant and no milkshaky oil but i don't know how to do a pressure test. Are you suggesting i check the tranny fluid too and buy a manual?