Slateman Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 Well, can't take it to a dealership cus there ain't any I have a Pontiac G6 that's acting a little strange. For the last year the temp needle has held stead at the notch below the 225 mark. In the last week it has flucuated between that notch and the 225 mark. It has never gone above the 225 mark. From what I can tell online (which isn't a whole lot), this isn't bad and some users have reported that it's normal for their G6 to run like that, but I find it dubious considering for a year and change it didn't budge above that nudge. So, if I have to take it to a shop, looking for a recommendation on one that might have a mechanic familiar with Pontiacs. I live right by Fairfax, so, the closer to there, the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsmarydu Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 I would think that because most GM parts are interchangeable, any GM dealership would be able to help. You may just have a bad sensor, like my "low coolant" light stays on in my '99 Monte Carlo, but the reservoir is completely full! twa has a lot of auto knowledge...if he doesn't catch this, send him a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 Yeah, you can pretty much take it to any GM dealership. Even a Firestone would be able to help you out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 yes any GM dealer or reputable mech if the coolant is not low it is probably leaves/crud blocking air flow to the radiator or the cooling fan acting up. running hotter than normal should certainly be checked out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slateman Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 Coolant shouldn't be low. I had it flushed last time it was inspected. Then again, who knows if they screwed that up. Where do I check the coolant? Where should I check for leaves? Where is the cooling fan? Edit: Did some research. Coolant looks fine. It's less than a half inch below the reservoir line. I will inspect it this weekend more thoroughly. Seeing as how it's been ~1500 miles since I had it inspected and flushed, I'm guessing that enough coolant isn't the issue. Hose looks good. Springy, didn't see any cracks, but didn't delve in. May do that this weekend. The smaller fan will run when I run the AC. I'm guessing that the larger one is the cooling fan. Can't tell if it came on, but didn't see any leaves in front of it or in the radiator. Relays and fuses looks fine. If I run the heat, the temp gauge goes down. I'm guessing that either the radiator fan isn't turning on when the temp hits a certain level or the tstat is broken. Also, no milkshake on the dipstick or in the oil, as far as I could tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 If I run the heat, the temp gauge goes down. I'm guessing that either the radiator fan isn't turning on when the temp hits a certain level or the tstat is broken. the large fan should come on around 225,not sure of the exact degree on pontiac. letting it idle will usually cause it to come on in a few minutes, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor703 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Slate, I've worked the parts counter at a Chevy dealer for the last 6 years in fairfax, we service any GM vehicle dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcsluggo Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 have you tried "1977" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubble Screen Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 have you tried "1977" ?His other car is a '78 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 have you tried "1977" ? Damn... That's cold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landrydirty30skins Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 thermostat, nailed it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slateman Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 Thermostat? Or the radiator fan? Never goes above 225. Seems to run hotter during stop and go traffic. Turn on the heat and with in 2-3 minutes, the temp needle is dropping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsmarydu Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 His other car is a '78 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.The door of one of those broke my ankle when I was 9. I'd give anything for something that solid now, or just on certain occasions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sinister Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 The door of one of those broke my ankle when I was 9. I'd give anything for something that solid now, or just on certain occasions... It would be perfect for whenever you're in the mood to run down a few pedestrians. Limits the damage to the exterior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landrydirty30skins Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 sounds like the fan isn't kicking on. but normally the check engine light will come on if that was the case (fan clutch would trip a trouble fault) best thing to do is run it at idle till it reaches operating temp, pop the hood and wait for the fan to come on. if it doesn't and it starts to run hot, then its fan related. the fan relays are the first thing to go. they overheat and stop working all together. cheapest and easiest option first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Thermostat? Or the radiator fan? Never goes above 225. Seems to run hotter during stop and go traffic. Turn on the heat and with in 2-3 minutes, the temp needle is dropping. well the fan has a temp sensor which goes to the ECM which triggers the fan relay as landrydirty mentioned the relays are a common issue.....should be the same as the AC fan ,you can swap them to test Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slateman Posted December 19, 2013 Author Share Posted December 19, 2013 Simple idea that got stuck in my head: What if there's an air bubble because they didn't bleed it properly after the flush? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Simple idea that got stuck in my head: What if there's an air bubble because they didn't bleed it properly after the flush? it happens,but the flush was awhile back before this started(I think) the heater usually will not change the temp in that case,in many cases will not heat even Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slateman Posted December 19, 2013 Author Share Posted December 19, 2013 Okay, so back to the radiator fan or the tstat. Think I will start my car up tomorrow and start testing the radiator fan. Right now it's sitting with cardboard underneath, just to see if any coolant is leaking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slateman Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 Le update: No coolant leaking. Radiator fan works. When I got home today, I felt behind the fan and it was definitely blowing air. Also, my coworker reminded me that this happened on the way home from Pittsburgh. Needle bumped up, then went down, then went up, then went back down. That was before I had the oil changed/cooling system flushed. So . . . tstat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aszumilo Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 I had a similar problem on a Dodge truck i used to own. I flushed the coolant, replaced the radiator (since it had a slight leak anyway), check the oil, replaced the water pump and thermostat, and still fluctuated. I used an infrared temp gauge to check around the engine and temp was normal everywhere I checked. Turned out to be a broken temperature sensor. Replaced that and the temp reading was rock solid again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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