Car is over heating. Alero 2001

Feel your heater hoses. If both are hot, the core is circulating. If only one is hot-poor or no circulation of the core.
If the heater core is circulating, the temperature blend door may not be working to let blower air pass across the heater core, and into the vents. If vacuum operated, watch the vacuum valves as you move heater controls-you may spot the problem. Check that the vacuum line from the engine to the control switch is working and still connected. If not operated by vacuum, the controls may have cables to the heater case or may be electrically operated. You'll just have to scope it out. Good luck.

If your coolant level is full the low coolant switch is probably faulty they are normaly just a float & the float might be stuck. & Coolant should be used all year round as it is not just anti freeze but is (Anti freeze, Anti boil, & acidity, alkalinity regulator.) It changes the freezing/boiling point (water freeze at o degrees centegrade & boil at 100 degrees but with glycol it changes this depending on what % glycol there is in the system. The acid/alkaline regulator is corosion inhibitor to prevent parts being eaten from the inside out (radiators, heater cores, welsh plugs etc..)

REPLACE THERMOSTAT AND RADIATOR PRESSURE CAP.IF CAR OVER HEATING WHILE IN MOTION.MORE LIKELY ITS THE THERMOSTAT,LOW COOLANT IN RADIATOR OR COOLANT SYSTEM,BAD WATER PUMP,WATER PUMP WEEP HOLE IS LEAKING, WATER PUMP NEEDS REPLACING.CHECK ENGINE OIL,IF OIL LOOKS LIKE MILK SHAKE YOU HAVE LEAKING HEAD GASKET.IF CAR IN PARK AND OVER HEATS WHILE IN A LONG TRAFFIC LINE OR.BANK DRIVE THROUGH COOLANT FAN NOT TURNING ON, BECAUSE THE ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR FAULTY.CODE SCAN CAR FOR FAULTY COOLANT FAN RELAY OR FAULTY PCM. CHECK COOLANT FAN FUSE, AND HOT WIRE THE COOLANT FAN TO MAKE SURE ITS WORKING.IF COOLANT FAN DONT WORK WHEN HOT WIRED. COOLANT FAN NEEDS REPLACING. REPLACE BOTH RADIATOR HOSES, REPLACE THERMOSTAT AND RADIATOR PRESSURE CAP.BUY NEW COOLANT ADD 50/50 WATER AND COOLANT.IF ENGINE OIL HAS ANTIFREEZE IN IT.REPLACE ENGINE OIL AND OIL FILTER TO KEEP FROM LOCKING UP THE ENGINE.GET CAR FIX.DONT KEEP DRIVING IF IT KEEP OVER HEATING,ENGINE DAMAGE WILL OCCUR.I HOPE INFORMATION I GAVE YOU WILL FIX PROBLEM.PROBLEM COULD BE LEAKING RADIATOR HOSES BUT CHANGE THERMOSTAT THATS FIRST THING I WOULD CHANGE BECAUSE IF IT CLOSED, ENGINE WILL OVER HEAT AND CRACK CYLINDER HEAD OR CRACK PISTON, COOLANT NEED TO CIRCULATE THROUGH THE ENGINE TO TAKE AWAY THE HEAT FROM ENGINE.

IF LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON ENGINE SHUT OFF BECAUSE IT GOT TOO HOT AND OVER HEATED.WHEN YOU HAVE LOW COOLANT.YOU COULD HAVE LEAKING RADIATOR.YOU COULD HAVE LEAKING RADIATOR HOSES AND WATER PUMP. ADD MORE COOLANT IN CAR RADIATOR UNTIL YOU AT FULL COLD MARK ON THE OVER FLOW COOLANT TANK START THE CAR LET IDLE UNTIL ENGINE GET OPERATING TEMPERATURE.RAISE YOUR HOOD LOOK FOR LEAKS THE RADIATOR PRESSURE WILL PUSH COOLANT OUT WHERE LEAKS COULD BE.LOOK AROUND RADIATOR AND COOLANT HOSES.LOOK AT WATER PUMP.IF YOU SEE COOLANT LEAKING AT WATER PUMP REPLACE IT.

Hello,
Thermostats are more important than ever before.

What the thermostat does;
It seperates your coolant into two parts. The first part is in your engine, the second part is in your
radiator and the coolant reservior. When the coolant in the engine reaches the temperature rating,
on the thermostat, ( 195 to 205 degrees F ), the thermostat opens to allow the two parts of coolant to change places. Now the cooled coolant in the radiator and reservior flows into the engine while the heated coolant flows from the engine into the radiator and reservior to be air cooled by the radiator fan. Engines are at their peak of efficiency at 195 to 205 degrees F.

I hope this helps you.
Donnie

Try looking at all the hoses...AND Water Pump...you should be able to see and verify the leak...hoses etc...the Water Pump is not expensive on your Alero...($35.) Yes, change thermostat at time of coolant drain for Water Pump as needed...:) Hope this helps.

Check the cooolant level, sound like theres a leak somewhere, water pump, hoses, t-stat bad, rad cracked, heater core leaking, bad rad cap, cooling fans not working, you need to get it looked at really soon, before you get it to hot and blow a head gasket.

Since your blower is working and it is a heat issue,thats where we'll start,First thing is have you checked the coolant level in the radiator when engine is cold,make sure it is filled to top,next verify you have coolant in reserve ,Start your van and get it up to normal operation temperature,If your heat gauge on the dash works correctly it should be 190 degrees,Now lift the hood and locate the two heater hoses going into the heater assembly at the fire wall,Both hoses should be hot to hold on to,if both are hot and no heat inside your problem will be the blend air door in heater assembly.
if neither hose is that hot you need to replace the thermostat in the engine to get it up to 195 degrees.
if one hose is hot and one is luke warm then the heater core is blocked and to blame. hope this helps you

is the car looping at idle...if so it could be your head gasket..had to change mine

your thermo stat is on your intake you will have to remove the radiator hose to get to it