i have a 94 Pontiac sunbird that keeps overheating. there are fan issues and thermostat...

[nick m]

i have a 94 Pontiac sunbird that keeps overheating. there are fan issues and thermostat...

...issues.? ok, when the thermostat is out the car doesnt overheat, but the heater doesnt work. when its in it overheats and steam comes out of the radiator cap. the fan doesnt work properly, but i dont know if that makes much of a difference (by not working i mean its set up to fun at all times whenever the car is on)

 

[thebax2006]

Put a new thermostat in the car and bleed all the air out of the cooling system. If you can't get the air out and it keeps blowing out of the radiator you may have a bad head gasket. Turn the a/c off, the fans run all the time with it on.

 

[Magley64...AM]

new thermostat...

 

[wde3477]

Important to have the coolant system bled properly. Thermostats and coolant temperature sensors (which the fan is controlled from) don't work well in air.

Head gasket leak is a possibility, particularly if the car has been severely overheated at some point.

New thermostat is a good suggestion - be sure that it is installed / oriented correctly. Doesn't work well if in backwards.

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[GrandPrix08]

Ah, the Sunbird. My very first car that I got in 91, the 92 model. I loved it. Drove around 86,000 miles before I sold it to one of my co-worker, still in great running condition. I had about 2 accidents with that car, once hit by a bus, and once hit by someone who ignored stop sign, but the car's engine had no damage whatsoever, even after the front have gotten wrecked pretty bad after the accident with the bus. Only problem I had was that very overheating problem once, which my local dealer have replaced it for free under warranty, despite the fact that the service manager knew the car was in an accident, he fixed it for me for free. Though that dealer moved far away so I don't deal with them anymore.

Sunbirds were a great cars, I would definately want to see it return in the future in place of the current G5 which is nothing more than a re-badged copy of Chevy Cobalt. Sunbird also shared it's body with the, then Cavalier, but the front and back was totally different, so it wasn't a re-badge.