Thank you for this video. My thermostat just went out on my 2000 Grand Prix and I don't know a damn thing about working on cars. I found this video and now the ol Pontiac is back on the road. Thank you.
You gotta be a mechanics/car guys son. I drove 3800’s when I was a kid too. They’re awesome. I had a ‘90 Olds 88 touring sedan..Recaro bucket seats/center console with horse shoe shifter. Bose sound system. ASC sunroof. Hella fog lights. Full gauge package and special handling and performance package. Factory lowering kit. Special 16inch low profile rims/tires. Unique badges all chrome trim blacked out. All came standard on touring sedan. Check em out coolest 3.8 cars ever to roam. I miss mine dearly...Black w/charcoal metallic on bottom and oxblood red interior.
Thanks for this, very helpful! The thermostat in my Dad's '99 Buick LeSabre had stuck open, no heat during the winter. Only different thing I did was, instead of using an air-compressor, I siphoned about 2-3quarts out of the radiator into a bottle using a hose. Watching your video gave me all the steps and detailed info I needed for draining, filling and bleeding to make it a quick, slick job. Thanks very much - Cheers! Bellarmine
I tried the air tank/hose method, hadn't really thought of it before....and it worked great. A great shortcut. In fact, both my Grand Prix's thermostats went at the same time and I changed them in about 1 1/2 hours without having to crawl under the car, open the radiator valve and drain coolant. Thank for the great tip. I will pass this on to others and show them the link.
Why did you leave off the clamp on the wire next to the left bolt, is that some type of ground? Why Do you have to use air, can't I just put the thermostat in with out that process? Thank you
Do you videos on belt tensioner and coolant elbow replacement on a Buick LeSabre Custom, series 2. 3800? A friend uses The Works (toilet bowl cleaner) to clean out the overflow tank. I assume my thermostat is original since 2004. It’s at 178,000 miles
You mentioned that opening the radiator petcock to drain all the coolant out takes too long. I agree, but you only need to drain out a small amount to get the level below the t-stat. I think that won't take much longer than your method and there's no risk of system damage using compressed air. Also, GM recommends the 195 t-stat, why do you use the 180?
Unless you have a 190° fail-safe thermostat --- its designed to lock in the open position when overheating occurs due to a failing cooling system component. This allows maximum coolant flow, thus preventing expensive engine damage. -- it's like $15
@@jacobjenkins7768 Not in mine, the 180* thermostat I just removed caused all sorts of issues as the temp never got up over 140*. I had codes for all sorts of stuff, and issues with the transmission shifting properly. Kept getting the dreaded P1811 code, along with numerous EVAP codes. I replaced your 180* thermostat with the ACDelco OEM 195* thermostat, and all of my codes vanished. Oh, I also have real heat now.
I really liked the air gun trick for less mess and will use it tomorrow. Really good video with basic/easy to follow instructions. Just more volume and better view you would have the perfect video. Do a few more and apply those and i think youd have a really good channel.
anjetgrinding yes you can switch if you would like. I would actually recommend switching to a universal style coolant, which are often yellow or yellow-green. I switched because I didn't want any future problems with Dex cool. I flushed mine real well with a garden hose.
Venturi2012 If you take a look at a jug of Prestone's "all makes /all models" universal coolant and their version of Dex-Cool you'll notice both coolant formula's consist of ethylene glycol (107-21-1), diethylene glycol (111-46-6) sodium 2-ethyl hexanoate (19766-89-3), sodium neodecanoate (31548-27-3) while exceeding or meeting ASTM D3306 and D4985. If you contact Prestone and ask about the similarities, they won't deny or confirm that the two coolants are the same or different. At least they didn't when I called a year or two ago.
Excellent video. I had no problems hearing you. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. My 2001 Buick LeSabre with the 3.8 engine is not generating the heat like it used to. I am going to change the thermostat as the first and cheapest option. (It has 180K on the engine, so it could use some newer parts anyway.)
Hello Question,I replace the water pump and the temp goes up close to the red line,I bleed the thermostat and still temp is up!what could I be doing wrong?
I myself anytime I change a thermostat I also drain and refill all the coolant. Also change the thermostat when changing the coolant. If my customers do not want that I will not guarantee the job. GM demands Dex-cool because of all the aluminum used in the manufacture of the engine and also it contains chemicals to protect and prolong the aluminum from corrision
you dont need to do any of this i do mine all the time with cold motor only loose maybe 3 drops thats why i put a towel around houseing ..never needed to bleed it
Well done video, I thought the process would be a lot more complicated. This vid helped a lot, but yea, I had a little trouble hearing and it wasn't totally clear where you blew air in the first time. Thanks for the help.
no harm. probably that's the easiest way. I usually just open it up and let it dump, blow a little away from the gasket seat, and clean it up and bolt it together.
