Oldsmobile Intrigue Coolant System Problems

glawless · July 2007

Our Intriques air was not working.We realized the radiator fans would not come on as the temp went up.Found out a $65.00 ground wire was lose.Saved us a $1,000 if had new air parts put.Make sure fans are coming on.

01intrigue · July 2007

I know about the 3.5 twin cam losing oil (although I am happy to not have that problem on our two intrigues), but my 2001 with 53K miles seems to lose coolant ever so slowly. Enough over 8 months or so to cause the low-coolant light to come on. My mechanic checked things out thoroughly 8 months ago and found no evidence of any leaks, and simply topped off the coolant. Now I just had to top it off with about 24-32 ounces of pre-mixed dex-cool prestone. Is there anything to look for that a mechanic might overlook? :confuse:

dtownfb · July 2007

I had the same situation in my 2000 Intrigue (144k miles). I normally have to add about 8 ounces to get over the "cool" line to the "hot" line. It seems to happen more in the cooler months. I ahven't had to add any in the past 3 months.

Since your mechanic gave it a thorough look over, I would not be as concerned but would continue to monitor the situation.

Have you had your coolant changed recently?

01intrigue · July 2007

I discovered tonite that the leak seems to be significant. Coolant looks to be leaking from the back-most hose that goes into the overflow container. It leaks onto the plastic container, pooling on the ledge below, and onto the valve for the air pump below. (It's the shorter hose from the engine to the metal connector to the engine.) The dealer just changed that valve a month ago, so I think they may have contributed to the problem. You have to remove the coolant tank to get at the valve (my brother replaced his a few months ago, so I know the dealer was in there.) I'll call the dealer tomorrow and see if they'll give me some dollar relief.

moonshadow · July 2007

Unless they cracked the barb connector on the tank, I wouldn't waste my time with a dealer.

That hose will leak after it has been removed. The barb connector has a large flare/barb at the end to keep the hose tight. The stupid spring clamp loses it spring after its been opened, especially if it was opened far enough to slide the clamp over the barb towards the engine instead of toward the tank.

The connector is about an 1 1/2 long with a metal internal piece for support. If the hose was not put back so that the barb meats the old bump inside the hose, then the hose will leak. Also have seen them were the hose fattens up at the end so the I.D. is larger over time.

Rotate and rock while you pull back on the hose, or you run the risk of cracking the connector at the tank. If you have bulging of the hose end, cut off a half inch of hose so that the barb has a new place to sit inside the hose and then install a proper screw tightening clamp. Or keep the old one there as well, the connector is long enough for two. Wetting the connector with coolant will help the hose slip on easier.

This takes maybe ten minutes, probably shorter than the time you will be on the phone fighting with the dealer. :P

cheers

01intrigue · July 2007

Turned out that the collant bottle was definitely cracked. I just took it to our mechanic, and he diagnosed it as a cracked plastic bottle. The Florida heat here really takes a toll on those things. With the new one (and without the $80 parts/$80 labor) I can now easily see the coolant level in the bottle. I'm sure the crack was caused partially by the dealer, but it's just not worth the trouble.

reemoe1 · November 2007

hi can someone please give some advise on draining coolant from the radiator.where in the heck is it. i found a white plug on the bottom "drivers side' but i can't get it loose. why is it so hard to get to.....

dtownfb · November 2007

It's a pain but if you remove the plastic protective shield, it makes it a litte easier. If I remember right, it takes a quarter turn (and a little wiggle). I also had a hard time with mine. Make sure you loosen the bleeder valve when you refill the radiator to release the air. Also if you don't drain the engine block, you'll only get have the coolant out. Don't be surprised if it only take 4 quarts of antifreeze.

cchlu · November 2007

I have a 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, I have recently discovered that the temperature is running too cold and the crankshaft censor has an error causing the car to stall while at red lights and more recently while slowing down to a stop or while making a turn. Does anyone know the easiest way to fix these problems or how much a garage will charge?

