1996 Olds Cutlass supreme....

[nccman19]

OK so I was in my car last night sitting at the ATM and there was this loud bang from under the hood. No idea what it was but it kind of sounded like something might have blown off or somethin and hit the hood because i felt whatever it was. I didnt think to look behind me after I drove away but this morning I noticed that the temp gauge was higher than it normally is. I checked around the radiator to see if I noticed anything. I don't know too much about this stuff anyway so I have no idea what it was or what to look for. There wasnt any fluids leaking either. Anyone have any clue as to what happened? Anything would help......

[GTP Dad]

Welcome to AF!

The one thing you will need to do is lift the hood and look to see if you can see anything missing or loose. It is quite possible that you threw off a belt. If it were the serpentine and you didn't have far to drive the temp. may not have gotten hot enough to overheat the engine. It could have been a pulley or the belt tensioner too. I would not drive it very far until I did a complete examination of the engine bay to make sure everything is alright. If you don't you may damage your engine.

[nccman19]

The serpentine belt is fine, it's on there and tight. My cousin said it might have been a head gasket but I've checked my oil a few times and it looks fine. I don't know where any pulleys are, what they look like or what to even look for to see if something is wrong. The engine is running the same and nothing is really different except for the temp. gauge, that I've noticed.

[GTP Dad]

If the car is still running fine than don't worry about it unless you continue to have problems or additional problems occur. If it starts showing signs of other issues like serious overheating or lack of power then investigate further if not leave well enough alone.