my name is XXXXX XXXXX have a 2003 pontiac grand am gt, V-6 ENGINE, with 55k miles on it,,,,,,my question is about the cooling system,,,,, everything seems to be ok but i have a few questions
1) i have always noticed, especially in summer, the temp guage would go up to about 210 to 215 then come back to normal which is about 200 degrees.
2) this past winter, the thermostat was stuck closed, the guage would only get to about 180 or so,,,,, the thermostat was not opening and i wasnt getting the proper heat in the car,,,,, i had the thermostat replaced,,, everything was fine,, the heat inside was good again,,, the temp guage would get to about 200 then hold steady there,,,, remember - this was during the cold weather months.
now, with the warmer weather, here is what i am getting on the temp guage.
1) at about 200 degrees, the thermostat seems to be opening fine and on the colder mornings, i am getting good heat inside the car with no problem ( AND THE AC IS BLOWING COLD TOO WHEN I TURN IT ON ).
2) when i am in traffic, with the heat and ac off, the temp guage seems to go up to about 210 to 215 before it comes back down to about 200.
i have been doing some reading online and i want to make sure that the cooling fans are operating properly so here is what i did this morning:
1) in my driveway, i started the car, let it idle in park, with no heat or ac on.
2) at about 195 to 200 on the temp guage, the thermostat seemed to open properly because the top radiator hose became very hot to the touch.
3) i proceeded to let the car idle, the temp guage slowly went up.
4) after about 15 minutes after i started the car, and with the temp guage reading about 212 to 215 degrees or so, both cooling fans came on. ( i assume that the speed of the fans was low at this time )
5) the temp guage started to slowly come back down to about 200 to 201 or 202 degrees,,, this only took a few minutes.
6) about 5 minutes later, with the temp guage still reading about 200 degrees, both fans were still on.
7) so i turned the car off, then turned back on, the temp guage went to 200 degrees and the fans were off, so i figured all was ok.
HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS
1) BASED UPON WHAT I OUTLINED ABOVE, DOES IT SOUND LIKE MY COOLING SYSTEM IS WORKING OKAY?
2) I HAVE READ THAT THE FANS SHOULD COME ON ABOUT AT 215 DEGREES OR SO,,,, IS THIS TRUE? THAT IS HOW THEY SEEM TO BE WORKING ON MY CAR.
3) LASTLY, SHOULD THE FANS TURN OFF AT SOME POINT OTHER THAN WHEN I TURN THE CAR OFF?,,,,,,, IF SO, AT WHAT TEMP SHOULD THEY TURN OFF?,,, MAYBE I DIDNT LET THE CAR RUN LONG ENOUGH FOR THE FANS TO TURN OFF THEMSELVES.
by the way, I AM NOT LEAKING ANY COOLANT FLUID AT ALL.
i do think that all is ok based upon all that i have read about these 2003 grand am gt cars,,, MOST OF WHAT I HAVE READ SAYS THAT THESE CARS TEND TO RUN " ON THE HOT " SIDE,,,, THAT MY READINGS ON MY TEMP GUAGE ARE NORMAL,,,, i am not looking for any kind of electrical schematics or anything like that since i would not troubleshoot this car on my own,,,,, everything is way too compact under for the hood for me to do anything on my own.
YOUR THOUGHTS AND ANSWERS ARE APPRECIATED,,,, THANKS.
Country: United States
Make: Pontiac
Model: Grand Am GT
Year: 2003
Engine: V-6
SOLUTION:
Based on the information you have given, your cooling fans are operating as designed. Please note that your gauge readings may not exactly match the reading the computer gets from the coolant temperature sensor, but should be close. The system is designed to turn the fans on at 223 degrees and off again when the coolant reaches around 200-210 degrees. High speed operation is commanded if the coolant temperature reaches 230 degrees.
The reason the computer runs the engine coolant temperatures high is that this helps to reduce exhaust emissions when idling.
If there is anything else I can help with, please let me know.
Customer replied1 days and 20 hours ago.
HI DAVE,
OK, SO MY SYSTEM SOUNDS LIKE IT IS RUNNING OK,,,, BUT LET ME GET BACK TO WHEN THE FANS SHOULD TURN OFF THEMSELVES WHEN THE COOLANT GETS BACK DOWN TO THE 200 TO 210 DEGREE RANGE ---- THE TEMP GUAGE SEEMED TO DROP DOWN TO ABOUT 200 DEGREES ( MAYBE IT WAS ABOUT 202 OR SO ) AND THE FANS KEPT RUNNING,,, ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, THEN TURNED THE ENGINE BACK ON, AND THE FANS WERE OFF SO I TURNED THE CAR OFF,,,,,, SHOULD I BE CONCERNED AT THIS POINT THAT THE FANS DID NOT TURN OFF WHEN THE TEMP GAUGE GOT BACK DOWN TO ABOUT 201 DEGREES OR SO? SHOULD I HAVE LEFT THE CAR ON LONGER TO SEE IF THE FANS WOULD TURN OFF BY THEMSELVES?
