hemidude2000 Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 I just bought a 98 lumina the other day with the 3100 engine. We put about 400 miles on it since without a problem, but I noticed it didnt blow as much heat as my 99 lumina I used to have. Tonight me and my wife drove it across town and noticed the heater was blowing cold air when it got up to operating temp. I got back home and popped the hood. There was a faint smell of coolant. No major leaking anywhere. I had to shut it off because it was getting hot (fans werent coming on). The coolant tank was also fuller than normal. I opened the cap on the radiator and it had coolant in there (lots of pressure). Both heater hoses were cold. I noticed the coolant was pretty dirty. Rust colored. I started it back up and opened up the bleeder screw by the thermostat. Lots of air came out. It was only spurting out a small amount of coolant. I didnt open the bleeder by the water pump. Could I have let a bunch of air in the system when I opened the cap? I noticed the other day that there was like a red mud in the bottom of the coolant tank. I planned on having a coolant flush done. Could the thermostat just stick shut even though we just drove it earlier and everything worked fine? Im also concerned about the intake gaskets because of the red "mud" in the coolant tank. Any info is much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemidude2000 Posted March 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 This was bugging me so bad that I cant sleep and was just out messing with it again. It didnt get hot this time. I let it get up to operating temp. Opened both bleeder screws and no air came out. I noticed it blew hot air when I turned the heat on for a few seconds and gradually got cooler and cooler. Very strange. It also looks like someone just did the intake gaskets and valve cover gaskets not long ago. Could it just need a thermostat and a good flush? Also, no sign of coolant in oil or oil in coolant. Pulled oil cap off and theres not that nasty yellow scum on the bottom of the cap like seen on most cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgethis Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 After reading your post, I was thinking about the possibility of your heater core being plugged up. You opened your bleeder screws, which is good. I have also seen when the car is cold, have your radiator cap open, and run the car. When it gets up to temp, see if bubbles are coming up through the radiator. This was said to burp it also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.