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gottabefast

New member
i have a few problems with my 2000 grand prix gt 3.8 and i was hoping somebody could help me to figure them out. first of all after awhile like ten minutes the temperature idiot light will come on then go off real quick then come back on and repeat, but the temperature gauge will only read 180 degrees. can it really over heat this fast? i live in northern minnesota and it will do this when the weather out side is below freezing. i replaced the water pump, the thermostat, and did a radiator flush there was dirt in the radiator. not a blown head gasket oil looks normal and no white smoke and plugs are normal. could it be a bad sensor? the car has a few bad ones like my gas gauge not working which is anothet problem i need awnsered. and also the car loses power after twenty minutes the idle pully ticks and shakes could that be the problem it loses power? thanks yur help will be greatly appreciated
 


That "Dirt" in your radiator was probably gunked up dexcool, that happens if it isn't changed regularly (The owners manual says 5 years, I say about 2 for Dex).

What kind of coolant is in there now?
 
Is the low coolant light coming on at all?

Gas gauge not working could be the sending unit. Also, check fuses and see if there is one for this.

When you replaced the pump and thermostat and then flushed/refilled, did you bleed the air out of the system properly? It sounds like you may have some air trapped in the system. These cars are notorious for this and can be a pain to bleed. Try this:

Get car up to full temperature in Park. Take a look at the thermostat housing. There should be a small brass screw on top of it. With the car running at full heat crack this bleeder valve open until you get coolant running out of it. If there is air, you should see it sputter out the cooalnt. Once you get a steady stream of coolant close the valve and take it for a drive. Then come back and do it again. Then once done here let it cool down completely and top off the radiator and coolant resivoir as needed.

The pulley shaking should not cause the car to loose power, but you should have it replaced as it may throw the belt eventually, thus leaving you stranded. I would suspect a bad/worn O2 sensor as it sounds like when the car goes into closed-loop that the issue occurs. Also, clean your MAF.

Is there a CEL on at all?

Also, Welcome to the site! If you have any other issues/questions post them in the General Tech Discussion section to get the best response :th_thumbsup-wink:
 
FordMan77 said:
Is the low coolant light coming on at all?

Gas gauge not working could be the sending unit. Also, check fuses and see if there is one for this.

When you replaced the pump and thermostat and then flushed/refilled, did you bleed the air out of the system properly? It sounds like you may have some air trapped in the system. These cars are notorious for this and can be a pain to bleed. Try this:

Get car up to full temperature in Park. Take a look at the thermostat housing. There should be a small brass screw on top of it. With the car running at full heat crack this bleeder valve open until you get coolant running out of it. If there is air, you should see it sputter out the cooalnt. Once you get a steady stream of coolant close the valve and take it for a drive. Then come back and do it again. Then once done here let it cool down completely and top off the radiator and coolant resivoir as needed.
i did have it bled
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