Oldsmobile/Buick: heater and defroster, damper pulley, degree thermostat

Question
Car is a 1990 Olds 88 V-6 3.8L  Car broke down on highway. Belt tore up and part of it rapped around damper pulley.Garage replaced timing sensor. For some reason, check engine light stays on and car never really warms up. No heat out of heater or defroster. Did not have this problem before.Water seems to circulate in radiator. Is there anything I can look at to check? Is there something in the computer that controls this? Garage wants another $60 to hook up to find out why check engine lights is on. Might he be able to find out why no heat through computer? Please give me any ideas or suggestions you may have.

Answer

Donald ,

A problem I myself have just repaired on my Olds. First and foremost the check engine light is something the garage is going to have to work out. I call those dummy lights because by the time they turn on your already sitting on the side of the road. When you start moving past the mid 80's that's where my expertise on Olds' kind of dwindles. The computers in the garage have diagnostics they could run to find out what the problem is.

Anyway, your problem is going to have to be your Thermostat .I can almost guarantee you that's what there little "puter" is going to say. When my olds wasn't warming, no vent, defrost or heater I instantly knew. I'm not too sure about the 1990 olds but I know I put a 180 degree thermostat in mine. These are almost a piece of cake to replace and shouldn't cost an arm or a leg if you want to get it done at the garage.

Honestly Don ask your garage if the problem could be the Thermostat. Dummy lights are not something I choose to deal with so ask to get the Thermostat done first.

Don you may also want to ask them to take a look at your helecoil and coolant switch. I really don't know if GM has modified their ways since the 80's but when I was getting ready for the winter with my olds I was surprised to see that both of these parts were broken. After repairing those parts my heater instantly worked.

Things the Thermostat, Helecoil and New coolant Switch relieved.

~No more luke warm air coming out of the defrost alone
~The vents started working again
~Heater worked just as good the day I bought it

Well Donald there you go , put this information in the back of your head and go speak with your garage . If maybe you get an "off the wall answer" or I didn't answer your question feel free to give me a ding. Don't forget to rate my response

Cheers,

Ed McKenna