Chevrolet Repair: 1995 Chevy Lumina LS, 1995 chevy lumina, head gasket problem

Question
My Chevy is an automatic, 3.1L and has a V-6 engine. It just started overheating and blowing cold air from the inside vents. I parked it because I didn't want to crack a head on it. All of the hoses look like they are in good repair. Tomorrow, I'm replacing the thermostat. If this doesn't do the trick what should I do next? Replace the pump, core or is there a relay for this? I'm used to my other Lumina it was a 1990. So, I really don't know what I should do next except leave it parked. My husband is not mechanically inclined in any shape or form.   Thanks, Emmy

Answer
Hi Emmy... yes a thermostat would be a place to start. bleeding the air from these afterwords can be a pain... a trick is after changing the stat is to remove the heater hose that is the higest on the engine and fill the heater core first re attach the hose and fill the rad and catch bottle. start car and bring up to temp see if you now have heat.if you don't allow to cool and repeate process. if you still don't have heat and it overheats check the waterpump... i have seen them have the impeller shaft broke inside the pump so the pully turns but not the impeller inside.if thats ok and still overheats then put a pressure gauge on the rad and run car. watch gauge if pressure builds really rapid and exceeds the pressure marked on the rad cap you may have a head gasket problem... hope this helps