I have a 2001 Saturn SL1, over 200,000 miles on it. I have two major problems with my car. 1. It over heats. I have replaced everything in the cooling system and still it over heats. Only when it is hot outside. During the winter never will it overheat but now it is getting hot outside it overheated the first time this year yesterday. I did not have the air on. I never run the air because that makes it overheat. I was sitting at a light and it was at 1/4 then one second later it went straight to red. I pulled over right away and shut the car off. I let it cool off, I looked in the coolant tank and it was half full. Anyway I filled it all up and and drove straight home. Problem 2. is the transmission. Twice I spent $2000 to fix it and still it does the same thing. Around 30 miles per hour it does not want to shift into the next gear. It hesitates and acts like it did went the transmission went totally out, so what I do is let off the gas and try slowly driving and ease it into the next gear. Can you help?

SOURCE: 1997 mercury villager mini van

I proceed with cauation when advising the owner to repair when they have never repaired before. Yes, your problem may very well be a thermostat, but it could also be a blown head gasket.

With the engine running, check the tail pipe to see if there are any water dropplets coming out. if there is, it is A good sign of a blown head gasket.

Replacing a thermostat is not a simple as one would think. Even before changing a thermostat or anything for that matter, you need to have a pressure test done on the cooling system. This is a small pump that one attaches to the radiator and applies pressure to the cooling system to see if there are any leaks.

I would recommend this. Take you van to an independent repair shop and talk to the manager and tell him that you want a correct diagnosis first, even if you have to pay for it. Many shops will diagnosis the problem and charge you a standard fee. It is then up to you to decide what you want to do from there.

Remember, the correct approach to any problem is a correct diagnosis.

Do not tell the shop owner what you think is the problem or what you think should be changed. Just tell them how it acts and then let them earn their money, but above all, emphazise the fact that all you want is a diagnosis.
Bill

SOURCE: '97 Grand Prix 3.1L...Head Gasket? Manifold? Control Module?

Hi Melody- it feels like you could be right. it feels like your car was well worn when you got it. common causes of overheating are coolant too low, which is what i suspect was the case when you first got it. a stuck closed thermostat not allowing coolant to circulate. i assume you have an electric cooling fan- check to see if your fan motor is fried. you could also have large air pockets inside your cooling system which can give false coolant level. when you pour coolant into your radiator rather than your overflow tank, you introduce air into the cooling system that has to be purged by allowing the bubbles to work their way out through your radiator by squeezing your coolant hose you can assist the escape of these air pockets (with engine running) evidence of a cracked head can be presence of coolant in your engine oil-pull your oil dipstick and look. you say no evidence of coolant leakage, however, look underneath your car and check to see if there is coolant splatter surrounding the underside. it maybe that your car is maintaining enough pressure to run but when engine temps reach a point to where the radiator fan should kick on, and/or the thermostat should open to allow coolant flow and these things dont happen-the result is what you describe with no power and overheating that will eventually overstress your head(s) warped heads can cause the symptoms you describe. you can perform a compression test to help pinpoint a blown cyl. an idea for fixing your car for cheap would be to take it to your local high school auto shop. the only way kids learn the trade is by subject cars. ill bet you can even arrange them to pick it up. the will fix your car for cost. you would only need to supply whatever parts are needed to make the repair. its a win-win situation because they get to learn by fixing your car and you get to use your car for doing mommy things without fear of labor fees. which are around $120/hr. I hope i have helped you with your car good luck!

SOURCE: When shifting automatic trans in reverse theres a hesitation

I think what you were saying is your reverse slams, and only when you give it gas.
You can try to do the reverse slam fix, which is easy to do:
Reverse slam fix

If it doesn't work, your valve body is probably bad, here is how to swap it, in case you are up for the challenge:
Swapping a valve body on a saturn TAAT trans.

Alex

SOURCE: Overheating/No Heat 2001 Impala

change the thermostat and the temp gauge in the radiator

SOURCE: engine shut down after 15miles then won't start for half hour

just went thru the same think wit a s 430 it was the crank position sensor . 60 bucks at auto zone and it took me 5min. 2 install if u need help feel free to call me 918 808 9706 chris