Stumped! 2004 Grand AM overheating problem

[nicodemus]

My fiance and I bought an '04 Grand Am about a week ago. AFAIK (it's my fiances car, I have driven it three times including today) for most of the week it was running fine but in the last two days it has had an over-heating problem.

2004 Pontiac Grand Am 3.4

At idle/sitting and running the temp only gets to about 210. Within a couple of miles it will approach the danger zone at 230 or so as it did for the first time this morning while my fiance was driving it to work. I showed up at her work with a new thermostat and installed it. Took it for a test drive and same problem.

I should note that before it started overheating the heater stopped blowing hot.

I bled the cooling system with the bleeder valve just above the water pump and the heater started working again and it held temp at about 210. Drove it home and in a couple of miles it was about to break 130 again. Not long before this the heater started blowing cold.

I stopped at a gas station and added water (the reservoir was dry) and ble d it again. This time it was just blowing air for about five minutes before any coolant came out of the valve. It came back down to 210 and I drove home another 2 or so miles without issue.

Once home I added more dex cool/water and attempted to bleed it again. This time it just blew hot air as well but the coolant from the reservoir vanished into a puddle under the car. I think it boiled out of the overflow hose. Never got to coolant from the bleeder valve but the heater kept working.

I am stumped. My fiance says she saw green coolant in the reservoir earlier today but I can't verify. Is air getting into the system somewhere without coolant getting out? There have been no signs of leaks in our driveway nor inside the car.


I should also note that I have only seen one of the fans come on. When should the second fan come on?

Thanks for the help

 

[Roadrunner]

do you see smoke coming out your tailpipe? does your carpets in the front feel wet?

 

[nicodemus]

No! No smoke and no wet carpets. That's another head scratcher.

 

[Zimgxp]

My guess would be head gasket. Have the radiator checked for hydrocarbons, if present you have a bad head gasket.

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[Roadrunner]

I would pull the dipstick check the oil to see if it's creamy..if not, then try looking around for leaks..you have a drain hole on the water pump,so if the inner seal of the pump goes out it will leak coolant out of it

 

[nicodemus]

Well I lucked out as far as it not being a head gasket. The threads on the reservoir gasket were bad and not sealing the cap. One of the motors was not spinning a fan so a new reservoir tank and fan assembly and she's good.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Zimgxp]

Glad you figured it out.