@@YOUZTUBE2000 180 degree is perfect it's gonna kick in before the engine gets to hot and your meter finger will be sitting lower! Normal gas engines run at 210 degrees and never run into issues but if your thermostat goes bad it's just easier to take it down a notch! If you're in -30 weather all the time that 180 will still work
does the coolant always need to be flushed or drained, I have a Buick allure with no heat, she's not over heating & has lots of antifreeze, nothing leaking in the interior of the car, so I think heater core is o.k. only thing I can think of is thermostat. tell me what you might think. thanks so much for the video...
Flush or drain when needed. You need to feel the heater hoses and determine if one, or both are hot when the engine is up to temperature. that will tell you if coolant is flowing. If not, it's clogged. If they're both hot and still no heat, look into a blend door issue.
Very nice vid bro! I am no mechanic, don't have a lot of money, and I gotta get to work. You saved my rear end! just needed a new thermostat. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
What bolts are those that hold those down somehow after changing thermostat last year its needs done again and a bolt is missing and now idk how the hell its not leaking coolant but I'm afraid to touch it without a replacement
Thanks for explaining the thermostat & housing replacement. It helped a lot. I do have a question as to why you have regular(green) antifreeze in GM vehicle that requires Dex-Cool. The two coolants are not compatible and cause a chemical reaction which turn the coolant into Jello and clogs up the heater core, radiator, thermostat and small liquid paths in the block. Not a good idea. Just saying. This gives people who use Dex_cool a bad rap. I don't mix them. Never a good practice. Hope this helps.
I had an intake manifold leak about 8 years ago and the mechanic that did the repair said that the orange dexcool is corrosive to some components in the 2003 Pontiac Bonneville (including the original intake manifold seal). He flushed the whole system and replaced the dexcool with the regular (green) antifreeze.
Need help with my 07 Pontiac Grand Prix. Catalytic converter is making a loud rattle. It sputters when giving gas. Just had the transmission rebuilt. Also the ac is hot air. I believe I checked correctly with my gauge. And I didnt need R-134A. PLEASE HELP
The catalytic converter is likely clogged and needs replacement, after driving for a while at night check under the car and see if the catalytic converter is glowing red. You can also pull the upper o2 sensor and run it temporarily and see if it runs better.
Luckily you don't have the 1988-90 3 year run of the 3800 LN3 (3800) pre stage 1/ I'm on the 4th try of changing the thermostat and this time (so I can see what I'm doing), on my O-ring around the, "1", bolt thermostat housing, hose inlet. I'm taking off the throttle body &egr valve and connections and the throttle body and all other stuff stopping me from pulling the throttle body. I took a break, when I go back out there, I should have a clear vision shot of what I'm doing like you do with the 2 bolt housing of your thermostat change. I think or know I either damage or split the O-ring and can tell till it leaks. To top that off I broke off on of the nylon/plastic pipe nipples of the vacuum conn/ block that gets vacuum from the intake manifold from a cut out in the bottom of it and it deliver Vacuum to 5 things. there are none for sale so I will be traveling to a junkyard that has a LN3 from 88-90 year, to get a used plastic thing.
I have a question I have the regal with the same engine but it has the supercharger now does it matter if you put the 180 degree or the 195 degree thermostat I heard good and bad from using a lower thermostat so with that being said did you have any issues in your car by using a lower temp thermostat
Some are like that. You press down and turn. Mine isn't like that, it is a plastic cap. GM. Buick. 2008 lacrosse. If I close it too tight Sometimes, mine sticks. Have had to use a "C" clamp/ vise grips
+Nikki P if you aren't careful if that's an aluminum block the green coolant is going to eat through that block as well as the radiator and if it wasn't flushed properly to where the dex cool is mixed with the green coolant it increases corrosion of the aluminum.
+Clayton Folk the 3800 is a cast iron engine, but still I've seen Dex cool eat right through aluminum, all the time actually. It's no better. It's common for it to eat through the lower intake manifold, happened to my 06 grand Prix with Dex cool. Flushed it and used universal.
Dude.......pretty good vid. but you really need to speak up so we can hear you. I hardly understud anything you said. If you're going to narate the video you need to be heard.
Awesome... About to change the thermostat on my '96 Regal, and happened to come across this.. ~ B R I L L I A N T ~ I don't have a compressor so I'm going to try the compressor for my tires... I figure it should work just a bit slower..
