what can be causing my car to run hot

are the fans working? sometimes the temp sensor is bad

you too huh? this too has been bugging me, ive done all the above also, along with a compression test that prooved the head gaskets are okay. also both new temp sensors and new serpentine belt. i will let you know once i figure this out. and daniel y wouldnt the NEW fans be working?

did you flush out the system, sometimes the corrosion can impeded the transfer of heat to the coolant, and maybe just maybe the thermostats were put in backwards, and with newer cars the cooling system needs to be pressueized and bled to get rid of any air pockets

also check the a/c condensor for blockage....

problems like this ussually are not from just one thing, but a combination of many things over time

so this what i've done. cut the guts out of the thermostat (so i could still use the seal). so running no t stat kept it around 180. not too shabby, then all of a sudden the new CTS burned out. i left it. check engine light came on and put the car into "limp-home-mode" so the fans were on a constant high setting. i installed a new 195 t stat and a new temp sensor. bled it etc. started it up. what happened was just confusing and is where my question comes in. the Coolant Temp Sensor still didnt read on the dash. but when the engine hit 195 and the tstat opened. the CTS Read 195, the fans shut off and i couldnt get them to come back on? so to clearify. both engine cooling fans work, both have the capability to run on low setting and also high setting. the CTS is definitly working but i cant get the fans to run without turning the a/c on

A common cause of over heating the Pontiac V6 engine is a air bubble in the cooling system. Bleed out the air and make sure your reservoir cap is good. Go to GAOwnersClub.com for details and common repair DIY instructions.

http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/faq.php? faq=maint_repair#faq_cooling_serv

Grand ams are a peace of crap

I had just paid mine off and drove it from chicago to georgia, no problems. Couple months later i'm driving down the road, and lost acceleration, overheated. found a few problems here and there but tore apart the whole engine, replaced the push rods that got bent, all the seals, rebuilt the oil pump, replaced the ac pully, found hard water, still need to clear it out, but I had a crank sensor problem, got it to run finally and drove it about a mile before It died again pulling back into my driveway, now I'm having problems even getting it to turn over, Never getting another damn pontiac again -.-

What's sad is that's the short story, been trying to figure everything out for about 4 months now, I just saw someone towing theirs to the junkyard because they couldn't figure it out. Any help would be nice

why would the AC condenser be any part of the car over heating?? Dan

Head gasket 4 sure

I feel the pain. Mine is an 02 grand am Grand overheating has been the main problem since I got it. I had to put a whole new engine in it since it had a knock when I got it. The new engine required a head gasket, water pump t Stat radiator hoses and heater core hoses. Worked good for a while now it's overheating when idle and I can't figure out why, anti freeze shows no rust and oil has no fluid. When I Rev the engine it seems to cool back down. I took out the t Stat to see if that would stabilize the temp enough to get to work but I wasn't that lucky about to get rid of it if I can't fix this soon

Fans are turning on and the heater works too

Heater core wont let the water come pleat its cycle ..you can by pass it .every one so far has done every thing but that

My 2001 grand am is over. Heating. What do do think is wrong

this 3.4 engines are notorious for the lower intake gasket leaking coolant, bet that what most of these problems are

My daughter has a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am GT 6 cylinder and the car is not circulating the water properly which is making my car overheat even though she has a head gasket leak I've already changed one of the hoses that was like really really soft any other options could it be the thermostat not opening properly