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Ok I am gonna have to bite the bullet here and see if anyone might have some advice or had the similar problem.  Have put my knowledge into it and cant figure it out.  My problem is this when I start the car it is fine then the temp guage goes all the way to H pegged.  Then drops.  Aight I added more coolant problem seemed to go away. Then came back found a hole in the radiator.  Okay stop leak temp fix that worked doesnt leak.  Now it seems to warm up like normal but just keeps warming up till it again hits H.  Then stays there for a bit then drops to a 1/4.  Then stays pretty good except in traffic thought the fan didnt work right still might not but with the a/c or defrost on I know its working so I keep them on,  dont really seem to cycle like it should but hey its working.  Still gets hot right off the bat I know that the thermostat is working cause I can feel the coolant in the upper hose.  May not be working right.  Tried changing the cap thought it may not be holding pressure allowing for the coolant to boil at a lower temp.  Didnt help.  Thinkin of changing the thermo.  But wanted to see if anyone had any other advice on this.  


One thing I have to say is I know I overheated it 3 times now but my baby still runs strong again another testimony to what I always say GM cars are great even if she goes now She did better than what most would of.

I'd put a new thermostat in it.

yea i agree put a new thermostate in

My car always used to run at 3/4 no matter what..even after new lines, hoses, water pump, a couple of complete system flushes, etc..

I threw in the 180 thermostat and now the highest it gets is a sliver past 1/2.

But don't follow the directions on the site!!!  DO NOT get the gasket for it.
The 180 thermostat will not fit with the gasket on, because it is quite a bit larger than the stock 195 degree thermostat. ÂÂÂ
The only way it can be installed is without a gasket.

Thanks Aly.  I plan to change that this weekend.  My family is coming down for Easter and my dad is bringing the scan tool.  Its so nice having one.  So I will let yall know what happens.

I'd say the stop leak stuff has started to clog the system up, after plugging the leak.

dont let it keep overheating, then you will have much bigger worries.

Maybe the coolant mixture is too weak?  You might try testing it.  50/50 is recommended, 60/40 is optimal.  If you use DEX-COOL a 50/50 mixture is best because it likes to coagulate with higher levels of coolant.  Make sure you use only clean, drinkable water in the mix (not distilled).  I would recommend a cooling system flush.

Good luck

-Jeff P.
'88 Beretta GT
'89 Beretta GT
'91 Beretta GT
'01 Bonneville SSEi

I did a flush and fill, my car never ran hot, rarly past the half mark. I used distilled water and installed a new themostat, the guage never gets past the quarter mark now. I always heard that distilled water is best because its more pure then drinking water, no minerals. Is there a reason not to use it? ive been running it like that for a month now with no problems. I would recomend getting a flush with the help of some cleaner. ABout DEX-COOL ive heard some not so great things about it, some say it can plug your cooling system afer awhile, but i dont have DEX-COOL in any of my cars so I dont know- always had good luck with the green stuff. If you let it run hot for too long you run the risk of burning the valves, or possibly warping or maybe even cracking the head.

       Good Luck

   -Joe G
 91 Beretta GT

OK changed the Thermo.  Still have a small problem overheats occasionally not really any consistancy to it.  Thinking it may be an air problem some air in the coolant.  Was gonna bleed the coolant but dont see how.  Usually there is a screw to do this somewhere on a line but none there not that I see anyone know if you can bleed it how to do it.  Little lost here the 89 2.8 was a little simpler of a setup.

Thermostat... possible, but not likely. I had the same trouble with mine, before i put the 3400 in. Turns out it was either a bad intake manifold gasket or a head gasket or cracked head. Not good news, but if you have a 3100, it's a common problem. Do tourself a favor, and swap a 3400 in. If you can find one for around 600 bucks, you'll save yourself money and time, being as it takes longer to change these gaskets than it does to swap engines. Heck, I saved 400 bucks and gained 40 horse! Good luck!

I suppose thats possible it just doesnt quite add up though.  I had a blown head gasket on my Cavalier and the symptoms are not the same.

Fixed it.  (Knock on wood).  As it turns out my hypothesis was right.  There was an air leak into the coolant system through the Radiator. This was closing once the engine would warm but it was allowing air to leak into the system and air moves through slower than water so the engine would get hot it would eventually clear the air out of the system the way it should automatically.  For all of you that might have a similar problem the bleader valve is on a black metal pipe that is right above the water pump open it till the air escapes you might be able to hear it then close it.

BTW, you should use distilled water

it really doesnt matter if you use distilled water or not.  Yes distilled is better but it really does not make a difference.  The only thing you would not want to use is mineral water.  as long as you use the right mix regular tap water will be sufficient.