The bleeder valve assembly is a 10mm bolt with a 7mm bleeder through it. The 10mm bolt is installed in the top of the housing, and the bleeder is installed in that bolt.
Venturi2012 the coolant spilled inside the car so the car didn't have coolant I didn't realize until I looked at my passenger side carpet it was all wet
my car is over heating in one block in -20 weather please we have tryed the stuff you poor in to fix leaks it wasn't that & coolant can it maybe need a thermostat?
Mizzfunny thermostat that is stuck closed would be my first guess. replace it and bleed the system. if that doesnt fix it you may have a worn out water pump or a clogged radiator. you could also have a blown headgasket allowing exhuast gases to get into the coolant system. dont ever use the stopleak, it wont fix anything and will clog systems.
a thermostat stuck closed will also cause it to overheat. To check for a blown head gasket open coolant box and smell if it smells like gas its blown, or if there is oil in it its blown, next check the tips of the spark plugs if they are fouled it can be an indication it is blown and will let you know what cylinder to focus on, or check the radiator if it has oil in it it is blown last check the oil if it is creamy it is blown. If all that checks out next get a compression test done on each cylinder. Usually if your over heating you want to start little first and work your way up. Check coolant levels, check hoses for leaks, change thermostat and CTS (in GM cars this sends a 5 volt reference to the ECM to turn on the fan if its bad the fan don't come on), change water pump (this causes over heating if it is old and worn), Turn A/C on max to confirm fan works if not replace fan, finally start looking into a head gasket kit if you can't find it. more than likely thats the problem but it's not common for these engines. Also a cracked head will mimic a blown H/G. And the LIM and UIM gaskets are known to leak on this engine if its a Series II which can mimic a H/G failure as well. Look into that as well as new Heater Hose elbows they crack and leak coolant. Last do not run it into the red. That will kill the engine. If you do have a blown H/G get it repaired ASAP because if you don't what happens is usually a bearing is spun and you can kiss the whole engine good bye because it will probably cause it to seize which then would require either a new engine or rebuilding your old one.
If you had service done to your cooling system where coolant was drained and refilled, air needs to be bled from the cooling system, otherwise air can get trapped and cause a blockage of coolant which can cause overheating.....There is a bleeder valve located on the thermostat housing on GM 3800 engines for this purpose. This is demonstrated in the video. If your coolant level is full, and your water pump and accessory belt is working properly, but you suddenly get only cold air out of the heater/defroster vents, and your temp gauge is spiking, air in the cooling system can be one possible cause.
I can definitely agree about the importance of bleeding the air after refilling coolant on a 3800. I changed the thermostat on my 2005 Impala 3800 recently and forgot to bleed the air. I have a 25 mile round trip interstate highway commute for work. On my way home, the temp gauge moved up to normal after a few miles, then suddenly without warning jumped up into the overheating range and I lost heat from my heater/ defroster. I made it home to discover coolant overflowing out of my overflow bottle yet my upper radiator hose was only slightly warm. Coolant was not circulating properly due to an air pocket in the cooling system. I refilled and burped the system after it cooled down.......The thermostat that I had installed is a 192 degree fail safe which has a small bypass valve in it that opens when overheating happens....The fail safe feature allows coolant to partially bypass the thermostat when coolant temp gets too high. When I drove the car afterwards, the temp would not get above 160 and I got a P0128 code for insufficient engine temperature because the fail safe thermostat was stuck open in safe mode and not allowing the car to warm up fully. So, I bought another themostat and wil put that in today and will make sure to bleed the system properly.
That looks like a 3800 series 2 engine. I have the series 3, and it says to use DexCool (the orange stuff to be specific). I think you used the wrong coolant, bud.
I have a 99 grand prix, same annoying thermometer, the three numbers given are 160-210-260. twelve increments between each means that 50 degrees divided by 12 gives us 4.16 deg. for each increment so that the first longer line after 160 deg is 185 deg. not 200. What you called about 192 deg. is actually just past 177deg or so. Just to clarify.
+Venturi2012 I agree with you that a calibrated tool will be more accurate then a dash gauge however, in your video you were referring to the dash gauge. Now because I had previously gone down that road I mentioned it. I did not mean to criticize your video, which was quite helpful.
Man so I watched ur video without using any air tools a all I did was clamp the hose and catch what little leaked out in a tray.I popped it off afterwords but i lost so little it almost wasn't worth buying a whole gallon of dexcool.
