97 pont.grand.prix GT 3800 overheat and sludg in resi.

[dannfin]

today my 97 grand prix gt overheated...i pulled over and noticed the resi and radi were EMPTY...was HOPING that that was ALL it was.....then i discovered ALOT og brown muddy sludge in the resi and the same mud under the radiator cap.....i filled with water and it didnt overheat on the way home...and no leaks when running... i got home...aprox 15-20 mintues of highway driving and 5 minutes of town driving to get home with NO PROBLEM accually running under opp-temp and was great i was thrilled...but then when i got home and parked about 30 seconds later i noticed a slow to medium spped leak...it wasnt gushing out and wasnt dripping either....but this didnt happen when it was running....
i kno NOTHING about cars and have NO MONEY wat so ever...if anyone could please help me to diagnos this problem any money and time saved would be great great apreciated...ive had the same job for 8 years and due to the bad economy have been laid off abruptly and have a fam and household to support off unemployment which just reduced my income by 500$ per month and it was only 38 percent of my normal income to begin with...anyhow im in real need of help here as i had to sell my work car for rent money and we are now sharing this car to get her to work at nights and me to work 2 days a week.....which im lucky to get and if my car breaks down and im late thats it...there is 50 guys ready to take my spot and the company knows it and wont put up with me being late for ANY reason...
so please write back asap..if there is any other info you need please ask...
my email is [email protected] or just reply to this post
again thank you so much!
dan

[tblake]

Hey dan, welcome to AF. How many miles on your GT?

Could you give us a little more detail where the leak is located, or maybe a picture?

[grandprixgtx00]

Originally Posted by tblake

Could you give us a little more detail where the leak is located, or maybe a picture?

X2. I hope is as easy as the coolant elbow...but since you found a good amount of sludge its most likely the LIM.

[dannfin]

it has 117k miles....and as to "where is the leak coming from" please bare with me as i am a NOVICE to say the least and very car illerate but latly due to the economic downturn and the concrete union just not being what it used to...i have recently been taking up fixing my own things...so i MUST learn how to fix my vehicals bcos i just dont have the money to pay for repairs at 95$ an hour....so anyway...the leak is VERY hard to see...accually u CANT see it just from looking under the hood without a lift.....but...if you pop the hood and look str8 down dead center of the engine it would be to the left and way way way far under...so it would be on the serp belt side and under the belt area....anything farther then that i couldnt tell you..i hope its enuff for atleast an idea...and today it wuold leak ..i tired for so long to get it to leak and it just wouldnt untill finally i let it go to opp.temp and it finally started to leak but no overheat...was at a GREAT temp and steady....but the leak was a steady drip...not fast but def not slow....
any idea's...............

and the sludge thing is DEF from dex-cool coolant...i have massive amounts of mud sludge brown crap in the resi and under the rad cap ....

im def having the system flushed by a pro at a local dealer..only wants 60$ to do it...and i kno u can buy a flush kit at any auto zone but i dont have the know how or the tools to get EVERYTHING out like in the heatercore and water pump ect....better to just let them do it.....BUT im not having it flushed till i find out why its leaking / overheating

thanks so much guys
cya
dan

[grandprixgtx00]

Dan, if it is coming out from under the serpentine belt tensioner then it would be the coolant elbow. I'm not sure if anyone has a writeup on how to replace them...but its a fairly easy job. And lucky for you, a cheap fix

here's a link to the part

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_HVAC-Heater-Hose-Fitting-Motormite_17190801-P_2346_R|GRPCOOLAMS_587097492___

the kit will come with 2 elbows, one lower and one upper. On your '97 you will only need one of them.

If needed, i can get a pic of the general location of this elbow.

[dannfin]

yes a pic would be VERY helpful ..as i dont think it can be that easy...bcos i am NEVER that lucky...but it kinda does make sense that it would be a hose if it doesnt leak untill it gets hot...which means when it gets hot it expands which increases the hole which alows it to leak? does that sound right? bcos it just WONT leak unless it been running for a while.....and the leak is definitly under the serp belt area...but is NOT visible.....any 2nd opinions besides the elbo? i just dont see it being that easy of a fix....
and one more question

ive known about a small very slow oil leak for some time now.....i need a valve cover gasket...i think thats why its leaking oil...anyway..i saw in autozone that "lucas" made a product to stop oil leaks for valve gaskets...now i kno its only a bandaid on a large wound...but will it damage my engine any further if i used it? and got it really fixed later when i have the money..in say a few months....and should i DEFINITLY get my whole coolant system flushed bcos of that mud sludge from the dex cool?
and my last question...im so sorry about the rapid fire questions im shooting off...thanks you for listening...anyway...the mechanic said that i lucked out...that the 3800 series V6 that i have in my pont.grand.prix.gt '97 isnt the engines that are being effected by the dex-cool problems...but ive read online that mine is the MOST senseitive to the dex-cool....could u please vefiy for me? which is right? am i safe with the dex-cool? or is my engine gonna get eaten up?
thanks
dan

ps

my number one issue is the overheating as of now....then the valvle cover gasket lucan qucik fix oil stio leak product....then should i flush all that dex-cool out bcos of the sludge? and is my car safe from dex-cool problems besides sludge?

[dannfin]

oh yea...and where is the coolant elbow located? please be very exact and descriptive...how do i kno if its the coolant elbo? how do i check the lower intake manifold... i heard they ALWAYS go.....