ok I have coolent in the car the temp jumped to the hottest mark and said please idle car and ac off.

I know it could be one of three things

1. thermostat sticking not opening/closing properly don't know where it is on the 3.5. not in the normal spot on the top of engine looked for it there

2. there is a clog in the radiator some where did a flush in January because it has been warmer than usual in florida

3. the head gaskets and hoses and/or radiator I don't have white smoke coming out of the tail pipe like I did when that recall was fixed. if it happened again I am going to be well every one would feel that way.

how hard is it to get to the thermostat on the 3.5 engine and I know why gm canned that engine only for a few years compared to there other engines.

 

ok I just did the thermostat and replace the upper and lower radiator hoses while I was there still doing it. there is no water in the oil and I don't see any leak when there is pressure in the system. I also replaced the water pump again to try to cover that end as well. I am not sure where else to look other than going and yanking the heads off and replacing them with another set and another head gasket set that would be pricy. other than swapping out and putting in the ss ls engine in it with all the wiring


any thoughts or sudgestions?

 

I just had a problem where my 02 overheated. My coolant was leaking out of one of the 90 degree angle water hoses. Looks like it runs from the water pump to the thermostat. It was a mess to replace. I had to move alot of stuff. Not sure if my 3800 is the same or similar to your 3500. But check the coolant and make sure you're not losing it somewhere. I never knew I had the leak. Until I put coolant in with the car running and saw it spewing out of the cracked hose. And yes it has been very hot here in Florida. I'm in Plant City.

 

it is similar I ended up checking that hose when it is hot and it is doing a mist thing in the bend. I didn't know that was leaking because there was no pooling any where now I just have to figure out how to get to it with bf hands.

 

Well like I said you have to move alot of stuff. Take the alternator off and the bar that runs parallel to the windshield. Then there's a fairly good sized bracket you have to remove. Then to the rear and underneath the hose in question is another hose similar to that one. You want to go ahead and replace that as well. When you buy the hose it comes with the other one. I say replace it because it turns out on mine it was also bad. So go ahead and be safe and do that while you have it apart. Altogether its about a 10 to 12 bolt job. If you have trouble let me know. If nothing else maybe one weekend me and my mom's fiance can come to you. But I think you should be able to handle it.

 

I may need a pair of hands when I replace the injectors. all in all right now this is my only day off had to do yard work go to the store and laundry. so I also have my cougar as well laid up and using my dads mazda as a dd. I miss that monte because it is a good cruser which is comfy to drive

 

OK just let me know if and when you need some help.

 

if you are free on the second or third next month I will be happy for the help. Because the 3.5 is a little bit out of place for me. Not just that the parts would be in later this week rock auto was a little bit easier to get what I was looking for than the dealer and autozone. they both said they would be able to get the parts in in the middle of the first week of august.

 

I'll see if I gotta work and let ya know.

 

I wouldn't keep swapping out parts hoping the problem goes away, especially for stuff like heads.

I mentioned it in the other thread, but I would take it to a reputable shop (possibly even a dealer if you can't find anyone else good locally) and have them properly diagnose the issue. A good shop will run through the diagnosis steps to isolate the problem so you don't have to keep replacing random parts.