mike251 · January 2008

I have a 2000 intrigue, I replaced the water pump and now there seems to be air trapped in the system. I took it to a shop and they could only find one bleed value next to the radiator. they bled it out and added more coolant but it is still over heating a bit and you can hear what sounds like air pockets popping near the back of the engine, almost as if it were popping in the dash!? Any help would be greatly appreciated. :sick:

pacino · May 2008

I have the same problem Mike. Did you get yours fixed. Please let me know

dino

mike251 · May 2008

yes we fixed the water pump. You must use OEM water pump and OEM thermostat. I had originally purchased a water pump and thermostat from auto zone. After 4days and lots of coolant and money, I purchased the OEM parts and followed the following directions we found online from another man that had the same problem. I am a mechanic and I could not believe this was the process for changing a water pump. There is only one bleed air value and it is in the top left corner of the radiator on my car. Also the reservoir for the extra coolant is part of the pressurized system so if there is any kind of leak or like ours the cap was coming apart in 2 pieces you need a new one of those too. After we fixed the car we were still noticing a spike in temp. and ever now and then there was coolant on the garage floor. It was coming from the reserve coolant tank, replace OEM tank and refilled the entire system AGAIN and we have had no problems since.
Refill directions are below
Good luck.

CF Newbie

Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1

Vehicle Profile:
Year: 2001
Make: Oldsmobile
Model: INTRIGUE

Intrigue overheating problem solved!!

A little background: I have a 2001 Oldsmobile Intrigue with a 3.5 engine the water pump started to leak so I change it ,flushed the coolant system added new coolant and thats when the problem of overheating started.Prior to the new water pump there was no problem. I have the GM service manual so I followed the instructions to add coolant exactly and all the burping procedures this did not solve the overheating problem. Based on previous posts I did not want to start changing the thermotate,radiator etc,etc because they did not solve the problem, I suspected an air bubble so I decided to monitor the situation for a while and continually checking the bleed valve, after one month of driving I found the following:
1: The engine did not heat up as long as the revs were 2,000 rpm plus
2: When the temperature did get near the red line simply stopping the car and reving the engine dropped the needle to the midrange instantly
3: I found that driving at rpm's below 2,000 caused the overheat spike and when the revs went up the temperature gage came down, infact I could drive the car without overheating by shifting gears on the automatic transmission thereby keeping the revs up, THIS CONVINCED ME IT MUST BE AN AIR BUBBLE IN THE SYSTEM.
THE FIX:
I started from square one again which a few changes to the filling procedure:
1: drained the coolant you will get approximately 5 litres out of the pee cock(don't forget to open the rad bleed valve)
2:disconnect the top rad hose from the engine.
3:I cut the top heater hose(near the fire wall) and installed a "y" flushing adapter inline
4:I also connected a drain hose to the engine outlet (where I disconnected the top rad hose) I did this so as to not make a mess.
5:I connected a garden hose to the "y" flushing adapter I also used a ball cock valve to control the water flow.
6:I kept the cap on the surge tank.
7:turn on the water and watch the surge tank the water will start to rise you will be able to contol the level by regulating the flow from the hose. Regulate the flow so the water in the surge tank is about 3/4 full and just let the hose run keeping an eye on it so it does not over flow. Now turn your attention to the engine outflow.
8:You will probably see the water coming out in spurts or bubbles WHEN IT COMES OUT IN A CONTINEUS FLOW ALL THE AIRS OUT, you need the hose pressure toget the air out the water pump just cannot do it! Thats why this is such a common problem for the DIY guy.
9:also run the water until it is clean so as to get the right coolant mixture.
FILLING:
10: you will need to get 4.75 litres of anti freeze in the system for 50/50 mixture which can be a challenge.
11:shut the water off but do not disconnect, with the rad bleed open and the rad peecock closed add coolant thru top rad hose until it comes out of the bleed valve, you will probably get about 3 1/4 liters in the rad. close the bleed valve(I made a tool to open and close the bleeder. I ground 4 driving slots in a socket so I could use a ratchet wrench )
12: I added the balance of the antifreeze to the surge tank NOTE!!! the top rad hose is not connected to the engine so as you added antifreeze it will push out water this is what you want you need to add about 1 1/2 litre this way, you are adding a total of 4.75 litres of antifreeze to the system. CONNECT THE TOP RAD HOSE. the level in the surge tank will be below the cold level proceed as follows:
13:The garden hose should still be connected to the "y" flush adapter slowly add water to the system and watch the surge tank level when the fluid level reaches the cold level shut the water off and disconnect the hose. Seal the "y" adapter with the plug that comes with it:
14:ALL DONE run the engine a few cycles to mix the coolant and drive, drive ,drive,problem free.

