monkey seeks solution for 95 grand am problem... will reward with bananas

[shadowmaker]

i have the same exact problem as gschmidt2. i bought this white ga at an auction and spent all my money on it and getting it insured. however on the way home it started to get a little hot and the heat seemed to blow out cold air once in a while. the fan does work. i invited a mechanically inclined person over to check it out. we noticed that the water pump was screeching and he insists that the thermostat is sticking and the system needs to be burped. i gather from all of the other posts that others have experienced this too but i never found out what it was. i'll be happy just to know it is fixable relatively cheap since i just purchased the car. i would like to do it myself but i'm not sure what it is that is wrong. i hope it isn't a head gasket. it doesn't smoke all of the time, just once in a while when i start it up, and it runs very smoothly.today the heat gauge got up to 275 and i could smell antifreeze but there are no leaks or anything, this seems to be the only problem. from this forum i have gathered it is either:

1. cracked head
2. restricted radiator
3. sticking thermostat
4. water pump

could someone please help me narrow it down? should i return the car ? i think i have 30 days or 1000 miles, whichever comes first.

i'll be sitting around refreshing the thread all day 04-06-2005
i would really appreciate some help ALOT!

[GTP Dad]

To remove the air from the water there are couple of ways to do it. If the car has a radiator cap then remove it and start the car. Allow it to heat up until the thermostat opens. When it opens you should see the water in the radiator drop. Refill the radiator with water and antifreeze and the problem should go away. The other way to do it is to remove the pipe plug on the top of the thermostat housing. Start the car and when the thermostat opens the air should come out of the system. You need to check the coolant after that and refill. If the thermostat is not opening properly then the top radiator hose will not feel hot as no water will flow. Replacing it should eliminate that problem.
If you think the radiator is restricted then after the car is hot put your hand on the radiator. The fins should be hot all the way to the bottom not just at the top. You can cure it by backflushing or removing and replacing the radiator. If you have a warranty then take the car back and have them fix the problem for you.

[shadowmaker]

thanks for reply, here's a bunch of bananas ))))))

i had someone tell me to do get a test done by a mechanic to see if the head is cracked. if this is true it would majorly suck. i'm going to call the auto auction tomorrow and see about getting it fixed for free.