Expert: Sean Halliday - 1/26/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hey I have a 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue and it keeps overheating and if you turn the heater on thats supposed to help but it just makes it worse. The thermostat was replaced with a brand new one like 2 days ago so thats not the problem. Antifreeze has also been added. I have asked several auto-mechinally gifted people their opinions and they just dont know. My guess would be the water pump or something to do with the radiator but im not really sure. So if you have an idea or a hunch it would be greatly appreciated!!!!!


ANSWER: Does this car have to be bled?Some olds are different from others.If there is air in the system then it will overheat no matter what you do until you bleed the air out.One other reason for overheating is a blown head gasket.A leak down test will confirm this.

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QUESTION: what would i have to do to get the air out of the system. if the head gasket was the problem then would there be more symptoms then just overheating.

Answer
Look at the thermostat and see if it has a screw on top or near the main hose.A bleed screw will have a small bolt on top of the thermostat and open this with the car at idle and the heater/blower on full hot.Top up the coolant until no air comes out of the bleeder.Then tighten the screw.If your head gasket is blown,there may be coolant in the oil which will make the oil look milky and vice versa,oil in the coolant.