1996 Pontiac Grand Prix | 3.1L V6 | 125,000 miles Overheating, no coolant loss
I'll try to make this short. After having the infamous dexcool cooling system problems with the cooling system having major blackage, overheating and such...my wifes car had major repairs for the second time (intake, heads, gaskets, sensors etc).
The last time it was done at the dealership about 8 months ago. Originally they only replaced the intake gakets for a bad leak that developed. After bringing the vehicle back 6 times (never got more than 5 miles from the delaership without the car overheating and developing blockage in the coolant system from internal junk coming loose), they finally took their time and told me they removed and cleaned the heads, power flushed, cleaned the overflow tank and replaced all sensors and the thermostat.
The car was fine until now. It overheated very badly in a short drive (less than 15 miles) and lost no coolant at all. The radiator never even got hot, yet the motor almost seized and was very hot. I had the dealer tow the vehicle in (suspecting that it would be covered with all of the work they did previously).
To my surprise, the dealer is asking for another $1600 saying it is the rear head that needs removed and that they suspect it is leaking coolant into the engine. Again. i noticed no loss of coolant at the radiator and should the dealer not have pulled both heads last time? I swear that is what they told me they did last time. Now they are saying the only pulled and worked on the front head previoulsy.
Am I wrong in assuming that both heads should have been pulled and cleaned previously? Why would they not have done that (other than the fact that the rear is hard to get to)? Am i justified and expecting that they should have?
Also, does this sound like a good diagnosis and what (if anything) should I expect the dealer to take responsibility for? The repairs are covered for 12 months, 12000 miles and it has been less than that.
I have a 1996 Pontiac Firebird with the 3.8 L V6, and have had problems until I replaced the DexCool (it's never ran so good!) However relating to your problem, there was a class action lawsuit regaurding the 1996 GMC/BUICK/PONTIAC 3.1 L engine, due to DexCool destroying the engine/heads/etc. Follow the link - I do not know all of the details, but it may be worth checking out. 1996 was the first year that DexCool was used at GM.
Hope it helps. http://www.dexcoolsettlement.com/
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Sorry you probally had the engine overheating and burned the HEAD GASKET check the engine oil also for contamination The oil it ll look like gray if is contaminated.
Do you see the coolant leaking on the motor? From the drivers side, you can inspect the intake manifold...unfortunately as good as this motor usually is...it is known for leaking at the intake manifold...and requires a new intake gasket...DO NOT USE dexcool after the replacement...many teams believe the dexcool is part of the problem...use the coolant that "For All Coolant Systems" is still the green anti-freeze...Hope this helps.
Your Pontiac original specification calls for Dexcool coolant. This is an orange colored fluid. If the green regular type has been added the system should be flushed and refilled with Dexcool.
DexCool. However, if you completely flush the entire coolant system clean, you can use whatever you want. GM recommends, and will only warranty the engine, DexCool as the coolant.
DexCool is only a few bucks more per gallon, and your car only hold about 2 gallons total. I just flushed my car and used Havoline brand DexCool. Just make sure whatever brand you buy, it say DexCool on it. And make sure that you either premix it to be 50/50 coolant/water, or buy the premixed stuff. Like I said, you'll need about 2 gallons of mixed 50/50 if you flushed the engine out.
its either of the 3 ur water pump is weak and couldnt supply the right amount of coolant to ur engine / ur radiator is clogged or your thermostatic valve is stuck up that restrict full flow of fluid to the radiator thats why when u use the heater that uses ur coolant hot water as a heating unit the temp. goes down...
Those cars have big problems with the intake/intake gaskets leaking, and water pumps. When you find the leak, repair and flush with coolant other than dexcool as this is the source of most of the cooling issues on GM cars.
If its the 3.1L it could be your intake manifold gasket , the material used for the gasket does not react well with GM's Dex-Cool antifreeze. The leak may not be apparent at first, but I would pressure test the cooling system. If you look at the front of the motor by the belts , try to peek down at the intake manifold and check for slight seapage to an obvious leak.
If its either of the Quad-4's they were notorious for heads warping or cracking.
The car came with GM dexcool in it and was mixed with a noncompatable antifreeze. You need to flush to entire cooling system including the heater core. Any Certified shop can handle this job and recycle the used fluid. As for the Ck engine light only a scan can tell you if it is related or not.
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