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LS1 overheating need help!

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Old 06-18-2009, 07:18 PM
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Default LS1 overheating need help!

I bought this car about 2 weeks ago and it seemed to cool fine it would get a hair past 210 running on highway idling etc. But we have had a couple of hot days lately and it was about 70 two days ago I was running 75 on toll road and the temp gauge got a lil over halfway too 3/4 mark I glanced down and watched it and within 30 sec it went back to 210-215 so I thought nothing of it...after I got home and shut her down about 10 min later I heard a bunch of like gurgling from the coolent cap wondered if that was normal .Today it got to about 95 degrees in the city and car was running about 220 with the ac on max but on the way home going 75 on cruise it was running 225 with ac off so I kept my eye on it and with in 5-10 sec it shot up to 3/4 and almost to red I pulled off and let her sit for bout 3 min with hood closed and started her again and the gauge showed 3/4 and fluctuated between 220 and a little over 3/4 for the rest of the trip home. I got her home and checked coolant looked good and by the time I walked back to seat it was close to red again and fans came on on radiator whats going on?

Car has headers 243 heads chip exaust intake that wouldnt be enough to overwhem stock cooling? The car only has 24k on her.
Old 06-18-2009, 08:34 PM
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One cooling fan doesn't come on until 224 degrees and the other doesn't kick on till around 235 degrees. The gauges in these cars arn't anything but a dummy gauge, it will only read in about three positions. Did you check the coolant level?

The thermostat might be sticking a little bit.

You said you stopped for 3 mins to let it cool? All you did was heat soak the motor by only stopping for such a short amount of time. It takes quite a while to cool down a motor that is running hot. Probably around 20-30 mins.

I hope some of this helps, its hard to diagnose some problems over the internet.
Old 06-18-2009, 08:59 PM
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Ya I didnt sit to long cause I didnt really feel shutting it off was the answer. It was only of for probly 90sec. Both fans were running and gauge was just touching red. What are the fans controlled off of? same temp sender as the gauge?

I went and purchase a new tstat tonight and am getting ready to put her in does this system need bled? I am used to BMWs with bleed screws, If someone can walk me though the steps of bleeding if need that would be great I need the car tomm for work if at all possible!
Old 06-18-2009, 09:03 PM
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Change the T-stat and post back up if that doesn't fix it and we will go from there.
Old 06-18-2009, 09:18 PM
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Originally Posted by 99345hp
One cooling fan doesn't come on until 224 degrees and the other doesn't kick on till around 235 degrees.
thats the money answer.....mine would run 230 in traffic with the ac on. thats just what they run, it doesn't cause any problems.
Old 06-18-2009, 10:30 PM
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Well problem became clear after I removed T stat housing to find there wasnt one yes you read that right no tstat at all. I have gotten 2 tstats from 2 autoparts stores and neither of them fit the water pump the are 2 big. Guy even got a new waterpump out at autozone and the tstat I bought fit, so it must be aftermarket pump. The water pump has what looks like a flying w on it and the numbers 12673173 yet the radiator hose housing still says gm on it I will post pics in a few.
Old 06-18-2009, 10:49 PM
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Old 06-18-2009, 11:09 PM
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These car run hotter then the stock guage will have you believe. After having to replace my water pump (inner seals gave way) i started using my interceptor scan guage to read the coolant temp. It will fluctuate around 190 while cruising and around 220 to 230 while idleing for awhile. Thats just what these cars run. Dont pay any attention to the stock guage unless its in the red.
Old 06-18-2009, 11:23 PM
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I just orderd some mr gasket tstats hopefully they fit!
Old 06-24-2009, 02:20 PM
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Well they dont fit either (they are to deep) all I could find was a 195 degree drop in from some other gm car and Im thinking about replacing the water pump this is getting stupid any reccomendations for a water pump?
Old 06-24-2009, 02:28 PM
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Don't you hate when some jerk-off tried to beat the system and removes the t-stat, what an assclown.

Are you putting the t-stat into the housing? That housing should fit any LS1 t-stat. The water pump looks OEM. I don't know why the t-stats you're buying don't fit.

