Over Heating

[JPFTO]

Hi All,

I was already registered here but my login seems to have gone?

I have a 96 Black GPX, which I've had ten years. Bought it with 30k kms and now just tipped 231k kms. It's been a brill motor and only broken down three times. My problem today is it decided to over heat ( still got me home form Dublin to Wicklow though ). It was weird too, as the radiator was cool, the fans were on full and sitting idle it would take ages to get hot but would shoot up when I drove off to nearly full and then start to cool as i picked up speed. The motorway home was fine but stopping and starting it would over heat. So when I got home I looked under the bonnet and the bottom pulley didn't seem to be moving, it looked like a leak of some sort at the belt side of the engine behind the timing belt cover and a pool of something bang in the middle of the engine underneath. Not sure if it's oil or water. And steam was coming out from the drivers side wheel and bonnet.

DO you reckon it's 1. Head Gasket ( under the oil cap was ok, not sludgy although a bit of smoke when I opened it ) 2. Thermostat ( doesn't explain the leak) 3. Loose hose

I've no idea any help would be very much appreciated,

Ok here's an update - The water pump has died so it needs replacing and I might as well do the cam belt too.

John.