pacino · May 2008

Thanks for the information Mike. Why do you have to use an OEM water pump and OEM thermostat and where do you get these parts from? I would realy appreciate a reply. thanks again

Dino

mike251 · May 2008

The coolant system in that car is a reverse flow system, because you will find the thermostat is near the bottom left coolant hose, instead of the top right where they typically are in other cars. The water pump I purchase from auto zone and the OEM parts that I ordered from a General Motors Dealership where different. There are little fan blades in the water pump and they did not look the same. The thermostat that we purchased from auto zone could not even be used because it was no where near the same as the one I pulled of the car! The thermostat that is on the car is one large piece that is all welded together, I had not seen a thermostat made that way before. There was also some holes on the OEM water pump that the other pump didnot have. When you order the parts from a dealership call a couple of them in your area if you can, we found some of them varied in price, but it will be more than you are used to paying if you were like us and shopped at auto zone.

@ I have ever had to fix.

Good Luck

pacino · May 2008

Thanks very much Mike. I'm still getting gurling in the heater core hose, when the car is idling, the temperature gauge is about half way with the heat off. When I turn the heat up, the temperature gauge jumps to around the 3/4 mark and it starts overheating. The only way the gauge comes down is when I rev up the engine. the radiator fans are working normally so I think I still have some air bubbles in the heater core. Which hose do I disconnect on the heater core to let the air out? Much appreciated if you can reply and tell me the procedure. Thanks again-hope to hear from you soon.

dino

mike251 · May 2008

I can not stress how important it is for you to buy real GM parts for this car. Remember it is cadillac v6 engine and no part from auto zone or Napa are going to fix this problem. This style of engine uses a reverse flow coolant system another words its coolant flows from the top of the engine to the bottom. Most cars are the opposite. The thermostat is located were the bottom hose of the radiator goes into the bottom side of the engine it is held in by two bolts. When you pull it out you will see that the Thermostat is 4 to 6 inches long. It cost about 50 dollars when you by it threw GM dealership. The water pump is just to the left of it and cost about 140 dollars threw the GM dealership. The impeller on the GM water pump has to holes on it that help get rid of the air and help keep the pressure up. The reason you can rev the engine and cool the car is because you build enough pressure in the system to overcome the thermostat spring tension and then coolant runs threw the radiator. Here lies the problem buying the pumps from autozone and Napa their pumps do not build enough pressure in the system to overcome the spring tension on the thermostat sitting at idle. Even though it is called a thermostat it more of pressure valve than a thermostat it opens more on pump pressure. Also since it is pressure coolant system it is very important that the reservoir is in very good shape including the cap. I had to buy a new one from GM which was 100 dollars. Now to bleeding the coolant system. No where on the engine is there any bleeder ports. So when I got on the internet I found a guy who devised a bleeding system for this car which works very good. You have to go to auto zone to get the T fitting that helps flush the coolant system. You cut the hose in half and stick this T fitting in between the cut hose pieces and this T fitting is now permantly part of your coolant system. The hose you cut is the hose coming from the heater core and going into the top of the engine. You will need to goto K- Mart or Wal-Mart to get a fitting for your garden hose to hook into the the T fitting. I had to cut my garden hose to install the fitting to connect to the T fitting. A Ball type valve fitting for your garden hose works the best. Connect the garden hose to the T fitting but don't open up the valve on the garden hose fitting. Remove the top Radiator hose going into the top of the engine and leave the hose connected to the radiator. Drain the radiator completely which the drain for it is at the bottom of the radiator Turn and pull out. When radiator is completely drained push in radiator drain and turn. Turn on water hose and open valve you will get a steady stream of water coming from the top of the engine. Monitor the reservoir so that you do not overfill the reservoir. You can let the reservoir fill up about 3/4 but adjust your water flow going into engine if it gets to high. Make sure you get all the air out of the engine block where it comes out of top of the engine. You should get a steady stream of water out of the top of the engine when the air is out. Shut valve going into T fitting and do not disconnect the water hose. Fill the radiator with 50/50 premixed antifreeze coolant From the top of the radiator hose. Have someone hold the radiator hose while you open the radiator reservoir cap. Fill the reservoir with premixed antifreeze until you get a steady stream of premixed antifreeze coming from top of engine. Put the reservoir cap back on and let reservoir level go below the cool line about an inch. Then hurry and connect the top radiator hose back on to the top of the engine. Make sure the clamp is on the radiator hose going into the top of the engine. Turn the hose water on and you will see the level in the reservoir rise. Let it rise to to cold line then shut valve going into T fitting and disconnect water hose but be quick you have to put the cap on the T fitting to keep the air out the water will start to shoot out the T fitting get the cap on as fast as possible. Then you are finished bleeding. Good luck do not skip any steps or buy cheap parts it will just cause frustration in the end. The popping or gurgling sound is the water boiling and not air. Make sure you get the right parts other wise you will spend 40 hrs on fixing the car like I did. I spent double the money because I bought the parts from Autozone and no matter what you do or how well you bleed the system it will always overheat until you buy the parts from the dealership. No cheap way around fixing this car you have to use OEM part "original equipment manufacturer parts".

