[Razorback1980]

Is it losing coolant? Blown head gasket will usually put compression in the radiator and blow the coolant out. Of course having oil in the cooling system will not help it run cool either. After you find and fix the problem, you definitely need to clean the radiator thoroughly. I took mine to a radiator shop for cleaning but you could probably do it at home as well. Blown oil cooler seals alone will not cause the car to run hot, but the oil in the radiator may keep the radiator from cooling as well as it should. Also make sure your cooling fans are running and working properly. Common problem with this car. In my Grand Prix when the head gasket went, I would see the temp needle go up and then when the pressure was released, the temp needle would drop back down some. This up and down movement by the gauge is definitely a sign of a blown head gasket. I also had to continuously put water in the cooling system. I could also see bubbles in the cooling system and it sounded like it was boiling after I shut the car off. Look at the plastic cooling tank to see if you see any compression coming back through there....but please do not open the cap hot.

Start by running a compression check on the engine. That will normally show a head gasket problem. Then I would check the cooling system to make sure the fans are working properly and the system is properly bled. If compression is as expected, I would replace the oil cooler seals and cleaning the cooling system and changing and flushing the oil. If that doesn't do it, of course it will most likely be the head gasket. If you see compression in the cooling system, then you may as well start with a head gasket and leave the oil cooler seals alone. Mine held up pretty well in my 86 but my 87 started leaking about 90,000 miles. When the 87's went, I elected to tear down my motor and replace all seals and bearings.