Well you need to get the coolant level below the thermostat or else you'll make a mess. You could just drain the radiator at the petcock like it's intended, the blow gun method was a shortcut really.
Dude this was an amazing video. I like how you even mention the step about the bleeder on the thermostat, even though you didn't really have to You earned a sub from me. If I was going to say anything, speak up a tad but yeah good shit man
If the coolant was dirty from before changing it it could have made the sensor dirty. Just lower the coolant level to below the sensor, remove it, and clean it. If that doesn't fix it then you might just need to replace the sensor altogether. Dexcool sludge likes to stick on them
There is a coolant level sensor right below the radiator cap area. Sometimes they get stuck off. If you can tap it and it shuts off when it's full, replace it. If it's full and you just want the light to stay off, unplug it, it should stay off, but you'll have to check the level yourself.
Pretty much correct. Although the thermostat opens rather slowly, air could still be in the heater core at the moment it first opens. Some cars are much harder to bleed the cooling systems and that wouldn't be true.
Venturi2012 I just did mine, my upper hose got hot then i closed the bleed valve plus i didn't really see any bubbles. If there is air in the radiator, do I need to bleed again or is it alright?
You want to get rid of the Dexcool after the Warranty Expires. There's a very good reason why it's called "DeathCool" or "DexKill"...IT'S GARBAGE! Better to use a Standard Green or a Red Extended Life (HOAT) Coolant!
Thank you for this video. My thermostat just went out on my 2000 Grand Prix and I don't know a damn thing about working on cars. I found this video and now the ol Pontiac is back on the road. Thank you.
You gotta be a mechanics/car guys son. I drove 3800’s when I was a kid too. They’re awesome. I had a ‘90 Olds 88 touring sedan..Recaro bucket seats/center console with horse shoe shifter. Bose sound system. ASC sunroof. Hella fog lights. Full gauge package and special handling and performance package. Factory lowering kit. Special 16inch low profile rims/tires. Unique badges all chrome trim blacked out. All came standard on touring sedan. Check em out coolest 3.8 cars ever to roam. I miss mine dearly...Black w/charcoal metallic on bottom and oxblood red interior.
Thanks for this, very helpful! The thermostat in my Dad's '99 Buick LeSabre had stuck open, no heat during the winter. Only different thing I did was, instead of using an air-compressor, I siphoned about 2-3quarts out of the radiator into a bottle using a hose. Watching your video gave me all the steps and detailed info I needed for draining, filling and bleeding to make it a quick, slick job. Thanks very much - Cheers! Bellarmine
bellarmine33 I’ve been froze every morning. Summer time. Death defying heat no ac
I tried the air tank/hose method, hadn't really thought of it before....and it worked great. A great shortcut. In fact, both my Grand Prix's thermostats went at the same time and I changed them in about 1 1/2 hours without having to crawl under the car, open the radiator valve and drain coolant. Thank for the great tip. I will pass this on to others and show them the link.
Why did you leave off the clamp on the wire next to the left bolt, is that some type of ground? Why Do you have to use air, can't I just put the thermostat in with out that process? Thank you
I just changed my thermostat and I was looking at the bleeder valve... Kicking myself now. Job is finished, drained the radiator... All done.
Do you videos on belt tensioner and coolant elbow replacement on a Buick LeSabre Custom, series 2. 3800? A friend uses The Works (toilet bowl cleaner) to clean out the overflow tank. I assume my thermostat is original since 2004. It’s at 178,000 miles
great trick. watched the video twice then was able to repeat the process myself
You mentioned that opening the radiator petcock to drain all the coolant out takes too long. I agree, but you only need to drain out a small amount to get the level below the t-stat. I think that won't take much longer than your method and there's no risk of system damage using compressed air. Also, GM recommends the 195 t-stat, why do you use the 180?
Most forums online seem to be unanimous that due to common overheating issues, 180 tends to perform better in the 3800 series 2
GM recommends the 195 because they want you in a GM certified shop getting it fixed when the 195 goes bad
Unless you have a 190° fail-safe thermostat --- its designed to lock in the open position when overheating occurs due to a failing cooling system component. This allows maximum coolant flow, thus preventing expensive engine damage. -- it's like $15
@@jacobjenkins7768 Not in mine, the 180* thermostat I just removed caused all sorts of issues as the temp never got up over 140*. I had codes for all sorts of stuff, and issues with the transmission shifting properly. Kept getting the dreaded P1811 code, along with numerous EVAP codes. I replaced your 180* thermostat with the ACDelco OEM 195* thermostat, and all of my codes vanished. Oh, I also have real heat now.
