well i got a 89 sunbird gt turbo 2.0L 5spd..... and im having issues with the coolant/overheating and what not..... car sat for a year and a half... so i changed the oil cuz it was pretty milky looking, head gasket was just done before i bought it (like 3weeks ago) and it seems everytime i try to see if there is a problem some were in the system... i let it run for 15 mins or so till i get hots, maybe drive it around the block here and there to get everything moving around in there.... and the coolant goes into the overflow after i let it cool down, and the heater blows hot air inside, and the rad is not blocked or anything... and also on the temp gauge it doesn't seem to move, nor does the fan turn on, but i saw the fan turn on before i bought it, and my buddy said that the car doesn't run hot at all it has always ran cool since he has owned it....now im wondering if anyone knows if this would be just a big air pocket in the coolant system or if the head gasket is gone again.....also another thing my buddy was thinking the other day that maybe if the head gasket is gone that it might went because he forget to hook up the waste gate when he was fiddling with something on it and drove without the waste-gate hooked up for about half the day...... lemme know if any knows anything bout it or if ya need more info please i need help ASAP thanks Rob

What does the oil look like currently? Do you have a miss in it or not? Is the thermostat stuck open allowing the engine to get warm, but not acheive full operating temperature?(Mine will hit 140 max with the thermostat out according to my scan tool).) Is the coolant temperature sending unit hooked up or working properly? Do you get any smoke or steam out the exhaust? Do you get bubbles coming out through the overflow tank while the engine is running, especially when it is at operating temperature? Does the engine have a miss? Do you have a check engine light on? If so what codes? With this information it will be alot easier to help you diagnose if you have an issue with the head gasket or if it is something else.

ok well the oil seems to look ok now but still kinda creamy since the oil change but thats normal since u wont get all the milky crap out in the first oil change after, and ye si do get bubbles in the overflow tank while it runs at operating temp... and yes it does smoke a little bit outta the exhaust BUT i figured that cuz it winter here LOL... and by "miss" do you mean mis-fire if so no it doesnt seem it mis-fire at all......and no there are no engine check lights on either...and i dont know if the coolant temperature sending unit is hooked up or if it works properly... dunno how dunno anything about cars like these... mostly spent time under camaro's and jeeps and i also have a brand new thermostat but i have the old one cuz we checked to make sure it works and it works fine.....and it is a 195 degree.. any help would be great thanks Rob

check the temp sender for the guage / fan issue... though usually when the sender goes bad it defaults hot...

are you losing any antifreeze? if not, its probably not head gasket...

next time you change your oil and oil filter, use a system flush kit.... that should clean the system out better...

doesnt seem to be losing coolant at all, all though the more i add it seems to blow more into the overflow canister and i have to keep adding more and what not... and i dunno were to check the temp sender for the gauage, and for soem weird reason the fan doesnt turn on...... it did run before but not no more dunno were the fuse or relay is on the car either.....and the temp gauge thingy doesnt move it does but it only a LITTLE bit and thats it, buddy said it doesnt move unless it a HOTT summer day and ur beating on it and what not.... so i dunno im stumped and getting to the point wetre im going crazy!!!!im ready to kick a hole through the car....

Bubbles in the overflow tank (combustion gases leaking into the coolant) and steam out the exhaust are not a good sign. Neither is the fact that you have to keep adding antifreeze. Keep an eye on it. Ohh, did your friend do all the steps including turning the head bolts some more (I forget how much) after the engine was warmed up? If not you may want to consider redoing the head gasket job, which is a pretty easy one on the Sunbird. You definitely do not want the oil to stay "milky" looking since it can cause internal engine damage.

Rob Brown wrote:doesnt seem to be losing coolant at all, all though the more i add it seems to blow more into the overflow canister and i have to keep adding more and what not... and i dunno were to check the temp sender for the gauage, and for soem weird reason the fan doesnt turn on...... it did run before but not no more dunno were the fuse or relay is on the car either.....and the temp gauge thingy doesnt move it does but it only a LITTLE bit and thats it, buddy said it doesnt move unless it a HOTT summer day and ur beating on it and what not.... so i dunno im stumped and getting to the point wetre im going crazy!!!!im ready to kick a hole through the car....

Temp sender: im not sure where its at on your motor since i have a 2.2 ... but should be located near the thermostat.... if its bad, it will send faulty readings to your temp guage in the guage cluster in your dash ... it will also foobar the ECU's Ability to turn the fan on and off... (since it requires a temp reading to send a ground to the relay)

Temp Relay: It should be located next along the driver fender between the battery and strut tower...

temp relay = fan relay... my bad....

I think he needs a 2nd gen Haynes book or something. It would help if he had some idea what he was doing. First of all, you don't want to have any car running a lot without the cooling fan working. That's probably why your coolant is overflowing. I would fix that first, then check to make sure you don't have any other problems with your cooling system, and no leaks. Then after that, make sure the head gasket is good and no coolant in oil but if you've been driving around with milky looking oil I would prepare for some engine work.

Christopher McClenny wrote:I think he needs a 2nd gen Haynes book or something. It would help if he had some idea what he was doing. First of all, you don't want to have any car running a lot without the cooling fan working. That's probably why your coolant is overflowing. I would fix that first, then check to make sure you don't have any other problems with your cooling system, and no leaks. Then after that, make sure the head gasket is good and no coolant in oil but if you've been driving around with milky looking oil I would prepare for some engine work.

i agree but ... i have the second gen haynes book ... and it sucks ass when it comes to the motors... cause it covers 1st and second gens... and all the motors... 2.0 2.0 turbo 2.2 TBI 2.2 MPFI 3.1 ...

but i agree... no cooling fan will cause the coolent to boil back in to the resivoir ... the first thing i'd do is spin the fan with your hand (making sure the key is not in the ignition) ... if it spins easily, its probably not locked ... second thing i'd do is change the temp sender ... if that doesnt fix it, do the fan relay (i'd actually do both at once)... if that doesnt fix it... check your wiring from the fusible link => relay - from the fusebox => relay - and from the relay => fan... if all is good, it could be the ECU (though unlikely)... in any event, i'd cut out the relay, and run a new one (using the same wires), but ground out the one thats supposed to go to the ECU (causeing the fan to turn on when the key is in the ignition) --- at least you'll have a the fan running

The coolant temperature sensor is located just above the plastic piece that goes from the inlet side of the turbo to the air cleaner in the lower part of the thermostat housing. If you stand on the passenger side of the car and look down you will see it in the place I described.

If I had your car I would be looking at some possible major work on it though.

no i havent been driving around with the car i do have another vehicle, so the car is sitting in the driveway till i can get it fixed or figure out the problem......but i do have another motor for the car that was rebuilt and what not guy took it out cuz he thougth somethign happen to the cam but it was just loose bolt blah blah different can of worms i dont want to get in to.... anyway i wanna get it running and what not so i can etest it and get it insuranred then im gonna chage the motor in it in spring few months from now..... i will check the fan and the relay for it and what not, and also the temp swithc and @!#$ and see how i make out.... is there a way to see if the temp switch works properly ??

well i went out and checked to see were the fan relay thingy is and between my battery and strut is the windshield washer fluid LOL and the fans pins freely when u push it, which is a good sign so far i guess hehehe.....