Out of options need help....

[Hairytoad]

Okay so my firebird ( 94 3.4 v6 ) lately has been running extremely extremely hot 280 + or so the guage says. So i had the radiator flushed and it was all rusty and shit and i figured this was the cure. Nope the next day it started overheating again causing fluid to spew out of the overflow and smoke out of it as well. my dad thought it was a kinked hose near the thermostat so he replaced that along with the thermostat. The radiator was replaced 4 months ago along with the rest of the cooling system. today i plan on buying a coolant temperature sensor to maybe see if that is the problem. The thing is though, it will overheat when first started causing antifreeze to pour outta hte overflow, then after resting for about 5-10 minutes the car runs decently with the temperature sitting in the middle. now when i had it flushed the guy thinks that my gauge may be off since it will hit 3/4 then the fan will kick on taking it back down to 210, when my thermostat is 195 and shouldn't the fan kick on around there? Also where are some of the relays for the fan? I'm lost and im getting tired of dealing with it and almost want a different car..Any suggestions? Thanks

[Hairytoad]

UPDATE>> BIRD DOWN!!!!!!!!! Blown headgasket or a cracked cylinder... they found exhaust gas/fuems in the antifreeze and the test turned yellow almost immediantly... 168,000 miles on the motor real good mechanic told me that even if the engine gets rebuilt it may blow the bottom out of it because of the mileage.. So looks like im fucked..

[wrightz28]

As soon as you said when the car is started, it pushes fluid out was a dead give away for a head gasket.

[blindeyed]

I wouldnt consider the car to be scrap just yet. 168k miles really isnt all that much for it to be a cracked cylinder, unless the previous owner(s) just ran the car into the ground and never took care of it. Or if the overheating got too it and put too much stress on it. I bought another 3.4L to work on rebuilding, the motor had 130k miles on it and still looked really good, mechanical wise. So try replacing the head gasket, see if that doesnt fix the problem. Don't always go by what the mechanic says.. most of the time they're pulling your leg, but in some occasions they are right. best to see for yourself.

[CreepingDeath94]

Originally Posted by blindxeyed

Don't always go by what the mechanic says.. most of the time they're pulling your leg, but in some occasions they are right. best to see for yourself.

I dont know if agree that mechanics are USUALLY pulling your leg. They may be giving you a worst case scenerio or basing their comment on previous experience.

However, I agree that unless it was extremely abused, you should be able to replace the head gaskets and fix the problem. 168K miles isnt that much by todays engine standards and I wouldnt worry about the bottom end blowing out of it unless it was abused and maintenance was rarely taken care of on time. Doesnt mean it is impossible, but I wouldnt condemn it just yet either as Blindxeyed said.

[FormulaForce]

Agreed. Mine is a V8, but this happened to me and it was head warpage from a bad overheating. They planed the heads, put them back on, and it was fine. It's going to be somewhat expensive no matter what you choose, but depending on the problem you have some options other than scrapping the car.

[Hairytoad]

Oh I've put too much into the car to scrap it, heck its almost fully been rebuilt. I'm gonna find a lower mileage used engine/rebuilt engine and drop that in. 1400 to replace the head or around 1600 to put a used motor in.. so I'm gonna go that route. Now the worst thing is that its gotta be charged so not only will I have to pay off my next year of college at msu ( 18,000 $ ) but this as well.. So much for working for the summer!!

[blindeyed]

Originally Posted by Hairytoad

Oh I've put too much into the car to scrap it, heck its almost fully been rebuilt. I'm gonna find a lower mileage used engine/rebuilt engine and drop that in. 1400 to replace the head or around 1600 to put a used motor in.. so I'm gonna go that route. Now the worst thing is that its gotta be charged so not only will I have to pay off my next year of college at msu ( 18,000 $ ) but this as well.. So much for working for the summer!!

Well maybe you'll get lucky like I did on finding a cheap engine. The one I bought to work on cost $550 shipped, and it was a complete engine, wasnt missing a thing. Check out ebay and see what you can pull up.

[Hairytoad]

Yeah hopefully, my local mechanic who is good buddies with my best friend says he knows someone really well who bought a 3.4 engine put it in his wifes car and then the rear end got hit, and was wondering if he stil had the motor. I wont know untill monday on the new motor though, I'll keep an update though! thxs guys

[superducky55]

used to have a 3.4 camaro before i smooshed up the front of it.. great motor.. 257k miles on it and never even did so much as hiccup.

Still have the brand-new-rebuilt tranny.
Want it? its on ebay right now for 260.. i had just thrown 2.5k into rebuilding the darn thing