95 3100 GA Died!!!

[youngwun95gagt]

Flushed coolant and had some air bubbles causing the temperature guage to read incorrectly and cold air to come out of vent when turned onto heat. Well, that fixed this problem for a little while, then it came back, tried bleeding the line again, but this didn't work. So one day in a nice snow storm of course, the guages started jumping around, the tach and speedo went bizerk. Had the cold air again, and temperature guage went clear into red zone. So I'm like, ok, if I can just get it home, it can be cool. Well I didn't really make it that far, it died, and wouldn't start back up. It just made a clicking noise. I don't know what could be wrong. When I popped the hood, the cap was releasing a lot of pressure, and steam was escaping. I went back the next day and it still did it. Just clicked once when you tried to start it. I think it might need a new alternator and a starter, and might have a short somewhere in the electrical system. I don't know what could cause the overheating, any ideas?

[RLJ]

Have you checked the oil for coolant?

[geoffinbc]

If it wont turn over the crank may have siezed up. Take a wrench and see if it will turn by hand.

[jmgtp]

If it wont turn over the crank may have siezed up. Take a wrench and see if it will turn by hand.

True... but he mentions the gauges all went bezerk before it died. My car did this intermitently and it turned out to be a dead cell in the battery. I'd suspect either the alternator went bad and the battery drained dead or the battery itself is bad. What does the voltage gauge read with the key on? If you dont have a voltage gauge.... do the headlights or radio work? I'd really suspect battery/alt would solve this issue. As for the coolant, either you got lots of air and it needs to be bled, or you dont have the proper mix of antifreeze to water, a little steam when you open the pressure cap on a hot engine is sorta normal.

[youngwun95gagt]

If it wont turn over the crank may have siezed up. Take a wrench and see if it will turn by hand.

Yep, its locked up. Time for a new engine. Maybe that 3400 swap can come now. Wonder how much that engine will run me. This sucks, Im going to have save up for the swap now, and won't have a car in the meantime. This will be the 3rd engine in this car, I have some bad luck. Hope this 3400 runs better then the 3100's. Might just get rid of it and get a new ride.

[patgizz]

send me a PM with how much you want and some info, i am doing a 3100 swap to a 95 4 cyl grand am and it would be easier to start with a v6 car with a bad engine and swap into that.

[Manitcor]

i managed to swap in a 3400 for my 3100 for about $1200, it can be done for less

[Guest]

the same thing happened to mine after i blew my engine when i would try to start it and it just made a "click" sound..as it turns out i froze up the crank or a connecting rod.

[rawag77]

Before I knew I cracked my block, I couldn't turn the engine over and didn't know why. I pulled 3 of the sparkplugs and tried to start it. Coolant/oil sprayed everywhere due to the piston being filled with the stuff. Make sure you check your coolant and oil...

[PcRaider]

i know exactly what happened to your car. You had a blown head gasket, that explains for the high pressure in the coolant system also water in the oil. as for the motor dying, at that high of heat your motor oil breaks down and fails. their for your siezes up. I know this because i just got done tearing apart my 94 ga with the 3100 because of the same problem and found a blown head gasket and the one cyl was white *steam cleaned* the 3100 is almost garenteed to blow the head gasket at around 130,000 mainly because the coolant corroids away the gasket.
now, to fix it, i would just fix the motor, take the motor out, get it bored .30 to fix the siezeing problem, autozone and stuff already sell the right head gasket and rings for a 3.1/3100 bored .30 over. and put the motor back to together, im rebuilding my motor right now, mostly new stuff that i got from a another grand am with 40,000 miles, *blown bottom end* so my car is gona being seeing 200,000 with out a problem. and total cost is gona be around $500, atleast for me. dont know how much the shops around you would charge for boring and for new rings.

but that just what would i would do.
and if you want speed. street arsenal makes some nice stuff

[gpse3400]

Hydrolock.

[dbtk2]

I may be interested in the top-end of the motor if you are looking to sell it. (I need from the lower intake up)

Shawn