1996 Pontiac Grand Am overheating

Start by checking your coolant level-both the radiator (when it's cooled enough to remove the cap) and the overflow tank. The radiator should be full with clean-looking coolant, and the overflow tank should be about half full (it has a cold mark and a hot mark on it). If the coolant is correct and not leaking or losing fluid, then check your cap for a good seal-the coolant is pressurized when car is running, and an old cap can leak pressure. Do your radiator fans cycle normally? They should come on when your coolant reaches a set temperature. Also, is your coolant more than two years old? If it is, I'd change it and consider having the radiator and engine flushed to remove any build-up of sediment or rust, scale, debris. Which would also be a good time for a new thermostat-cheap and necessary maintenance items. As for possible worn parts or needed repairs-well, your water pump might be something to keep in mind if the above mentioned checks don't stop the overheating. Hope you get it fixed soon before it gets worse-overheating is very bad on these aluminum head engines.

need to replace gasket and have head checked for cracks and flatness

REPLACE THERMOSTAT TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE.IF YOU PUT NEW RADIATOR IN MORE LIKELY YOU NEED TO BLEED COOLANT SYSTEM CHECK COOLANT LEVEL WHEN ENGINE COOLS DOWN. YOU HAVE AIR IN COOLANT SYSTEM.AIR WILL EXPEL AND COOLANT LEVEL DROPS ADD MORE COOLANT UNTIL YOU HAVE RIGHT AMOUNT COOLANT IN RADIATOR.DONT DRIVE CAR UNTIL COOLANT SYSTEM BLEED.WHEN THERMOSTAT OPENS TURN OFF ENGINE WAIT A WHILE THEN CHECK COOLANT LEVEL KEEP ADDING UNTIL COOLANT LEVEL STOP DROPPING IN RADIATOR. USE LARGE RAG OVER RADIATOR CAP TO KEEP FROM GETTING SCALDED BUT WAIT UNTIL COOL DOWN ENOUGH SO YOU WONT GET SCALDED.

could be one of many problems,blocked radiator,stuffed thermostat,coolant leak etc etc,i would replace thermostat first if no leaks are present.

If you are putting in stop leak then yeah it goes in there because the radiator cap is on the overflow tank. But I wouldn't recommend using stop leak. The engine likely needs new intake manifold gaskets because that is a common problem with that engine. It would be better to just replace the gaskets

drain the new collant into a container so you can reuse it.check the thermostat by putt ing it in a bowl of boiling water youwill see it open up if it is working correctly next it is possible that the radiator needs cleaning out----job for a radiator service centre

There is only one way the steam from the radiator could be coming in to the cab of the vehicle. That would be from the heater core, or the lines going to the heater core. If there is coolant/water leaking on that elbow on the firewall, it could either be that line that is leaking, or it could be leaking from the core and just dripping down to the elbow.

likely you have a blown head gasket or crack in head. Though common, this condition does not always show up in engine oil. To verify, have a shop do a hydrocarbon test on radiator.

this is a closed system. The coolant has to be put into the reservoir. However, I suggest that you have the system pressure tested and check your oil to see if you have any coolant in it. If the oil looks like chocolate milk then you might have a bad intake gasket or head gasket.

1 Inspect Cooling System Mix Coolant level low or flow is restricted. 2 Inspect Belt Incorrectly routed, adjusted, tensioned, missing, or worn water pump belt(s). 3 Inspect Oil Pan Gasket - Performance Ruptured, cracked or leaking radiator hose. 4 Inspect Radiator Cap Worn or damaged radiator cap 5 Inspect Thermostat Thermostat stuck closed 6 Inspect Fan Blade Broken, missing, or defective fan blade(s). 8 Inspect Water Pump Damaged, worn or leaking water pump. 9 Inspect Intake Manifold Plenum - Perform Leaking water pump gasket. 10 Inspect Cooling Fan Control Faulty cooling fan control or circuit. 11 Inspect Cooling Fan Switch - Radiator Faulty radiator cooling fan switch or circuit. 12 Inspect Engine Temperature Sensor Faulty engine temperature sensor or circuit. 13 Inspect Temperature Switch Damaged or faulty temperature switch or temperature switch circuit. 14 Inspect Fan Clutch Worn, loose or faulty fan clutch. 15 Inspect Ported Vacuum Switch Damaged, leaking, or faulty ported vacuum switch. 16 Inspect Radiator Obstructed radiator core or radiator cooling fins. 17 Inspect Head Gasket - Performance Head gasket leaking coolant into cylinders