69CuTlass S

hi there! my name is gavin and i bought my first car and it is an olds!!!!
i live in texas and i am having problems with my cutlass overheating. like ill drive it down to the store no more than 1mile like 10-12 min drive and then shut the motor off then when i get back in to drive it ( this is after no more than 5-6 min) my car wont start.

now me and my dad have replaced the fuel pump and that has seemed to fix the problem but i was just wanted other opinions on what this might be.

any help will be much appreciated!!!

Oldsguy

Welcome to CO Gavin. Be sure the car is tuned up correctly, including timing and that the vacuum advance functions. Another thing to look at is the coolant system, is it clean?, does it need to be flushed? Finally, is the fan shroud still there and does the fan work? A few pictures might help members figure your problem out and find a solution.

jaunty75

Your post is totally confusing. The title of the thread says "overheating problem," but you don't talk at all about that. Rather, you say that the car won't start after a 10 minute drive to the store, and that replacing the fuel pump fixed it.

So do you have a cooling system problem or not? You say it's overheating, but how do you KNOW this? "Hot" light goes on? Temperature gauge moves too high? Steam coming out from under the hood? Your only symptom was that the car wouldn't restart, which could be due to a million things, and you apparently found the problem and fixed it.

If replacing the fuel pump fixed your problem, how could the problem have been overheating, and do you actually still have a problem?

Lady72nRob71

Seems as if the oppressive heat down here really makes car owners come out of the woodwork with overheating topics. Welcome!

So what is the exact temperature you are seeing on your gauge?
Use an infrared thermometer on the engine to get a better reading and compare. This will tell you which way to go.

Just because it will not start, does not mean it is running too hot.
Now it sounds like you may have a heat soak problem, but the engine could be running at its designed temp...

What do you mean by will not start - it will crank over okay but not run OR does it not crank at all or cranks very slow? Too different problems with 2 different sets of causes.
Let us know some more details and we will go from there.

69CuTlass S

im a little confused myself on what is happening. i have a 160 degree thermometer in my car right now. the gauge goes over 200 and the hot light does come on. my car will crank over just fine like its going to start but it doesnt it cranks fast as usual but nothing. the old fuel pump had a hole in it, these are not my words, i took my cutlass down to an auto shop to get an oil change and they told me i had a bad fuel pump, like it had a hole or something. so my and my dad changed that and it seemed to fix the problem but i just want to be sure that its fixed

i have a 69 cutlass s, the temp gauge goes over 200 and when i turn it off and turn the key into the on position the hot light comes on, now ive started my car with the hot light on before but it took my a few tries.

i hope i cleared up any confusion im trying to b as clear as possible, any more details i need to give please just ask!! thank you for you help too!!

69CuTlass S

"oldsguy" yes i think the coolant i have is old or not as clean, i dont know much about my radiator, but yes i was thinking that it needs to be flushed and new coolant put in,

"jaunty75" yes the problem does still exist but not as bad

Lady72nRob71

Looks like you had gas getting pumped into the crankcase - a classic fuel pump diaphragm failure. Happened on my mom's 307 years ago. That is a separate issue though - not much to do with the problem you are experiencing with now.

Sounds like it might be running hot. Does it do this at highway cruising or just around town? Do you have a fan clutch? If so, when it is hot, there should be a distict roar and LOTS of hot air being blown from the fan. If the clutch is shot, then the fan will freewheel, and not move much.

Also make sure the rubber air seal under the bumper is there and fan shroud is in place. Correct radiator installed? make sure a PO may not have been cheap and put in a 2 row, just cause it fit in there. That was my issue.

If the starter gets too hot, it can draw excessive current and crank slow. Mine did that before I fixed the cooling problem. If you have a harbor freight or good hardware store nearby, pick up a cheap infrared thermometer to verify your engine's temp. It is a great tool.

What is the outside air temperature when the engine temp rises? If 100 or more, then the engine may run as hot as 210. That is not too far from the original design of 195, so not too big a deal. At 95, it should run under 200.
The light should come on at 248 or around there so we need to find out the exact temp of your engine. I have seen bad temp switches that close too soon.

jaunty75

I'm sorry I misunderstood your first email. It sounded like you had an overheating problem that you fixed by changing the fuel pump, which I thought sounded weird, but hey, what do I know.

I didn't realize you were talking about two different problems, and when you didn't give any details of the overheating problem, I assumed that was because it wasn't a problem any more.

69CuTlass S

sorry i wasnt specific about my problem, im kinda new at understanding this car stuff. but thank you for your help!!!!

69CuTlass S

"Lady72nRob71" i havent driven my car on the highway yet, i was just talking about driving up to my local kroger. I just started my car up today for the first time in maybe a week and it cranked over a bit slower so im assuming thats a result of the battery, not being charged by driving it? then my car usually get around 190-210 and right now in Keller, texas its about 95-100 degrees. when i bought the car the guy said that it was all orginal so i dont know if its the right radiator or not. ill get some pictures in a little.

what all can i take pictures of (that i dont have to remove any parts to get to) that can better help you understand my cars problem?

Oldsguy

Take a picture of the entire engine bay from front, right and left for a start. Take a picture of the dipstick oil as seen on a clean clothe, it should not look like a milkshake. Take a picture of the coolant in the radiator before the engine is hot or suck a little of it out with a turkey baster and take a picture of it in a clear glass. Take a picture of the carburetor with the air cleaner off, including the top of the engine with the vacuum lines et all showing. Those pictures may not help but they would be a starting point. Take a picture of the battery and the cables too.

Lady72nRob71

Sounds logical, but a week should not drain a good battery enough to do this. How old is the battery? If over 3 years old it might be normal.
Make sure the cables are tight and clear of corrosion. Make sure battery negative cable attached to the engine, not the frame.

This is something to check on, but not loose sleep over. Mine does the same at these temps, city and highway. Once the outside temp drops to 90 or so, then it will hold 185 or so just fine.
Being the cooling system was designed for 195* thermostat operation, the temps you are seeing are somewhat normal and many here experience that. Now over 210 is a reason to be concerned.

Pop the radiator cap off and look inside with a flashlight. You should see some hollow tubes, either 2, 3, or 4 rows of them. Which do you have?
Also, are they clear or plugged with grey junk? You may have to siphon out some coolant to see the tubes.

Aron Nance

Welcome to CO! As LadyRob says, pop the radiator cap, BUT DO IT WHEN IT'S COLD! If hot, could pop out when pressure released and cover your skin w/scalding water. You may/may not know this, as you seem to be a younger fan of Oldsmobile's, and new to the hobby. My 2 cents worth.

69CuTlass S

ok i just took my car to get a state inspection and they did a flush and fill on it and my old coolant was all grey and paste looking, the guy that did the flush said that there was a buch of gunk and rust in it. so that fixed the overheating problem. thanks for all the help!!

jaunty75

Sounds like what I see when I look in the bathroom mirror in the morning.


This would certainly cause cooling problems. Glad to hear that a flush and fill fixed the problem.

69oldsguy

Don't talk about your mirror that way. Just think about what it has to look at.

Warhead

That means it is a FINE TIME for a new thermostat, and water pump. I'd even go as far as a rodding out the radiator.
I'll bet my life savings that 25% of what you had to begin with, is STILL there.

My opinion,
good luck.

Go get him jaunty!!!
Jim

Lady72nRob71

Glad you are getting it under control.
You may want to change coolant more often to help get more of that crap out of there. A couple bottles of super cleaner with water can help during each change.
I hope he pulled the block drain plugs (if equipped) and flushed the heck out of the block. Sounds like some NASTY stuff in there!