2001 Saturn SL1 coolant

2001 SATURN SL1
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WATTY8164
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2001 Saturn SL1 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive 123,00 miles

When I start my vehicle, the the temp. gauge starts over heating, almost like 2to3 minutes after it starts. I would like to know if that's my water pump, or thermastat or even my head gasket going out. I also notice that i have to put radiator coolant in the vehcle about every 4to5 weeks (about a halve a gallon).
Dec 28, 2009 at 3:12 PM
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MERLIN2021
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Feel the radiator hose that goes to the thermostat, is it cold when the gauge climbs to hot? If yes replace thermostat, if it's hot, is there any white smoke comming from the exhaust? Last, have a cooling system pressure test done, if any small leaks are present, it will expose them. This will also find a bad waterpump. You can also buy a kit called a block test at the parts store, this will check for hydrocarbons in the antifreeze, this tells you that either a head gasket or cracked block is the problem.
If a head gasket is bad, radiator hoses will pressurize faster than normal.
Dec 28, 2009 at 3:24 PM