dtownfb · June 2008

try www.gmpartsdirect.com or www.rockauto.com for parts. They sell genuine GM parts for much less then the dealer.

Mike351: Thanks for sharing your ordeal. That will help a bunch of folks who are having overheating issues.

pacino · June 2008

Thanks very much Mike. I did exactly what you told me and everything is now working fine. I want to thank you again and really appreciate your help and time. Keep in touch.

Dino

mike251 · June 2008

I am glad it worked out for you. I wish I would have had someone to help me. I was about ready to leave my car along the side of the road, but I couldn't I needed the stupid car for work. Also I didn't have the money to buy a new one. Only my wife knew how truely mad I got at this ridiculous coolant system. As a matter of fact she wore some of the coolant at one point in my frustration towards the car. Let me know when you have to change the alternator. That was quite the experience also I ended up replacing my radiator because I arc welded my wrench to it. Next time I will disconnect the battery.

dbrozak · August 2008

I was wondering how to flush the radiator. It's my son's car & he put in stop leak about 2 years ago & now there is a small leak. Should he put the stop leak in again & does he have to flush it before? The car has over 100,000 miles & he just wants to keep it until it is paid for. So he doesn't want to put a lot more money into it. Does anyone have any suggestions that could help. I think it is a small leak, because he is just going by the amount of coolant that is gone. But he doesn't know how to flush the radiator. Where is the drain plug located? Thanks for any help, it is really appreciated. Thanks Donna

mike251 · August 2008

Why do you want to flush the radiator? Where is the leak coming from? Don't put that leak stop fluid into the system it will just cause build up and component failure. You might want to take a good look at the water pump pulley on the L/H side of the engine looking aft. There is a weep hole behind the pulley which allows coolant to come out when the water pump seals fail. The water pump typically goes bad between 100,000 to 120,000 miles. Sincerely mike

dbrozak · August 2008

Mike, thank you for your response. But we have no idea where the water pump pulley is or where it is. Also how would we know that it is leaking from there? I know I probably sound stupid, but is there anyway to talk me thru where to find this & how to know if that is the problem? I guess if we can't do it then my son will have to take it to someone. But he is in school & doesn't have a lot of money. Would it be expensive to replace if we can't figure it out? Thanks Donna

mike251 · August 2008

Sorry if I confused you let me start with easier questions. Do you have any puddles of fluid under the car when the car sits? How much antifreeze do you put in it and how frequently do you have to add it. You might not have any problems right now. Does the car overheat guage stay below the half mark or is the needle near the the hot mark "H"? When you open the hood can you smell the antifreeze coolant? Does the serpentine belt look like it is slinging fluid? Sincerely mike

dbrozak · August 2008

Thanks Mike for responding so fast. I asked my son & he said today at work there was some coolant under his car. It was already dried & he did smell coolant. A guy at work said something about the sepentine belt & it was wet. So it looks like it is the water pump, I think that's what you called it. Is that expensive to replace? We have no idea how to do this stuff on our own & my son has already put a ton of money into this car. The only reason he still has it, is because he owes money on it. Any ideas? Thanks so much Donna

dbrozak · August 2008

Mike I forgot to tell you that the gauge is registering closer to the C. So atleast it is not overheating, Yet. Thanks Donna

