Engine Temp Problem

[Fierdon]

Just recently my car had started to overheat. Well it stopped for several weeks and now my car is doing it again. When I start it, it goes normal(between 2nd and 3rd line) after my car has been running for a few minutes, it goes to right before the 210 mark. If it idles while on, it will go right before the 3rd mark. As long as I'm driving, it stays normal. Could it be the thermostat? My car also still smells like it is leaking coolant, but I can't find where it is leaking. Any advice/help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[L32Projekt]

Your fan coming on?

[Fierdon]

Yes, the fan is coming on. I let it sit at idle, and when it got close to the third notch, the fan kicked on. Is it suppose to get that hot? Also, where is the O2 sensor? I need to check it before I go and replace the thermostat.

[ZMan]

Sure sounds like a water pump-had a similar prob with my 97 Grand Prix 3.8. Problem was on & off for a few weeks, then started really losing coolant

[Harbin1]

I've had this problem twice and it was two different problems each time. The first was a bad water pump. Turns out the coolant had become corrosive and had completely deteriorated the blades so no coolant was even moving. The second time was a head gasket. I was topping off the fluids every morning before I went to lectures and it would act like it wanted to overheat (flirt with the red on the temp gauge). You could do a water pump yourself and save a good chunk of change. It would probably take you most of a day to do it by yourself. It took me about 4 nights to do it but that was with very little light and having to pack up everything when I was done for the day b/c I lived in an apartment. The head gasket was going to be a serious task so I had that done by a professional. I haven't had any problems since.

Good luck.

[Fierdon]

If it was the water pump, wouldn't I be able to see coolant leaking? And how much is a water pump?

[L32Projekt]

As Harbin1 stated, your blades on the pump can get worn and fail to move the coolant through the system, so no, you probably wouldn't see any leaks unless it was a bad gasket or such.