Coolant disappearing and foam like residue I'm resevoir

Asked by Flagz Dec 05, 2017 at 08:06 AM about the 1999 Pontiac Grand Am 4 Dr GT Sedan

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I got a 99 grand am GT with a 3.4L engine.
Recently got water pump replaced. Not 2 days
later, coolant was totally gone and there's a flame
like residue in the resevoir. Any guesses what that
might be? Already sunk 3 grand into this thing, and
I believe the mechanic is screwing me over
considering I've had to go back over and over for
the same repairs.

103,245

KenF answered 6 years ago

Ugh, you could have bought a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am for less than 3K, sometimes you gotta know when to walk away. You can check for leaks - hoses, water pump gasket, but a frothy mix in reservoir can be a sign of a bad head gasket. Anytime you're dealing with an older car or higher mileage car that's suffering from overheating or a poor cooling system, the first thing to check is that a head gasket isn't blown, because that right there determines if the car is worth fixing or not. For 3K I could have pulled the motor and rebuilt it. Tell this mechanic to make it right or start making some noise on your end.

1 people found this helpful.

Mark helpful