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Those 3100/3400 V6 motors have a weird upper/lower intake manifold design that had issues holding coolant. My previous car, an ’01 Grand Prix (3100 V6) is sitting on jack stands because of the overheating issues getting worse and worse. If the lower manifold gaskets don’t seal it back up, you may be looking at warped heads.
I have been intending to put together a video series on this topic, since I haven’t seen many good videos on the topic, but so far I have only been able to put out a video on PCV valves. There is quite a lot to cover on oil consumption!
It sounds like GM did some clever engineering with that one. Automotive batteries settle at 12.6 volts (they have six 2.1 volt cells) when they aren’t being charged or drained, and are in good condition.
In an ideal situation, the battery is used to start the vehicle, and then the alternator takes over the supply of electricity. Traditionally, you need to constantly have a high voltage output to recharge the battery for the next start, but if you have a “smart” alternator, you can have it run at the higher voltage until the battery is charged, then run at 12.6 to 13 volts the rest of the drive. They may even run some pulse width modulation wizardry that a basic multimeter or dash board meter won’t pick up.
In theory, this could actually improve battery life, but batteries are never truly happy with anything.
Does the blower still work if you disconnect the blower motor resistor?
Small electronic parts are a very common area of concern when buying from an auto parts retailer; in my four years experience of working at one with a customer-friendly return policy, I have seen a ton of people try to return a part saying “it didn’t fix the issue”, but they have actually put the bad part in the box. They fix their problem for free, and the bad part ends up on the shelf, eventually in another customer’s hands. Some guys catch it, others don’t. If you got your resistor from a general retailer, you might want to exchange it if nothing else obvious shows up.
A short between the fan and resistor or a bad resistor seem like the most likely problem given your description. Some GM cars have really weird in-dash wiring, though, so it could be something you don’t expect.
I have replaced that pump on that car and it may be my least-favorite job under the hood so far.
For one, I believe that is one of those Ford pumps that use a different threading that most generic pulley remover/installer tools don’t quite fit.
I didn’t have this for that job, but I like to mix up some ATF and penetrating oil to clean both parts; the slightest hint of dirt and it won’t want to move in either direction.
I have never bought a new car and rarely go to them for parts (though, my GTO is proving quirky in the parts acquisition area and may change this down the road) but the few experiences I have had with them have been neutral. I have gone to them as a retailer, too, and seen how much the price drops for that scenario, so I try to use my connections there to keep from being stabbed in the wallet.
I have always been curious if the car companies themselves request/demand any level of customer service from their dealers, or if they are powerless in that regard. It seems like they would want their brand (which is raised high above nearly every dealer as if to say “we represent this brand”) to be associated with good customer service, but given how much federal and state governments let dealerships get away with, I imagine the manufacturers have very little say on the matter.
I used to work at AAP for a few years and we had to do free check engine light scans all day every day. For that, we didn’t have anything special, just an Actron scanner pulled right off the shelf. It took care of the basics and withstood heavy daily use for about two years. They have two or three in the $60 to $100 range, including the one I own myself (pre-Bosch buyout, I believe).
A good friend of mine uses a $20 phone app one, but I am not a fan of that or any of the phone ones I’ve seen. I’m sure there are good ones out there, though.