Will a faulty heater core cause my 1997 buick regal to overheat?

Hello all,


I have a1997 buick regal and noticed that the heater does not work. I also noticed my car making a boiling noise when I returned home today. I opened the hood and the car is overheating, resevoir tank very HOT about to boil over. However, the temperature gauge never made it past the 1/2 way mark.Any and all help will be appreciated, Thanks!|||it is possible your heater core has no fluid in it for heat to transfer. you may have a small leak, and the heater core is the high point, if the heater was in the open position the antifreeze could drain out first, and no, a heater core would not cause your car to overheat, I believe you have a leak somewhere, and your radiator is low on antifreeze, and blowing steam into your overflow, this will bring the fluid left in it to a boil sooner or later. often times a water pump bearing gets wear, and underneath your water pump is a weep hole, and it will let anti freeze through, this is a indication of impending water pump failure, you need to get underneath or have someone inspect you cooling system, as this is just one guess. In the morning, after the radiator is cool, open the cap and add water for now (if you have a leak, at 10.00 bucks a gallon or more, you can waste a lot of money really quick. If your radiator is really low, do not drive the car, your heads may be out of anti freeze already, and lack of fluid can damage and crack the head first. Its clear you have a problem, just not what it is yet. and if your overflow tank is staying full, then your cap is bad also so replace this as soon as you can, dont drive the car unless you are sure its full of water or antifreeze, its easy to get a big pocket of air, and overheating can happen even if the temp gauge does not, because the guage sensor is in the block, which may have fluid, but if there is no fluid in the heads, they can crack. or blow the head gasket. Check the oil too, make sure it is clear, clean oil, and not milky or foamy.


NEVER ADD COLD WATER TO A OVERHEATED MOTOR, ALWAYS LET THE MOTOR COOL, and its always a good time to change the thermostate when doing the water pump, and inspect all belts and hoses, including heater hoses, thourougly and replace anything that looks old, or is cracked or has weird bulges pushing out, or a fat section of hose, that looks odd compared to the others.|||If your cooling system is low on water (which is probably what's wrong here) the water pump cannot circulate the coolant, including into the heater core. Also, there's no coolant running against the temp probe fooling into thinking the temp is low. Flush and fill before you warp a head.