mike251 · August 2008

Unfortunately fixing the coolant system on this car is not as easy as most cars. This car has a reverse flow coolant system and the only other car that I know of that has this coolant system is the corvette. This is not something I would try to tackle if you are not mechanically inclined. The parts for this coolant system must be OEM "original equipment manufactured parts". The pump and thermostat from GM cost me $203.00. The premixed Dexacoolant cost $10.00 dollars gallon. There is also a flush coolant adapter that you would need to bleed the system $5.00 at autozone. Do not by a pump and thermostat from autzone and don't let any mechanic tell you otherwise. It took me 30 to 40 hours to figure out the overheating problem on my car and that was because I bought my pump from autozone. The rebuilt pumps can not build enough pressure to keep the engine cool. Look at and read my early posts in May of 2008 another guy had the same problem and I helped him through it. If you know a person who is mechanically inclined ask him for help and follow the instructions in my early posts May of 2008. I would not recommend driving the car until you get this fixed as further driving could cause the engine to overheat and crack the engine block. I feel your pain and burden I have had my car since it had 20,000 miles on it. Between this year and last year I have spent a lot of time fixing my car It Cost me about $5000 dollars mainly because I put a transmission in it two weeks ago. But I have done several other things also all are things that come do between 100,000 and 120,000 miles. It beats having another car payment though. Plus I like my car. I am a mechanic but not for cars I fix airplanes. I just wanted to let you know that so that you don't think that I am leading you in the wrong direction. Sincerely mike

dtownfb · August 2008

Mike has given you all the correct information. Here's a link to a website that sells geunine GM parts. Looks like the water pump will only cost $75 plus shipping. I would find a mechanic that is wiling to install it for you. shouldn't take more then a couple hours. http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/catalog/frameset.cfm

I have a 2000 Olds Intrigue with 164k miles and still running strong. If your son keeps up with the maintenance and is not afraid to get his hands dirty under the hood, he can easily get another 40k-50k miles.

dbrozak · August 2008

Thanks for your message. The only problem my son doesn't know a lot about cars. So how do you suggest he starts, to keep his car running? He takes it for oil changes all the time. What else can he do? Thanks Donna

dbrozak · August 2008

Thanks Mike for all your help. My son took his car into his mechanic because it was leaking & it smelled on coolant. The mechanaic had it for a couple of days & told my son he could not get it to leak. I don't have any idea what is going on. It has been fine for a few days now. He is going crazy because he is going to be starting school & working & he doesn't need it to break down. What do you think is going on? I must say I feel much better flying knowing you are helping take care of the planes. Thanks for your help. Donna

donp9 · August 2008

Mike: Thanks for the info. Glad I read your post as I was looking to replace the water pump in my 2000 Intrigue (120,000 miles) just as preventative maintenance and was planning to go to Auto Zone or Checker auto for a replacement. I will now get the OEM part and likely save myself a great deal of grief.

dtownfb · August 2008

If the mechanic didn't find a leak, has your son been losing coolant since then?

As far as keeping up the Intrigue going, a lot of it has to do with educating yourself to the issues with this car and not being afraid to try to fix things yourself. I'm hardly a shadetree mechanic but I changed the ignitions switch about 3 months ago. Paid $100 for the part. would have costed about $400 at mechanic. The Intrigue is a nice vehicle but it does have 7 or 8 things that are almost guarenteed to go wrong during the life of the vehicle.

The thing that has really helped me is joining online forums like this where you have folks who are willing to share their knowledge.

kimphoto · October 2008

Help, I'm trying to replace the water pump and there is a bolt behind the power steering pully, I got a 98 olds intrigue 3.8L engine. Anyone can tell me the steps I need to remove the pump(s)?

fasstln · December 2008

Does anyone happen to have the part number for the 3.5L water pump?
Mine just started leaking in a BIG way.

Also, are there any gaskets that need to be replaced when replacing the water pump?

Thanks,

dtownfb · December 2008

Check www.rockauto.com or www.gmpartsdirect.com

both websites sell parts cheaper than the dealer. Each has an easy to search database to view the parts. I would check rockaut.com first.

fasstln · December 2008

I wanted to post the part number and such from GM Parts Direct.

