1995 Monte cooling problems

[diesel1962]

Hello.I have a problem with cooling system ,1995 3.1. Temp gauge started climbing,Top Radiator hose was hot at the t-stat,And cool at the radiator.So I changed t-stat,And drove about a hundred miles.Then things started all over again,Temp gauge maxed out,Hot warning light came on,No heat in the car at all.So I decided to replace water pump,And replaced the t-stat again.Thought first one may be defective.Drove it another hundred miles,During my trip,Low coolant light came on,Pulled into gas station and checked coolant level,Radiator was full,As was the recovery jug.The temp gauge read normal,And had plenty of heat in the car.The low coolant light then went off.So I continued down the freeway,About 25 miles later,Low coolant light appeared again,Again,normal temp gauge reading,ample heat in the car,plenty of coolant in radiator.Even earlyer when temp gauge went to the max,The engine did not appear to be overheating,No smoke or knocks.I did turn bleed valve at water pump,And at the t-stat when I refilled the radiator.All this just happend overnight!! Any ideas would be appreciated.Thank you!! Diesel 1962

[growe58]

I'm very sorry to say that I had similiar symptoms with a blown head gasket. The compression from the engine leaks into the cooling system and plays havoc with the temperature gauge and heater. If your oil and water is mixing, and you let it go for long, the bearings will be shot and the engine not worth fixing. I hope I'm wrong, but it's best to get this checked out ASAP.

Good luck!

[diesel1962]

Originally Posted by growe58

I'm very sorry to say that I had similiar symptoms with a blown head gasket. The compression from the engine leaks into the cooling system and plays havoc with the temperature gauge and heater. If your oil and water is mixing, and you let it go for long, the bearings will be shot and the engine not worth fixing. I hope I'm wrong, but it's best to get this checked out ASAP.

Good luck!

Thank you for reply.I am suspecting possible head gasket problems myself.I drove the car to work today (10 miles) And the temp gauge did it again,It maxed out for about one half mile,Then it went back to normal.Also lost heat in car,But it returned when temp gauge dropped to normal.I am going to run a coolant pressure check on it tomorrow at work,As I work for a major truck repair shop.Also I bled a little more air out of system at work today.It did not give me any problems at all on the way home today.What are your thoughts on that it may be a plugged radiator?? Please reply if you can.Have a good day!! Diesel1962

[growe58]

Originally Posted by diesel1962

Thank you for reply.I am suspecting possible head gasket problems myself.I drove the car to work today (10 miles) And the temp gauge did it again,It maxed out for about one half mile,Then it went back to normal.Also lost heat in car,But it returned when temp gauge dropped to normal.I am going to run a coolant pressure check on it tomorrow at work,As I work for a major truck repair shop.Also I bled a little more air out of system at work today.It did not give me any problems at all on the way home today.What are your thoughts on that it may be a plugged radiator?? Please reply if you can.Have a good day!! Diesel1962

Sorry, I'm no expert, I can only can tell you what happened with my sons blown head gasket and how the symptoms were very similar. Did you check if your oil seems to have water in it or if the level on the dipstick is going up? My son's did that.

I'm also thinking that a plugged radiator would give consistent overheating, not intermittent problems. But I'm not sure.

Good luck, I hope it's not a BHG, but if it is, get it attended to fast.

[corning_d3]

When you bled all of the air out of the system, was the engine at operating temperature ind running? This is the only way to properly bleed al the air. The Low Coolant Light will come on if it doesn't sense any coolant touching the sensor. If you have air in the system, air pockets can trigger the light. Also, these cars WILL overheat if the bleeding procedure isn't done properly. These new systems can be complicated.......

[00mcss]

Originally Posted by corning_d3

When you bled all of the air out of the system, was the engine at operating temperature ind running? This is the only way to properly bleed al the air. The Low Coolant Light will come on if it doesn't sense any coolant touching the sensor. If you have air in the system, air pockets can trigger the light. Also, these cars WILL overheat if the bleeding procedure isn't done properly. These new systems can be complicated.......

I owned a 95 ls before my 00 SS and my 95 did the same thing had 160,000 miles on it when it started doing this and i took it to a garage they cked for head gasket and it wasnt that the radiator needed to be flushed after that drove it till 175,000 miles before i got rid of it with out a problem so i would suggest flushing the system and replace the t-stat at the same time and u should be good to go

[diesel1962]

Originally Posted by corning_d3

When you bled all of the air out of the system, was the engine at operating temperature ind running? This is the only way to properly bleed al the air. The Low Coolant Light will come on if it doesn't sense any coolant touching the sensor. If you have air in the system, air pockets can trigger the light. Also, these cars WILL overheat if the bleeding procedure isn't done properly. These new systems can be complicated.......

Thanks for advice.Would I open Both bleed valves?? There is one located near water pump.Or would I do one at a time,Water pump then T-Stat housing valve? Or BOTH at the same time with engine running at operating temp??Please reply if you can.I have been thinking about replacing the engine,Instead of tearing it apart.Car has 142,000 miles on it. Thanks... Diesel 1962.......

[corning_d3]

I've succesfully bled mine with either one. The one closer to the water pump would probably be best, though, because it sits higher than the other one.