2004 V6 idle problems and no heat

[ed.larkin]

Hello all,

I have a 2004 Grand Am V6, and about 4-5 days ago it began to shake alittle when idle, the car has been perfectly smooth till this point so I noticed it right away.

I think It may be time for a tune up becasue it has never had one, so my thought is there is a bad plug or wire and its just missing; however the other day the change oil light came on and I did the key on, 3 pump on the acclerator to get the light off but I noticed something else happening, a series of beeps came out afterwards that I had never heard before. Did I do something wrong?

Last Night I was sitting a traffic light and I had lost my heat, it was blowing very hot and then dropped to ice cold, as soon as I hit the accelerator the heat came back on, any idea if this could be just the thermostat or water pump or possibly both?

Thanks,
Ed

[J-Ri]

Check the coolant. It sounds like a possible head gasket, especially with the heat going out like that. If the coolant's low, fill it and bleed the air out. Pressure test the cooling system and see if the leak is internal or external. Also check the oil, it it's milky looking you probably have a failing lower intake gasket but could also be from the head gasket.

[xeroinfinity]

Welcome to AF ed.larkin!

If you have close to 100k miles then its probly time to change those plugs and wires. Id stick with AC delco iridiums too!!

Also pushing the accelerator does NOTHING on these cars.
The ONLY way to read or clear a code is with a scan tool. The shaking- rough sounds like a misfire which it typical of these.

On your heat issue, that sounds like you have an air pocket trapped in your cooling system.

And J-Ri I doubt his gaskets are bad, this year has the newest improved gaskets from GM, unless its been overheated a few times.

[ed.larkin]

Hey guys,
Thanks for the replies!

Took it to the shop today and they think its the head gasket, I thought it may be that but I dont see any problems in the oil, the oil was a little dirty but there was no milky water mix on the dipstick, same goes for the coolant there was a very small bit of residue on the top of the coolant when I opened the fill cap, but nothing major.

Is there anything I can do now to save myself $1500 + on a misdiagnosed problem, or do I bite the bullet and just get it done?

[thundergod1320]

Sounds like a head gasket, before you decide to do it, is there water or steam coming from the tailpipe? Has the temp gauge changed readings abruptly or is it running much hotter than normal? Did you check the coolant level? Is there any water in the engine oil or radiator?
Otherwise, rough running and heater problem could just be a cracked vacuum hose to the heater controls. Check simple stuff first, worry later.

[ed.larkin]

Originally Posted by thundergod1320

Sounds like a head gasket, before you decide to do it, is there water or steam coming from the tailpipe? Has the temp gauge changed readings abruptly or is it running much hotter than normal? Did you check the coolant level? Is there any water in the engine oil or radiator?
Otherwise, rough running and heater problem could just be a cracked vacuum hose to the heater controls. Check simple stuff first, worry later.

Abrubt temp changes, yes; usually spikes from 150 to almost reline then back to normal 200, I havent noticed any fluid from the tail pipe and the coolant resivoir is full I did have to top it off a few months back but took less than half a gallon.

It never been overheated, and I have not seen the guage reach much higer than slighly over half (200) unless in traffic.

I would do it myself but I live in the NorthEast and dont have access to a garage, mine is only a 1 car but kinda jam packed with crap...

Thanks again for the replies any info is always appreciated

Ed