Eagle Running HOT

I have a 96 Eagle Vision TSI with the 3.5L V-6 engine.

Yesterday I noticed that the temperature gage was on "H" and the smell of
burning anti-freeze.

Today I went to my local Monro service and was told that the coolant is OK,
but, there is a possibility of two problems.

One is that the thermostat is broken, however, I still have hot air coming
in to car.

The second is that there is a blockage somewhere in the cylinder head and\or
engine block.

Which seems to be the most likely problem, and the remedy for it.

And should I start printing money to pay for it

 

First off, how long did you drive the car when the needle was pegged on
"H"? If it was a considerable amount of time, you may have some serious
problems (i.e. blown head gaskets, warped heads). The first thing I
would replace or have replaced is the thermostat. This is a very common
thing to go bad in a lot of vehicles, and they are cheap to replace. You
still have hot air coming into the car because the engine is running
hot. I have seen a couple 3.0L mitsu engines have broken thermostats and
run extremely hot. You may want to check the oil and make sure there is
no white foam or milkey stuff mixed with the oil. If there is, you have
a bad head gasket(s). The next thing I would do is have the cooling
system flushed since you smelled burning antifreeze. It seems unlikely
that there would be a blockage in the head or block (but still a
possibility.) Hope this helps!