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1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cooling Problem
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chris2345
New User
Aug 19, 2010, 5:21 PM
Post #1 of 4
(4703 views)
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1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cooling Problem
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Hello, this is my first time posting on these forums.
I have a 1998 Oldmobile Cutlass with a 3.1 liter engine 6 cyllinder with 75,000 miles on it. About a year ago I had to replace the head gasket because it blew. (when it was delivered to me by my uncle, he drove it up here without the radiator cap....he forgot to put it back on. I think thats what might of caused it to blow)
A couple weeks ago my car overheated to the point where it actually boiled over, this happened I believe twice. Since then my dad and I have done several things to try and remedy the issue but havn't been successful. We first tried replacing the thermostat, this didnt seem to do anything because the car still ran too hot, it didnt overheat but it would run about 3/4 on the gauge. We then checked to make sure the fans were kicking in, which they were and we also tried bleeding the system. Its a strange car because theres only one bleeder on top and the bleeder thats normally on the bottom is supposed to bleed itself, which im guessing its working because you can hear air coming out of it when the car is too hot and starts to boil.
From there we tried flushing the radiator and engine / heater core thinking there might be a clog, the antifreeze that came out didnt have any oil in it and there wasnt any coolant in the oil either, so im hoping that its not a head gasket. We refilled the system after flushing it and it was a little better but still got hot.
Finally i was reading about how coolant will boil at a lower temperature if there isnt enough pressure or the radiator cap was bad. We replaced this which made a significant difference. The car was no longer getting as hot as it was and seemed to be fixed. However, ive now noticed that the car will run at normal temperatures for about 25 to 30 minutes and then it will slowly get hotter as time goes on, it goes from about 210 degrees up to 225, especially if i have the air condition on. But this is only after the car has already been running for about 30 minutes like i said. By the time i get home the car is now at about 235 degrees to 240, and when i shut the car off i can hear it start boiling and the temperature will rise a little more then finally cool off. Often times i will see a little bit of coolant that has eited the radiator cap but not much at all. Ive checked all the hoses and they appear to be fine, none have collapsed and now im at a loss as to what can be wrong.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Chris
PS: I thought about the possibility of the water pump being bad but when the car is running and we were testing it with the bleeder open it would push out antifreeze from the top bleeder when we rev'd the engine.
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(This post was edited by Hammer Time on Aug 19, 2010, 6:05 PM)
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Aug 20, 2010, 5:15 AM
Post #2 of 4
(4692 views)
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Re: 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cooling Problem
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Quote">>Its a strange car because theres only one bleeder on top and the bleeder thats normally on the bottom is supposed to bleed itself<<"
Say what?! Some radiators don't have drain plugs but you certainly wouldn't be bleeding air out from the bottom!
I think you should be checking for combustion gasses in cooling system and expect intake and head gaskets AGAIN and with all the overheating the parts should be sent out and checked for warpage and cracks as well as the block. Could be real trouble,
T
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chris2345
New User
Aug 20, 2010, 6:42 AM
Post #3 of 4
(4688 views)
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Re: 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cooling Problem
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What i mean by the two bleeders is on my last car (same engine) there was a bleeder on the left of the engine near the resevoir and then a second bleeder on the right side near the thermostat housing. This car has a self bleeding line that runs from the thermostat housing to the bottle.
Im pretty sure its the head gaskets, unfortunatly I dont have the $300 or so to send them out and have them checked for cracks / warps. If I did, I think id rather have a different car lol. This engine is by far the most troublesome engine I have ever seen. Both cars the head gasket seems to blow about once a year, maybe once every two years on a rare occasion.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Aug 20, 2010, 7:18 AM
Post #4 of 4
(4683 views)
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Re: 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cooling Problem
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That little spout at the recovery tank is just a blow out port when pressures exceed the pressure cap's rating which would happen at boiling. Just there to direct the mess away from the rest of things.
When a system is drained for any reason you need to know it's full again. Some will give you a bleeder bolt/plug on engine side of the thermostat or up high to let air out. Some are really fussy and yes the idea is air go to recovery and only liquid returns. Over several cycles it would self purge but if too low to cool properly the overheating defeats that.
I've seen these engines do 300k like nothing and hear that they are constant gasket eaters.
Not sending heads out and manifold in this case is just playing Russian Roulette with all six bullets!
Diagnostics is mandatory to decide on doing gasket job or giving up for either another engine or another car IMO,
T
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