Pontiac Repair: Heat problems, intake manifold gasket, dual overhead cam

Question
I have a 2000 grand am.  When a try to turn on the heat there is just a small burst of warm air then it turns cold and won't heat up at all..what is the problem?

Answer
Hey Jay:

Well it could like it's an issue with the engine coolant either you have a thermostsat that is opening too soon or erraticly or you are low on coolant. What does the engine temp look like on the gauge? is it running cold or hot?  If it's a quad dual overhead cam engine they have water pump issues causing a leak in the system VERY common. The thermostat is under the pump in the rear of the engine compatment on that engine.  The V6 engine has water pump issues as well but not as often. That engine has lower intake manifold gasket issues causing a leak if bad enough they leak coolant into the engines crank case which is not good! the thermostat on that engine is under the throttle body assembly between the intake manifold and the exhaust cross over pipe. It's really tight to get to on that engine. Good luck.