Thread: 02 GTP rising temp woes.

My 02 GTP has 135k,xxx on the clock, I got it with 98k and did the LIM job then along with coolant elbows and valve cover gaskets. In the past few weeks I've been having trouble with the temperature rising up to point it almost touches the red when the car is idling and the heat goes cold, but when the car is under load the temps are fine and stable. I should also mention here that my low coolant light is going on and off while driving with no rhyme or reason.

About 2 weeks back I pulled the thermostat out thinking it might be bad, and replaced it with a stock temp one. When I did so I noticed there was not much coolant sitting in the LIM, so I added some directly to the LIM through the thermostat housing, replaced the thermostat, topped off the radiator, and the tank. Things were good for about a week, but we're back to the same thing again; rising temps, no heat, etc. etc. Has anyone run into this before? I'm afraid it's sounding more and more like head gasket?

I haven't noticed any excessive smoking from the car or smell of anti-freeze burning, it still runs perfectly fine, no issues at all.

Originally Posted by Scottydoggs

fill the rad, then run it cap of till its getting hot, then rev the engine, if you have bubbles rushing up the rad cap hole, its a head gasket.

the low light is cause its either low. or the sensor is dirty.

I didn't have enough time to let the car cool down and play with it before the sun went down, however I did pop the hood and notice this :

02 GTP slinging mystery fluid 02 GTP slinging mystery fluid - Album on Imgur

Something is being slung around from the belts. The one elbow I can see is dry, but I do see dampness down below the alternator.

Damp below alternator imgur: the simple 404 page

Would a faulty water pump be the root of my symptoms?

I could've sworn the sound I was hearing was coming from the alternator (like brushes in a brushed motor going bad). But I suppose it could be the water pump under it.

I've got a new AC Delco water pump on order, it'll be here today and I'll have a chance to tear into it tomorrow.

Yesterday after work the car was getting hotter than I've seen it before, to the point the Temp light came on and I was having to turn it off at stop lights to prevent it over heating. So this morning I topped off the rad with some pre-mix and drove approx. 5-6 minutes to my parents house to drop of some stuff. Once there the temp had shown it had gone over 210, but the top rad hose was still cool. Drove to work down the interstate and checked it here, the top rad hose was now hot and pressurized (is that normal?)

Here's a quick clip of the sound I'm hearing Water pump noise or alternator? - YouTube

Alternator or water pump?

I'll check that as well, I was actually just reading something about the coupler the other day. Is it normal that top rad hose would be pressurized when the thermostat opens? Or could I potentially have a plugged rad?

I did a complete flush with a garden hose back when I did the LIM job 2-3 years ago, fresh fill with new dex then too.

Originally Posted by Scottydoggs

hoses get tight when the temps are hot.

ever flush the coolant? that will tell ya if the rads clogged up or not.

When replacing the water pump is there a reason to use RTV in conjunction with the gasket? Do any of the bolts need sealant?

Originally Posted by Scottydoggs

the 4 long bolts get sealant, the small bolts get nothing, and use a dry gasket, no rtv needed at all.

you need to pop the ps pump off, and the lower sc belt idler, might be a t55 socket, or a 15 mm, check what bolt head you got before you tear it apart so you got all the tools you need. pump and idler block a long bolt from coming out on both sides.

Any particular thread sealant or just whatever generic liquid I can grab at the local parts store? Any idea about how many gallons of coolant I'll need to grab as well?

Ah perfect, just regular PTFE Thread Sealant, I'm pretty sure I've got some of that hanging around. So a good gallon of pre-mix with water should top her back off. Fantastic, today's the day I'll tear into it and see if I can figure out what's going on.