Well made videoi!! Lots of good tips. Thank you for posting.
Oooh, I like the draining/ lowering coolant trick!
I really liked the air gun trick for less mess and will use it tomorrow. Really good video with basic/easy to follow instructions. Just more volume and better view you would have the perfect video. Do a few more and apply those and i think youd have a really good channel.
anjetgrinding yes you can switch if you would like. I would actually recommend switching to a universal style coolant, which are often yellow or yellow-green. I switched because I didn't want any future problems with Dex cool. I flushed mine real well with a garden hose.
Venturi2012 If you take a look at a jug of Prestone's "all makes /all models" universal coolant and their version of Dex-Cool you'll notice both coolant formula's consist of ethylene glycol (107-21-1), diethylene glycol (111-46-6) sodium 2-ethyl hexanoate (19766-89-3), sodium neodecanoate (31548-27-3) while exceeding or meeting ASTM D3306 and D4985. If you contact Prestone and ask about the similarities, they won't deny or confirm that the two coolants are the same or different. At least they didn't when I called a year or two ago.
awesome simple, real clear easy to understand thanks.
Excellent video. I had no problems hearing you. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. My 2001 Buick LeSabre with the 3.8 engine is not generating the heat like it used to. I am going to change the thermostat as the first and cheapest option. (It has 180K on the engine, so it could use some newer parts anyway.)
Hello
Question,I replace the water pump and the temp goes up close to the red line,I bleed the thermostat and still temp is up!what could I be doing wrong?
I myself anytime I change a thermostat I also drain and refill all the coolant. Also change the thermostat when changing the coolant. If my customers do not want that I will not guarantee the job. GM demands Dex-cool because of all the aluminum used in the manufacture of the engine and also it contains chemicals to protect and prolong the aluminum from corrision
L
I had no problem hearing with headphones. good vid
you dont need to do any of this i do mine all the time with cold motor only loose maybe 3 drops thats why i put a towel around houseing ..never needed to bleed it
Well done video, I thought the process would be a lot more complicated. This vid helped a lot, but yea, I had a little trouble hearing and it wasn't totally clear where you blew air in the first time. Thanks for the help.
no harm. probably that's the easiest way. I usually just open it up and let it dump, blow a little away from the gasket seat, and clean it up and bolt it together.
Why did you go with a 180 degree stat instead of the oem 195 degree?
It's gonna keep the engine cooler
NiNeRs fo life Question: Is keeping your engine “cool” in the winter a priority, when you want strong heat? Just asking.
@@YOUZTUBE2000 180 degree is perfect it's gonna kick in before the engine gets to hot and your meter finger will be sitting lower! Normal gas engines run at 210 degrees and never run into issues but if your thermostat goes bad it's just easier to take it down a notch! If you're in -30 weather all the time that 180 will still work
Thanks for the compressed air tip!
do u have a video on how to clean/flush heater core, I have changed my thermostat few times, coolest is good,
You completely blocked out what you were doing with the air hose! Otherwise it would have been a good presentation.
does the coolant always need to be flushed or drained, I have a Buick allure with no heat, she's not over heating & has lots of antifreeze, nothing leaking in the interior of the car, so I think heater core is o.k. only thing I can think of is thermostat. tell me what you might think. thanks so much for the video...
Flush or drain when needed. You need to feel the heater hoses and determine if one, or both are hot when the engine is up to temperature. that will tell you if coolant is flowing. If not, it's clogged. If they're both hot and still no heat, look into a blend door issue.
john hawley j
This was a really good video! I have only changed thermostats on Subarus so I am glad I watched this.
Great
Very nice vid bro! I am no mechanic, don't have a lot of money, and I gotta get to work. You saved my rear end! just needed a new thermostat. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Very helpful and extremely easy to do after watching this... Thanks!!
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I hope you start a channel specifically for this motor lol.
very helpful and easy to do after watching this ......thanks
Good trick. Worked well on older buick. Thanks.
excellent video, I had the sound right up and could hear enough. Thanks!
Do you have a video of flushing the coolant and how can you tell.if your thermostat needs replacement
Man I need u as a neighbor. My park avenue needs a lot of work. U made it look easy.
your coolant is the green so its not the orange dexcool that gm request you use. is it ok to switch over?
thanks for the good instructions..
no!! it damages your system stick with gm dex cool
+marco arteaga You are full of it. If you don't know what you're talking about, don't bother responding.
anjetgrinding
What bolts are those that hold those down somehow after changing thermostat last year its needs done again and a bolt is missing and now idk how the hell its not leaking coolant but I'm afraid to touch it without a replacement
Torque to 15 foot pounds...
