hey all, i'm new to the boards though i have been trolling around a bit ....you guys seem very knowledgable and i feel like i can trust you guys more than mechanics around here so here goes :

1998 3800 v6...bought about 6 months ago

couple months afterward, i found it was overheating, did it twice before i took it to the dealership, they told me i had cracked heads and a coolant leak that was gettin into places of my engine it wasn't supposed to...the guy seemed very shady and i didnt trust him, i took it to another shop and they told me it just needed a new fan and thermo...family problems occurred, and i was financially strapped for a couple months after that so the car sat in the driveway for a month or 2. So recently i start it up and figure i'd try to sell it as is so i drive it to the self-wash place and temp says around 175-185 (used to stay religiously at 215). So i get kind excited and get ballsy and take it on the freeway...hit 95 mph and still reads 185...i hear the fan kick in, my ac/heat works great...but now i feel a power decrease, it doesnt have the same get-up-and-go as before.

So my problems summarized: power loss, possible temp guage wrong??, and how do i know if the dealership was just screwing me over (anyway to check head damage myself? or a coolant leak myself?) thanks guys and i know its probably a lost car i just need to get it working reliable enough to go to school for another year and a half...

thanks all
dj

 

Oh and it makes a high pitched noise, sounds like its coming from the belt??? (semi-mechanically inclined but I dont know much about what everything is called =P) Higher rpm, higher and louder the noise is. Belt dressing makes it go away till it dries a little bit and it comes back

 

Replace Belt, it probably got stiff through the time you didn't drive it, several of my cars have done that...

Do a full tuneup, Coils / Wires / Spark Plugs / SeaFoam / Fuel Injector Cleaner / Air and Fuel Filters...

See if that helps any...