19168613 water pump kit (with gasket)

The total cost was about $95, though I had to pay a NC state sales tax. GM Parts Direct offers low prices but then gets you on the shipping. They are located near my house, so why are they charging me $15 to ship this thing!? Oh well, still a heck of a lot cheaper than getting it from a stealership.

moonshadow · December 2008

12458115 gm # and of coarse there is a gasket and be aware that some bolts are longer than others.

13 bolts and 5 are long. I think.

water pump bolts to 124 inch lbs.

idler pulley bolt to 37 ft. lbs.

water pump pulley bolts to 106 inch lbs.

Added: old # has been has been replaced by a new part number

fasstln · January 2009

This ended up not being too bad of a job.
Drain the reservoir coolant and then remove the reservoir by (a) unscrewing the two bolts at the top of the shock mount, (b) disconnecting the hose near the thermostat, and (c) disconnecting the electrical sensor under the reservoir.

Now put a half-inch ratchet on the tensioner pulley and crank that bad boy over to release tension on the accessory belt (easiest to remove the belt from the top pulley). Be sure to note how the belt runs across the pulleys. Took me 45 minutes to put this back on because I couldn't remember the order it was in (should have taken a picture!).
You'll need to loosen the idler pulley and pull it out as far as you can (the bolt on mine was too long to completely remove it, but I only needed to get it out of the way) which will provide you enough space to remove some of the bolts on the water pump.
It is also easiest if you remove the 4 screws holding the water pump pulley on, which will also give you access to bolts for the water pump.

Now you just have to start taking the bolts off the water pump. There are a lot and you need to keep track in which holes the long bolts go and which ones have the shorter bolts.

Once you remove all of the bolts and pull the water pump off, you'll need to clean the engine block of any stuck-on gasket from the old water pump. A razor blade is best, but a flat head screwdriver would suffice.
Also, take a can of compressed air (like what you use to clean a computer keyboard) and blow out each of the bolt holes in case any gunk/debris fell in there upon removing the water pump.
The instructions said to put a little bit of gasket sealant on the new water pump gasket, so I used some RTV sealant for high-temperatures. It's probably meant for exhaust applications, but 200 degrees is pretty hot too.
I put some of the sealant on the new water pump, laid the new gasket on top, then put additional sealant on the new gasket (so the gasket now has sealant on both sides).
I put the new water pump and gasket on and then started threading all of the bolts.
Put the accessory belt back on, though now might be a good time to replace yours if necessary, and reinstall the coolant reservoir.
Go ahead and add some distilled water and Dex-Cool coolant to the reservoir and start the car with the cap OFF of the reservoir. Let the car get up to temperature and add more water/coolant as necessary. This should allow the system to burp out any air.
Finally, put the cap back on the reservoir and take it for a drive. Please note any low coolant lights on the instrument cluster or overheating. Since this is a closed system, it is probably important that the reservoir not be overfilled.

caputmedusa · January 2009

I have a 2000 olds intrigue with about 50000 miles on it.The thermostat gauge has been reading in the red, or very close to it, very frequently, although the coolant level is ok & the engine doesn't smell "hot". The gauge going up seems to be associated with a banging sound, which can also be felt, on the driver's side. The GM mechanic replaced the thermostat & bled the system, feeling that an air lock was causing the banging- the symptoms reappeared within 12 miles after leaving the garage. I haven't noticed that the performance of the car has been affected- that is, I still get 25-26 mpg. What is wrong? :confuse:

haguc · January 2009

So... my car recently started to leak a little bit of water after it was turned off each night. I am pretty sure it is the water pump because it has 135k on it and hasn'te been changed and seems to be coming from that general area. I am going to look into it closer. Additionally, this winter when it has been very cold (less that 15 degrees) the temperature on the car has been getting too hot. After reading the posts in this thread I believe it is because it is the original thermostat with poor design and when I do rev the motor it cools back down as described by other posters. So.. I am looking to get the parts to do it myself, but saw some posters were pretty picky about where to get the parts from.

