I need help PLEASE

[rhonda911]

Ok, heres how the story starts, I have a 1999 chevy lumina, it started overheating in May, so I replaced the thermostat. that helped for about 5-7 days, then it started overheating again, well I heard sometimes you get bad thermostats, so I bought another one and replaced it again, that helped for a few days and then it started overheating again. Well then I was told by a mechanic that it was either the intake gasket, head gasket or cracked blocked, he checked it and said it was definatelty the intake gasket. So I payed to have the intake gasket replaced (it was overheating and losing water/coolant) I was filling it up about every other day before I replaced the intake gasket. Well 9 days after I put a new intake gasket on it, it overheated again. I was told it was either the head gasket or cracked head this time. I had a friend come over and look at it, he knows some about cars and he doesnt think it is the head gasket. There is no oil in my water or water in my oil, no white smoke, no missing in the engine when you drive it. I am wondering if maybe the intake gasket wasnt put on right or just didnt take but I dont understand why it didnt overheat for 9 days after the new intake gasket was put on. I can see water running in the back behind my alternator and belts (kinda hard to describe in words where it is actually at), I am at a loss here, if anyone has any idea what might be going on or any suggestions, please let me know!! I am sick of spending money on car repairs and not having a driveable car right now, PLEASE HELP!!!!

[cf1]

Originally Posted by rhonda911

Ok, heres how the story starts, I have a 1999 chevy lumina, it started overheating in May, so I replaced the thermostat. that helped for about 5-7 days, then it started overheating again, well I heard sometimes you get bad thermostats, so I bought another one and replaced it again, that helped for a few days and then it started overheating again. Well then I was told by a mechanic that it was either the intake gasket, head gasket or cracked blocked, he checked it and said it was definatelty the intake gasket. So I payed to have the intake gasket replaced (it was overheating and losing water/coolant) I was filling it up about every other day before I replaced the intake gasket. Well 9 days after I put a new intake gasket on it, it overheated again. I was told it was either the head gasket or cracked head this time. I had a friend come over and look at it, he knows some about cars and he doesnt think it is the head gasket. There is no oil in my water or water in my oil, no white smoke, no missing in the engine when you drive it. I am wondering if maybe the intake gasket wasnt put on right or just didnt take but I dont understand why it didnt overheat for 9 days after the new intake gasket was put on. I can see water running in the back behind my alternator and belts (kinda hard to describe in words where it is actually at), I am at a loss here, if anyone has any idea what might be going on or any suggestions, please let me know!! I am sick of spending money on car repairs and not having a driveable car right now, PLEASE HELP!!!!

is the car taking coolant ? did you replace the temp sending unit? did the person who put the intake gasket on bleed the air? if its taking coolant and you see coolant by the intake, the gasket wasnt installed right.

[jeffcoslacker]

Yup sounds like it's still leaking from the intake or the timing cover (which unfortuneately carries coolant through a channel on the 3.1)

It didn't overheat for a while because you had multiple leaks, and you fixed one, so it was partially fixed and took longer to loose enough coolant that it got air in it and overheated..that'd be my assesment based on what info you've provided. The thermostat only seemed to help because the cooling system was probably properly refilled following installation of it..

Fill it using the proper bleeding procedure, use a mirror to determine exactly where it's still seeping from, and either have the mechanic re-do the intake, or do the timing cover, or the head gasket (they don't always result in oil/coolant mixing and smoke)...or divorce yourself from that car...

[cf1]

while your at it put a new water pump on about $15.00 and a temp sensor $15.00 there a snap to install. and bleed the hell out of the bleeders to get all air out.. and you should get a lot of miles out of the lumina.. i have a 97 with almost 245000, never replaced anything but brakes intake gasket 2 water pumps, and 2 sets plugs.. keep the car....

[richtazz]

Welcome to AF Rhonda911.

Is the fluid you see running just water or is it coolant? If it's just water, the A/C evaproator core drain is in that area and that's normal. If it's coolant, we have a problem.

What engine does your car have? This will make a big difference as to what your problem may be.

If your car is an LTZ model with the 3800 engine, and it's leaking by the alternator, there is a small plastic elbow that goes from the end of the intake to the belt tensioner assembly that are common to get brittle and crack. Many times, they will not leak until the car has reached a certain temperature that builds enough cooling system pressure to force the coolant out the crack.

If it's a 3.1, then I would say you have a blown head gasket, and the fluid you see is coolant excaping from the head gasket and leaking to the outside of the engine. Not all head gasket issues will result in coolant in the oil, compression leaks, or steamy exhaust. It is possible that the mechanic didn't torque the intake back down properly, or he didn't use thread-lock on the bolts which has allowed them to loosen over several heating/cooling cycles. It all depends on exactly where the leak is.

[rhonda911]

It is hard to explain exactly where the leak is, it is a 3.1

I have been putting water in it....is this a no no?

thanks for the replies I have gotten, I had a friend look at it, he used to be a mechanic back in the day, he isnt able to do it now for health reasons but he said it isnt the head gasket, he said as bad as the leak is, if it was the head gasket, there would be alot of smoke and the car would be missing terribly and it would be blowing water out of the tailpipe, because the leak is pretty bad when the car gets heated up, there is no smoke, car has no miss and there is no water blowing out of the tailpipe, the car starts easily and with no problem and runs fine, it just overheats. My dad seems to think its the intake still but I did have it replaced. I dont know much about cars and its real aggravating being without a vehicle for over a week. anymore suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated!!!

[jeffcoslacker]

Originally Posted by rhonda911

, if it was the head gasket, there would be alot of smoke and the car would be missing terribly and it would be blowing water out of the tailpipe,

Like I said above, this is not always the case. Head gaskets can fail in ways that don't involve combustion contamination...

Please do as I said. So far I can't even say with any confidence that your cooling system has been properly filled or bled. Until that happens, all bets are off, no way to tell what you are dealing with, might as well throw rocks at it and hope it fixes it...

Once you are sure it is full AND PURGED OF AIR, which makes them run hot, then the source of the leak must be identified and dealt with.

Nobody here is going to be able to tell you anything useful without some specific info.

What I can tell you is that the 3.1 will overheat like an SOB any time the coolant level drops enough that it develops air in the cooling system, so until you find and fix the leak, it's going to overheat suddenly and each cycle of overheat is bringing you closer to a cracked head or blown head gasket, if you aren't there already...

[dwalmop]

Take his advice. I ended up with a cracked block a couple of years ago due to my neglect of that very problem of air in the cooling system. There was a hot spot in the corner of the block (from an air pocket), and it caused a hairline crack right in the upper lip of the cylinder wall next to a coolant passage.