My silly Intrigue

Dinger
Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:58:18 +0000
Maintenance/Repairs

Hello All!

Have I got a doozy for you with my 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue with the 3.5 V6 “Shortstar” engine. I must warn you that this has not only myself stumped but also m friend, the professional diesel mechanic. It all started a couple weeks ago on a chilly Michigan spring day when it was necessary to run the heat. I was idling in a parking lot with the heat running and before long I notice that it’s spitting out cold air. Odd, I thought, thinking that the engine needed to warm up a bit. And warm up it did! Far higher than my previous experience with normal operating temperature. I quickly shut it off and gave it a chance to cool down. When it did I started it back up hoping the problem would go away, like rebooting a computer (kidding) and sure enough, no heat and I watched the temp climb a little past normal temp. I started to drive to the mechanic keeping a sharp eye on the temp gauge and to my surprise when I started moving the heat came on and the engine temp came down!

I know what you’re thinking. Bad thermostat, or bad pump. Me too. That’s the reason for the excess of information. You should also know that I’ve known that I had a leaky crossover for some time and Ive kept my eye on the coolant level in the reservoir. Oddly enough, it never creeped too low…until we went to drain the system to replace the thermostat, then I realized the upper radiator hose was completely empty! We were able to leave some fluid in the reservoir when we replaced the thermostat and once replaced and hooked back up to thermostat, it drained into the system. Eureka! We refilled the fluid and fired her up. Here’s where it gets weird. We had a heat gun and determined that the new thermostat is doing what it should. All hoses were the proper temp, all fans working. We even checked to make sure the heater core inlet and outlet had a wide temp range, and they did. In the vehicle however, the vents were reading at 36 degrees with the heat on high! A/C clutch was also engaged. We pulled the relay to disengage the A/C clutch (because it’s still cold here and I didn’t want it to freeze up) and I still get cold air…until we start driving. As soon as we did the temp rose. Heat gun read it at over 100 degrees, until we came to a stop sign, then it dropped a full 25 degrees. My ONLY thought is air in the system, but this thing is supposed to be self-bleeding with the reservoir at the highest point (which it’s not, the heater core hoses are) So if it IS an air pocket, how do I bleed it, and also, WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?! We’re stumped.

9 posts - 9 participants