I see the part numbers listed by others for the gmpartsdirect site for the water pump. I needed to get a water pump and the thermostat for my 01 with the 3.5, however, gmpartsdirect doesn't have the thermostat, they only have the water pump. rockauto has both of the parts, any suggestions on which one I should get as they have three different brands of thermostat (none listed as oem) and 7 water pumps (bosch listed as oem). It looks like the cheaper water pumps may just not come with the pulley, but that would come off the old pump anyway correct? Is the OEM truly the same as what I would get from the dealer or gmpartsdirect? Just want to make sure that the parts I get are going to work for me.

dtownfb · January 2009

I'm wondering if your car is not signaling the fans to come on when the tempeature comes on. Have your mechanic check this.

dtownfb · January 2009

Any of the aftermarket thermostats for the Intrigue should work fine. I believe they should be 180 degree. I haven't had to replace the water pump but all should have a warranty. I wouldn't buy the cheapest nor the most expensive. go for one of the pumps in the middle.

mike251 · January 2009

sorry there is only one thermostat you can buy and none of the after markets will do. Obviously you have not change one on this engine. The oem is the only way to go for this part. It is only 34 dollars through the dealership. Make sure you read the earlier posts for this coolant system. It is not the typical gm coolant system.

mike251 · January 2009

You have an air problem. Since you have a popping noise when the temp goes up. It needs to be fixed before you crack the head. If you use the manual shift 1 2 3 does the temp stay down. If you keep the rpms up by using the manual shift and the engine stays cooler then your pump might be bad or your system is not tight. See earlier post for more information about how to fix this that I have already wrote.

dtownfb · January 2009

Actually mike251, I changed the thermostat MYSELF this fall. I can go into a long dissertation about the difficulty of opening radiator drain valve (simple lift and turn, no tools necessary after all) and block drain (never was able to get it open) but I don't want to bore anyone. i purchased my thermostat from Advance Auto Parts. I believe the brand was Stant (had to go online to check it). I don't know if that is the OEM brand or not. GM changed the design of the thermostat before the 2000 model year. My 2000 Intrigue had the re-design one on it and was built in early fall of 1999.

mike251 · January 2009

Well I guess your engine is built different then most of the 2000 intrigues. Thanks for not boring anybody.

haguc · January 2009

Glad to see everyone agreeing

So... Mike... would you say that I should not get any of them that are offered by Rockauto.com? I am not sure which brand was used factory, but the pictures of all three of them (thermostats) look identical and would assume that the thermostats would be teh same. (hoses included as well as solid case/thermostat piece). I love saving money when I can, but at the same time I dont' want to get a part that is going to not work properly either. Thanks in advance for the help.

mike251 · January 2009

Do they look like the one you are taking off? I got one from autozone and it was nothing like the one I took off. It was a standard gm thermostat. The one I took off was part of the aluminum casting and was like 3 to 4 inches long. If it looks the same maybe, but I wouldn't do it. Just look at the car forums and the problems people have had with this coolant system. Is it really worth the headache it could cause. The other thing you could do is call gm dealer and get the P/N and see if it crosses over to the ones you are looking at.

dtownfb · January 2009

The original owner purchased it in October 1999 which means it was built earlier that late summer/fall. Not unless there was a special 3.5 L engine, I think it is the same. If you know differently, please share. I'm always looking to learn.

Looking at Rockauto.com, all 3 of the thermostats are the same. I used the one from Stant. It's hard to see the ACDelco (which is the OEM) since it is more a sketching than a picture and it's at a different angle. Since mike251 and i are disagreeing, you can always call Rock Auto and ask them. I know of others from a different forum who have contacted Rock Auto about parts and have received excellent service. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can purchase it from a GM dealer.

Good luck. If you need any other help with this project, please post.

ranita05 · April 2009

I have been trying to add antifreeze to my vehicle fruitlessly. I can't seem to get the little cap thing open. It looks like there's a screw on there. Help please!!??!!??

mike251 · April 2009

Is it your reservoir cap? If it is, mine came apart on me. The top part of the cap came off but there was still part of it stuck in the reservoir. Just take a flat blade screw driver and pry the piece out of there. Then stick the piece you pried off and stick it back in the cap. You can order a new one if you want to or you will probably have to pry it off each time you fill it.

olds409 · August 2009

Hello Guys,This is another problem for my Intrigue. My over flow tank was broke,Fine. Replaced it, fond head were leaking,added some head/radiator sealant now it wont crank.WHTF? Please help :mad:

Oldsmobile Intrigue Coolant System Problems

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