A 1989 Buick Skylark with overheating problems?

the only thing that might be causing it ,,is the radiator is getting stopped up in the bottom of it,,this will cause the coolant to flow slower through it,,and it will cause it to over heat on you,,i own a repair shop,,and we do this kind of thing all the time,,it sounds like you have done everything else to it that could possibly cause it to heat up,,if it has an electric fan on it make sure it is coming on when it should,,other than that,,it would have to be the radiator,,they can look good but be really dirty in side,,i think you will find this to be the problem,,also make sure there is no dirt or debris in front of the radiator,,so the air can flow through it good,,this will make it run hot also,,good luck with it,,i hope this helps.

I believe that car has either a V6 or a 4 cylinder transverse engine. (All that fancy stuff means is your engine is mounted sideways.) If it is overheating under load, (going up hill, or at high speeds,) then the radiator cap is defective and needs to be replaced. If it overheats in town while standing still, then you electric fan is probably not coming on for some reason. It could be the relay, it could be the temperature switch, or it could be the fan motor itself. If everything is working fine, and the fan is working alright, and the cap and thermostat is working like they should, then it could be a blown head gasket or a cracked head. You don't always get water in the oil or oil in the water. Look to see if you are blowing white smoke out of your exhaust when you accelerate. If it does, then have that checked out. You could also have a bad water pump. Sometimes the impeller gets corroded, especially if the proper coolant mix is not maintained and then flushed and changed every other year.

The fan clutch or electric fan, whichever it has, could be the culprit. If it is a belt driven fan make sure the belt is tight enough and check the fanclutch to see if it is worn out. You can turn it by hand while the engine is off. If you spin it and it spins too freely the fanclutch is worn out. It shouldn't spin more than about one turn when you spin it. If it has an electric fan check to make sure the fan is coming on when the engine starts getting hot. If it's not coming on then you either have a bad temp sensor or a wiring problem. Also your radiator could just be dirty. Clean it at the car wash with a high pressure washer. Try to wash it out from just in front of the fan. Hope this helps.

a couple of things to check...on cars with electric fans, are they turning on, this should happen at about 230 degrees, cars with clutch fans..is the clutch working, they can be worn out and not pulling enough air through the rad. make sure that there is not anything blocking the front of the rad that would restrict the air flow. if the car has AC, leaves ect can get struck between the rad and ac condenser. Also, you should also make sure the rad is in good condition, the cooling fins are not green and weak and make sure rad is not clogged, this is best checked by a repair shop and last make sure your cap is good and you antifreeze mix is good, 50/50 antifreeze water mix

good luck

You forgot to state "when" the problem occures. Have you checked the electrical half of the system? Check all the connectors and related wiring such as the fan, fan relay, temp. sensor. If I remember right, this car does have fuel injection, therefor it may have issues as well. I think the computer controls the fan relay with the signal from the temp. sensor. To test the relay and fan, turn on the AC. That should override the sensors.

Is the car throwing any trouble codes? Make sure your timing and other ignition system components are within specs, and also check for an overly lean or rich condition, your car may be starving for fuel and that could cause the problem.

Also consider a bent or otherwise restricted exaust system, including the catylytic converter. (could have had a meltdown)

replace your thermostat and your radiator cap ,then do a flush and fill