You had trouble getting the bolts loose because the extension is a bit too long. The longer the extension, the more torque you lose.
Thanks for explaining the thermostat & housing replacement. It helped a lot. I do have a question as to why you have regular(green) antifreeze in GM vehicle that requires Dex-Cool. The two coolants are not compatible and cause a chemical reaction which turn the coolant into Jello and clogs up the heater core, radiator, thermostat and small liquid paths in the block. Not a good idea. Just saying. This gives people who use Dex_cool a bad rap. I don't mix them. Never a good practice. Hope this helps.
I had an intake manifold leak about 8 years ago and the mechanic that did the repair said that the orange dexcool is corrosive to some components in the 2003 Pontiac Bonneville (including the original intake manifold seal). He flushed the whole system and replaced the dexcool with the regular (green) antifreeze.
Need help with my 07 Pontiac Grand Prix. Catalytic converter is making a loud rattle. It sputters when giving gas. Just had the transmission rebuilt. Also the ac is hot air. I believe I checked correctly with my gauge. And I didnt need R-134A. PLEASE HELP
The catalytic converter is likely clogged and needs replacement, after driving for a while at night check under the car and see if the catalytic converter is glowing red. You can also pull the upper o2 sensor and run it temporarily and see if it runs better.
Looks like you've taken your dexcool out as well.
Luckily you don't have the 1988-90 3 year run of the 3800 LN3 (3800) pre stage 1/ I'm on the 4th try of changing the thermostat and this time (so I can see what I'm doing), on my O-ring around the, "1", bolt thermostat housing, hose inlet. I'm taking off the throttle body &egr valve and connections and the throttle body and all other stuff stopping me from pulling the throttle body. I took a break, when I go back out there, I should have a clear vision shot of what I'm doing like you do with the 2 bolt housing of your thermostat change.
I think or know I either damage or split the O-ring and can tell till it leaks. To top that off I broke off on of the nylon/plastic pipe nipples of the vacuum conn/ block that gets vacuum from the intake manifold from a cut out in the bottom of it and it deliver Vacuum to 5 things. there are none for sale so I will be traveling to a junkyard that has a LN3 from 88-90 year, to get a used plastic thing.
Would it bleed itself of air eventually? Or would air stay trapped?
Do you need to put silicon or a gasket under the hose housing before putting it back on?
Thanks, i need this video for my PA 1995
I have a question I have the regal with the same engine but it has the supercharger now does it matter if you put the 180 degree or the 195 degree thermostat I heard good and bad from using a lower thermostat so with that being said did you have any issues in your car by using a lower temp thermostat
They make aluminum 3800 blocks? 🤔
no gasket for the thermostat housing???
Not on the 3 litre gm v6s
The rubber seal is the “gasket”.
It is a gasket.look at it before he puf it back smh
Is there a way to get the coolant out of the system like that without an air hose?
I have a very hard time unloosening my radiator cap , should I be pressing it down Hard first as I unscrew it
Some are like that. You press down and turn.
Mine isn't like that, it is a plastic cap. GM. Buick. 2008 lacrosse. If I close it too tight
Sometimes, mine sticks. Have had to use a "C" clamp/ vise grips
Nice tip with the air hose!
why are you using green coolant and not dex cool??
+marco arteaga Dex-cool can be harmful. Using universal is better imo.
+Nikki P if you aren't careful if that's an aluminum block the green coolant is going to eat through that block as well as the radiator and if it wasn't flushed properly to where the dex cool is mixed with the green coolant it increases corrosion of the aluminum.
+Clayton Folk the 3800 is a cast iron engine, but still I've seen Dex cool eat right through aluminum, all the time actually. It's no better. It's common for it to eat through the lower intake manifold, happened to my 06 grand Prix with Dex cool. Flushed it and used universal.
Why do I need to replace it every year??
I might suggest some anti seize lube for those thermostat housing bolts so you don’t fight it off next time
Dude.......pretty good vid. but you really need to speak up so we can hear you. I hardly understud anything you said. If you're going to narate the video you need to be heard.
I can hear and understand him just fine. I have more of a problem with loud mouths.
If you can, try adding narration in editing. Much easier than trying to talk and work.
Or turn up your volume
Or do it yourself and you wouldn't have to listen to him talk. Duh
@@YourLordTheSavior lol
Is the thermostat in the same palce
Does the engine have one
Changed the coolant in my car recently and I couldn't find it
where in the world were you blowing in air the first time?