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Old 06-24-2009, 02:30 PM
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I only see one notch on that housing for the t-stat. Are there two notches across from each other?
Old 06-24-2009, 03:53 PM
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I tried 6 stats that came as the housing with the pipe the problem is (Id take a pic if I hadnt taken them all back) the posts that hold the Tstat assembly (springs etc) are too wide to fit into hole. If I could get one post in the water pump the stat was 15 degrees off center and other one wouldnt fit in, they were to wide. The stat that finally fit it was from some GM light truck. There is only the one notch in the housing I have. And my Mr gaskets were way deep (long) the would go bout halfway into pump and hit somthing.

Last edited by Hawk777th; 06-24-2009 at 03:58 PM.
Old 06-24-2009, 04:55 PM
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Man, I've never heard of this problem before.

Is that the factory LS1 housing?

I just looked at mine and noticed something I never noticed before. My t-stat housing, on top, says, "Motorad Germany" on it. My water pump looks a little bit different than yours too. In your picture where those numbers are all over the water pump, mine has nothing written on it. So maybe thats some aftermarket water pump that was made wrong and couldn't accommodate the factory t-stat. So the last owner just kept it out.

Are you saying though....that you cannot fit the t-stats into the housing? Or are you trying to put the t-stat into the water pump hole?

The t-stat mounts into the HOUSING, then its put into the water pump and bolted doen.


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Last edited by LS6427; 06-24-2009 at 05:01 PM.
Old 06-24-2009, 10:23 PM
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Wow thats crazy. It kinda makes you wonder how many times that car has overheated before you got it. I wish you the best of luck.
Old 06-25-2009, 09:38 AM
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You have the aftermarket tstat on your car the duralast and the checker stat was motorrad germany, the GM part said GM or was blank, Ive had them all. The tstat for the ls1 is all assembled into the pipe theres no way to get it apart. http://www.texas-speed.com/shop/item...mid=83&catid=5 They all come like the one in the link and cannot be taken apart (well you can but it all flies apart). http://www.exoticperformanceplus.com.../840472975.jpg theres a better pic of the tabs that hold the tstat assembly together that are to wide to go into hole on my water pump.

I dont beleive the car was overheated previously compression awsome, plugs looked good head gaskets good coolent looks great, as far as I know it was trailerd to the track and car shows by some guy who won the lotto. It only had 20k when I bought it.
Old 06-25-2009, 12:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Hawk777th
You have the aftermarket tstat on your car the duralast and the checker stat was motorrad germany, the GM part said GM or was blank, Ive had them all. The tstat for the ls1 is all assembled into the pipe theres no way to get it apart. http://www.texas-speed.com/shop/item...mid=83&catid=5 They all come like the one in the link and cannot be taken apart (well you can but it all flies apart). http://www.exoticperformanceplus.com.../840472975.jpg theres a better pic of the tabs that hold the tstat assembly together that are to wide to go into hole on my water pump.

I dont beleive the car was overheated previously compression awsome, plugs looked good head gaskets good coolent looks great, as far as I know it was trailerd to the track and car shows by some guy who won the lotto. It only had 20k when I bought it.
Mine has the two tabs like the second picture. You push down on the t-stat and turn it and it lets loose of those tabs. Then the t-stat is out and all in one piece. Nothing fly's apart. The t-stat is one solid piece that you can toss around, hold, put it in a pot of water to test it. Then pop it right back in. I do it every 6 months when I flush my coolant system.


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Old 06-25-2009, 08:28 PM
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you have the updated waterpump on the car that is why your housing looks different than a stock ls1. type in ls1 160 on ebay and look at speed inc. they have a exact pic of the 2 t -stat housings! hope this helps
Old 06-26-2009, 12:58 AM
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Updated? Did GM redesign it? Recall?
Old 06-26-2009, 02:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Hawk777th
Updated? Did GM redesign it? Recall?
I figured it out. You have the (wrong) t-stat housing for 04-08 LS2/LS3 and trucks.
Scroll down and you'll see it in the ebay link below. Right next to it is what you need. The housing that has the two tabs that stick out built onto the housing that you see is holding the t-stat on, is what you want. Those tabs are what the t-stat fits into.

You can even see how the part where the rubber hose attaches is different than the other one. You need 97-03 LS1/LS6.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LS1-L...Q5fAccessories

You need this one. BUT....call them to make sure you get the right one because you may have the new water pump. It says they have a guide to look at, but just call them.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1997-...Q5fAccessories


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