HELP! i'm stumped too... fluctuating temperature...

[SuprSpdDB7]

well i had someone tell me that they think my water pump is going, because it might be leaking..
you can smell anti-freeze after running the engine for a bit....

that was the only thing we noticed... but tonight i was sitting at an unusually long light, and my engine temperature jumped like crazy!! like 3/4 of the way to the "overheating" point....
when i got going it quickly went down...

could THIS also be a sign of my water pump going?

or is that maybe my thermostat???

here's some 411

everything on my car is stock, except the intake...

i have 34,500 miles...

my engine stutters everyonce in a while, because i need to replace my plugs and wires....

and i am going to replace my fuel filter (just in case)

if waterpump... is it safe to drive like 300 miles home so my dad can help me put a new one on (to save on labor costs)

if thermostat... easy replace, but should i get a lower temp on?? what's on a 98 bird??

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ALL HELP!!
MUCH APPRECIATED

[snatch]

Im not super technical but their is a drain hole on the bottom of the water pump which I never knew until my friends car was overheating and we noticed antifreeze directly below the water pump on the block.
I would keep an eye on the coolant levels, carry a gallon of distilled water around with you, and also check below the water pump for coolant. But this sounds pretty close to the same situation my friend had and it was his water pump.
Shane

[snatch]

I also dont think its a wise idea to drive 300 miles on a vehicle that will overheat at a long stop light. Maybe someone with more expertise will jump in here to give you concrete advice
Shane

[Dojo2000]

When coolant leaks from the seep hole on the underside of the water pump it means it needs to be replaced.

[camaro_speedemon]

You said it went down as soon as you started moving? I would check your fans first, make sure they are coming on. Then look to see if you're leaking coolant somewhere, also what's your coolant level look like? If you're water pump is bad, you will see it leaking... Water pump's an easy fix. I did it back when I didn't know anything about cars. But my first guess is maybe your fans since it started going down when you started moving, check the fuse for the fan, because you're high speed fan should have kicked on I believe at like 220 or so maybe you blew a fuse.

[MustangEater8251]

Only goes up 3/4 the way, but doesn't over heat at a long idle?

Sounds like the fans... next time it gets hot, pop on your AC(automatically turns on cooling fans), see if it drops the temp. Its common for v6 f-bodies to do that at lights, takes a bit for the cooling fans to kick on.

Once you get going the air is flowing through the radiator.

Jsut watch your coolant levels, if it goes down then something is going out.

I doubt its your waterpump, 34k on the car? I have 130k on the stock waterpump.

[tmays]

I ditto the last post -3/4 of the way is about 225. I JUST replaced my water pump at 146XXX+ miles and was definately noticing leaking coolant. When I do a lot of street driving I notice the temp creeping up, but the fan should kick on at about 220-225 degrees. If your coolant level is still good, try sitting the car at idle in your driveway, check for leaks and let temp creep up in order to see if your fan comes on and decreases temp.
BTW - when I changed my waterpump I also put on a different therm as well. Yours should be 180 -you could prob go with 160 (Won't stop the temp increase at idle). Good luck

[ September 25, 2003: Message edited by: tmays ]</p>