95 Sonoma Overheats

I bought a 95 Sonoma new and after two years it started to overheat. I have spent many years and $$ doing repairs that the GM dealer said would resolve the problem. Repairs such as replacing the clutch fan (7 times), installing a clutch fan that was made for a larger engine and replacing the head gasket.

I have taken GM Canada and the dealerships to court and now they want to have the case thrown out unless I can find an 'expert' witness to speak about the defect.

Has anybody else had similar problems or can offer up an 'expert' or other proof.

Frustrated in Toronto. Perry

Reply to
Perry Missal
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Perry,

Were the following ever replaced?

1) Thermostat 2) Water pump 3) Coolant flush and refill.

Doc

Reply to
"Doc"

Reply to
Scott M

Yes, those items have been replaced as well.

Reply to
Perry Missal

Are you sure it actually over heats or could it be just the guage saying it over heats? Does it boil over or ???

Reply to
Scott M

are you loosing coolant or the gauge is just saying it hot when they replaced the head gaskets did they send off the heads to be checked?most likely they did but you never know most shops use a flow meter to see how much flow you have per min ask your dealer for this info.(the one who did the work)how long does it run before it overheats ?when it overheats is your AC on or off?

Reply to
Steve Cook

The engine will eventually overheat and lose fluid, I either have to pull over for the engine to cool down or drive with the heat on. It takes about

20-30 minutes before it will overheat. I will also ask the mechanic the question that you posed below. As for the AC, my truck does not have AC, but the last clutch fan that they installed was for a larger engine and I was told that it was for an engine that has AC.
Reply to
Perry Missal

ok sounds to me if your loosing fluid they eighter didnt check the head and it was warped which is making it leak or they didnt change your intake gaskets thus causing it to leak is there visible leakage? also pull off your oil cap does it look like a milkshake?meaning is there a light brown color on the cap which means there is water in your oil if there is i wouldnt run it much it will cause your crank to have problems who .long does it take to overheat?

Reply to
Steve Cook

ok didnt see they time in the last post see if there is water in your oil and if they replaced the intake gaskets if there is no visible leakage and there is water in the iol they screwed up

Reply to
Steve Cook

...

95 Sonoma Overheats Group: alt.trucks.chevy Date: Wed, Sep 24, 2003, 9:25pm (CDT+1) From: snipped-for-privacy@sympatico.ca (Perry=A0Missal) I bought a 95 Sonoma new and after two years it started to overheat. I have spent many years and $$ doing repairs that the GM dealer said would resolve the problem. Repairs such as replacing the clutch fan (7 times), installing a clutch fan that was made for a larger engine and replacing the head gasket. I have taken GM Canada and the dealerships to court and now they want to have the case thrown out unless I can find an 'expert' witness to speak about the defect. Has anybody else had similar problems or can offer up an 'expert' or other proof. Frustrated in Toronto. Perry

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Perry, I don't know about Canadian law, but hear in the states the "Lemon Law" would cover you if you have documentation that states the dealer couldn't resolve the issue in 3 attempts.

I would think that any reputable technician would be willing to state in a court of law, that issue could have, and should have been remedied by now. You may not find willing techs in your area if they feel a kinship with the dealer in question. Consider expertise from a neighboring township. The only big problem I could see in getting reputable technicians to go to court for you, would be their reluctance to loose wages for the court dates. So keep that in mind.

All this is under the assumption that you have a legitimate complaint.

As far as what could be causing the overheating problem.......I don't see the sense in even addressing it at this point. It's been eight years of frustration for YOU, so I don't believe you would even consider any advice that wasn't concrete and documented as a "pattern failure" for what your vehical is exhibiting.

I would suggest doing a post in here for Ian, he's a dealer tech and would be in a good position to tell you if your problem is a known defect. He's likely reading the thread already, but it wouldn't hurt if your needing good, sound advice from a tech that's in a position to give you some "insider" info, if any is available on your symptom.

good luck with your case, "if" it's justified

hopefully helpfull in some way,

Scrib Abell ~~wonders if this guy's truck is from the same gene pool as Doc's~~

Reply to
Scribb Abell

I had a small truck that did the same thing. It wasn't a Chevy, though. That was the first problem.

I wound up buying a brand new radiatior. When the radiator repair man took the top off of my old one he could put his finger through the copper strips inside. It was literally rotten. Have you replaced the radiator? I would say that should be the first thing to replace. The anit-freeze and water "oxidizes" the copper in there. After several years it is just not repairable.

Reply to
MD Phillips

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