?
Expert: Dave Nova replied1 days and 20 hours ago.
I would not be concerned about this. If you left the engine running a bit longer, the computer would register the temperature and would have turned the fans off. Sounds like everything is working as it should and you should have nothing to worry about.
Customer replied1 days and 19 hours ago.
THANKS DAVE,,,, I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP,,, BYE
Customer replied1 days and 19 hours ago.
HI DAVE,
ONE MORE QUESTION ABOUT GAS MILEGE,
AT 55K MILES AND 10 YEARS, THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN TUNED,,,, I DO GET A LITTLE ROUGH IDLING WEHN I AM STOPPED,,, BUT IF I DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT HERE,,,, 55 MPH, I CAN GET ABOUT 22 TO 23 MILES PER GALLON WITHOUT THE AC ON,,,,, I DONT WANT TO SPEND $150 FOR ONLY 6 NEW SPARK PLUGS,,,,, DO YOU THINK MY MPG OF 22 TO 23 AT 55 MPH WITH NO AC ON IS GOOD GAS MILEAGE??? WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Expert: Dave Nova replied1 days and 19 hours ago.
Ideally that car should get around 26 to maybe 27 mpg. This of course depends on fuel quality and other factors. Winter blend fuel gives you less mileage than summer fuel. Try cleaning the throttle body first, this should at least help to cure the rough idle. Remove the air intake hose between the engine and the air filter and use throttle body cleaner spray and a soft cloth to clean the interior of the throttle body (throttle blade and bore) Open the throttle blade by hand so the bore can be cleaned around the perimeter of and behind the throttle blade.
Customer replied1 days and 19 hours ago.
HI DAVE,
I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT ABOUT 65% OF MY DRIVING IS NORMAL CITY DRIVING, THAT IS, STOP AND GO,, WAITING AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS,, ETC.,, ETC,,, WITH THAT SAID, IS MY MILEAGE OF 22 TO 23 MPG STILL PRETTY GOOD???,,,,, I HAVENT BEEN ON AN EXTENDED HIGHWAY TRIP ( 50 MILES OR MORE ) WITH THE CAR SO MAYBE I WOULD GET 26 TO 27 MPG ON SUCH A TRIP,,,,WHAT I AM THINKING IS THAT $150 IS A LOT OF MONEY TO MAYBE TO JUST PICK UP AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 MPG,,,,,, WHAT DO YOU THINK?,,,,,ALSO,,,IS THROTTLE BODY CLEANER BASICALLY GUMOUT IN A SPRAY CAN?,,,,AND THANKS FOR THE TIP ON CLEANING THE THROTTLE BODY,, GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON MY MPG WITH ME TELLING YOU THAT ABOUT 65% OF MY DRIVING IS CITY STYLE,,,, THANKS.
Customer replied1 days and 19 hours ago.
DAVE,
AS TO CLEANING THE THROTTLE BODY,,,, SO I SHOULD DISCONNECT THE HOSE RIGHT WHERE IT CONNECTS INTO THE THROTTLE?,,,,, THEN USE THE SPRAY TO CLEAN THE METAL PARTS INSIDE??, PLEASE ADVISE,,, THANKS.
Accepted Answer
Expert: Dave Nova replied1 days and 19 hours ago.
With an average of city and highway driving, 22 to 23 mpg is right on target. This means you are actually getting 26-28 mpg highway driving. Replacing the plugs now would not likely net you any increase in fuel economy. Wait until you hit 100k to replace the plugs. Throttle body cleaner is basically Gumout in a spray can. You can use carburetor cleaner spray from Walmart (about $2 a can) and it will work fine. Yes, disconnect the hose right where it connects to the engine, this is the throttle body. Clean the parts inside.
Expert Type
Pontiac Technician
Category:
Pontiac
Pos. Feedback:
97.4 %
Accepts:
1790
Answered:
5/16/2013
Experience: ASE Master Certification. GM World Class Certification
Ask this Expert a Question >
Customer replied1 days and 19 hours ago.
DAVE,
YOU HAVE BEEN GREAT !!!! TAKE CARE,,,, BYE,,,,,, REGARDS,, BRIAN
Customer replied1 days and 19 hours ago.
DAVE GAVE ME MORE INFO ABOUT MY CAR THAN ANY MECHANIC THAT I HAVE EVER TAKEN MY CAR TO,,,, HIS SERVICE WAS GREAT !!!
Expert: Dave Nova replied1 days and 19 hours ago.
Thank you for the positive feedback.
If you ever need anything in the future, be sure to ask for me by name.
Dave Nova