+Matt Bennett The first time was in the bleeder screw on the top of the thermostat housing, 7mm.
Does this apply to supercharged 3800s too?
yes
Awesome...
About to change the thermostat on my '96 Regal, and happened to come across this..
~ B R I L L I A N T ~
I don't have a compressor so I'm going to try the compressor for my tires... I figure it should work just a bit slower..
Have you ever changed the radiator?
I couldn’t hear what are you removing with the 7 mm?
The bleeder valve assembly is a 10mm bolt with a 7mm bleeder through it. The 10mm bolt is installed in the top of the housing, and the bleeder is installed in that bolt.
What year is your Grand Prix GT?
thought 3.8 use dexcool.
is yours not aluminum head??
You can use dexcool or the green some people had bad experiences with dexcool so they flushed the system and replaced it with the green
Nice work. Good tips. Thanks for the video.
How long should the thermostat last ?
Hey my Grand Prix is overheating and it only blows cold air?
You need to check your coolant level and condition.
Venturi 2012 it was my heater core
Brenda Alejandro what was causing the overheating?
Venturi2012 the coolant spilled inside the car so the car didn't have coolant I didn't realize until I looked at my passenger side carpet it was all wet
Brenda Alejandro oh it was leaking, usually you notice a heater core leak way before your engine overheats.
my car is over heating in one block in -20 weather
please we have tryed the stuff you poor in to fix leaks it wasn't that & coolant can it maybe need a thermostat?
Mizzfunny same
Mizzfunny thermostat that is stuck closed would be my first guess. replace it and bleed the system. if that doesnt fix it you may have a worn out water pump or a clogged radiator. you could also have a blown headgasket allowing exhuast gases to get into the coolant system. dont ever use the stopleak, it wont fix anything and will clog systems.
do intake gaskets first before you blow the heads.
Y do my engine overheat after about 5 to 10 minutes of driving
possible blown head gasket. Not enough coolant in the radiator caused by a leak someplace in the system or just low on coolent
a thermostat stuck closed will also cause it to overheat.
To check for a blown head gasket open coolant box and smell if it smells like gas its blown, or if there is oil in it its blown, next check the tips of the spark plugs if they are fouled it can be an indication it is blown and will let you know what cylinder to focus on, or check the radiator if it has oil in it it is blown last check the oil if it is creamy it is blown. If all that checks out next get a compression test done on each cylinder.
Usually if your over heating you want to start little first and work your way up. Check coolant levels, check hoses for leaks, change thermostat and CTS (in GM cars this sends a 5 volt reference to the ECM to turn on the fan if its bad the fan don't come on), change water pump (this causes over heating if it is old and worn), Turn A/C on max to confirm fan works if not replace fan, finally start looking into a head gasket kit if you can't find it. more than likely thats the problem but it's not common for these engines.
Also a cracked head will mimic a blown H/G. And the LIM and UIM gaskets are known to leak on this engine if its a Series II which can mimic a H/G failure as well. Look into that as well as new Heater Hose elbows they crack and leak coolant.
Last do not run it into the red. That will kill the engine. If you do have a blown H/G get it repaired ASAP because if you don't what happens is usually a bearing is spun and you can kiss the whole engine good bye because it will probably cause it to seize which then would require either a new engine or rebuilding your old one.
If you had service done to your cooling system where coolant was drained and refilled, air needs to be bled from the cooling system, otherwise air can get trapped and cause a blockage of coolant which can cause overheating.....There is a bleeder valve located on the thermostat housing on GM 3800 engines for this purpose. This is demonstrated in the video.
If your coolant level is full, and your water pump and accessory belt is working properly, but you suddenly get only cold air out of the heater/defroster vents, and your temp gauge is spiking, air in the cooling system can be one possible cause.
could not hear you. No idea what you did with the bleeder screw.
Smart kid, great to see keep up the good work!
How much for your car?
I can definitely agree about the importance of bleeding the air after refilling coolant on a 3800.
I changed the thermostat on my 2005 Impala 3800 recently and forgot to bleed the air.
I have a 25 mile round trip interstate highway commute for work.
On my way home, the temp gauge moved up to normal after a few miles, then suddenly without warning jumped up into the overheating range and I lost heat from my heater/ defroster.
I made it home to discover coolant overflowing out of my overflow bottle yet my upper radiator hose was only slightly warm.
Coolant was not circulating properly due to an air pocket in the cooling system.
I refilled and burped the system after it cooled down.......The thermostat that I had installed is a 192 degree fail safe which has a small bypass valve in it that opens when overheating happens....The fail safe feature allows coolant to partially bypass the thermostat when coolant temp gets too high.
