Pontiac Repair: 1997 Pontiac Sunfire, temperature gage, head gasket

Question
I have a 1997 Pontiac Sunfire. I had a new headgasket put in a couple of months ago as car overheated and I drove it for about 15 minutes and something happened to headgasket. Now something weird is happening. The thermostat dial is going way up as high as it will go! And "check gages" comes on. I thought I had smelled something like antifreeze but not very strongly. So I thought maybe I was running out. It took a half bottle. After putting it in, I had to drive 4 miles to get home. By the time I was home, the gage had STILL gone way up to the highest it could go. The temperature gage that is. But the car does not overheat. If memory serves me, I had asked the place when they put in the new gasket if they changed the thermostat and I swear they said yes. This was a few months ago. I know I should take it to a mechanic and I know it could be a number of things, but until I get to a mechanic it would help me calm down a bit if I could get some feedback as to what it "might" be. Just an opinion. I can't get it to a mechanic for a couple of days. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Susan:

well if you smell coolant than maybe the heater core in the car is leaking and that is why it was low on coolant??? If not then you could have other things like another head gasket issue or the cylinder head was warped from you overheating it the first time around and it was never cought and it was put back together that was and now the new head gasket has failed dues to the fact that the cylindewr head is not "true" Or flat. a gasket can only make up for so much of a gap between parts in the gap is to big then the gasket will eventually fail again. Hope it's not that and it's just a heater core that's leaking. Good luck :)