When I drove the car afterwards, the temp would not get above 160 and I got a P0128 code for insufficient engine temperature because the fail safe thermostat was stuck open in safe mode and not allowing the car to warm up fully.
So, I bought another themostat and wil put that in today and will make sure to bleed the system properly.
I will be able to follow along much better as my church brother fixes mine.Thank you
That looks like a 3800 series 2 engine. I have the series 3, and it says to use DexCool (the orange stuff to be specific). I think you used the wrong coolant, bud.
There's universal coolant that's green.
Excellent work.
Is there anyone who has a grand prix gxp? Anyone know how to change thermostat on a 5.3 motor? Please help
Look in the waterpump outlet neck.
Dose this work for 3100
Keep your extension shorter. The longer it is, the more torque you lose. Only make it as long as is needed.
Cood job Venturi!! Thanks so much or sharing!
I wish you would explain which of the hose has the thermostat inside the housing, the top or bottom hose.
+Gamal Mothersil I wish you would explain which of the hose has the thermostat inside the housing, the top or bottom hose connection on the engine.
He showed you which hose hosed the thermostat, lol, it's the top one!
Very helpful.
Thank you !!!!
I have a 99 grand prix, same annoying thermometer, the three numbers given are 160-210-260. twelve increments between each means that 50 degrees divided by 12 gives us 4.16 deg. for each increment so that the first longer line after 160 deg
is 185 deg. not 200. What you called about 192 deg. is actually just past 177deg or so. Just to clarify.
The increments have no real value to them. I've looked side by side with a scan tool to determine where my gauge falls for that area.
+Venturi2012 I agree with you that a calibrated tool will be more accurate then a dash gauge however, in your video you were referring to the dash gauge. Now because I had previously gone down that road I mentioned
it. I did not mean to criticize your video, which was quite helpful.
Does a new thermostat rattle ?
Erickson J absolutely not.
If it has the little valve in it, yes.
what did you put on the bolts?
I have synthetic 10-30 in the can. It's whats leftover from the 5 quart jug, the 3800 only takes 4.5 quarts.
Man so I watched ur video without using any air tools a all I did was clamp the hose and catch what little leaked out in a tray.I popped it off afterwords but i lost so little it almost wasn't worth buying a whole gallon of dexcool.
about to tackle my grand prix. I don't have an air hose like that. is it necessary? I have an air pump for my tires will that substitute? thanks
Well you need to get the coolant level below the thermostat or else you'll make a mess. You could just drain the radiator at the petcock like it's intended, the blow gun method was a shortcut really.
+Venturi2012 thanks so much!
Dude this was an amazing video. I like how you even mention the step about the bleeder on the thermostat, even though you didn't really have to
You earned a sub from me. If I was going to say anything, speak up a tad but yeah good shit man
*VERY smart idea !!!*
Way easier than my 1999 Buick Century 3100.
Have same car, low coolant light wont go off, changed engine coolant temperature sensor and thermostat light still on, what could be the problem?
If the coolant was dirty from before changing it it could have made the sensor dirty. Just lower the coolant level to below the sensor, remove it, and clean it. If that doesn't fix it then you might just need to replace the sensor altogether. Dexcool sludge likes to stick on them
There is a coolant level sensor right below the radiator cap area. Sometimes they get stuck off. If you can tap it and it shuts off when it's full, replace it. If it's full and you just want the light to stay off, unplug it, it should stay off, but you'll have to check the level yourself.
Thank you, great video!
Thank you ol buddy
It was really hard to hear you.
Good video but Ferris Bueller will need his jacket back
If the upper hose is hot, all the air is in the radiator...
Pretty much correct. Although the thermostat opens rather slowly, air could still be in the heater core at the moment it first opens. Some cars are much harder to bleed the cooling systems and that wouldn't be true.
Venturi2012 I just did mine, my upper hose got hot then i closed the bleed valve plus i didn't really see any bubbles. If there is air in the radiator, do I need to bleed again or is it alright?
mytube I'd just top off the radiator once it cools off. If just coolant comes out of the bleed valve, most of the air is out already
Good video ,Thanks
doesn't that require Dex Cool
nope
You want to get rid of the Dexcool after the Warranty Expires. There's a very good reason why it's called "DeathCool" or "DexKill"...IT'S GARBAGE! Better to use a Standard Green or a Red Extended Life (HOAT) Coolant!
You could have put up a headphones noise warning before you started blasting the air through my eardrums . ✌🏽
Thank You :)
I thought those bolts were going to break.