running hotter then normal, any explanation?
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hey guys, ive got a 98 trans am that running between the middle andred zone, im guessing 235 degrees. i know its hotter then normal, and it also takes a while to warm up, but once its warm, itll stay at 210 for a while then creep up as i drive. what do you think could be causing it? i checked the coolant and it is at a good level also
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Originally Posted by 98sskidd
stuck thermostat possibly. change it and see if that helps.
But first verify that the fans are cutting on.
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also, when i was topping off th radiator, i ran it with the cap off and restarted it around 160 im guessing at which point the coolant was dead still in the radiator. at one point it all started pouring out so i shut the car off and it was just over 210. ive just never seen the coolant overflow like that, im guessing it probably puked out 2 liters worth
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I had something similar happen to my SS once. Warmed up normally, but then the temp kept climbing till it was getting near the red zone. Turned out it had hoovered up a piece of plastic somewhere and it was blocking off part of my radiator.
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Since ur already gunna replace the thermostat might as well flush out the system too. Make shure everything that in there gets out. Prestone makes that coolant flush, ive used it and it actually didnt do to bad in there. My 98 ss actually ran a little bit cooler after i flushed it.
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I dont think its a stuck thermostat. A bad thermostat generally causes you to overheat very quickly. More than likely with the symptoms you have its either a plugged radiator or a water pump starting to fail. Worse case scenerio is a combustion leak such as a blown head gasket. But maybe a thermostat will help. Its really hard to diagnose without actually seeing the car.
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i dont think its a combustion leak as it doesnt burn any coolant and there is no blowby at all, the car runs rally strong. ill check the radiator for debris, i cant believe i never thought of that
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well i just got under it and the radiator is free of any debris, so i guess im gonna start with a thermostat, then a waterpump if that doesnt work. is there a draincock on the radiator? id look but weve got an inch of snow on the ground
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I'd say thermostat but your say'n that it stays at 210 for awhile THEN jumps up a short time later. You might wanna check your fans bro and see if they're take'n a **** on you!
Try romp'n on the throttle once she's warmed up. When the temp creeps up pop the hood. Check out the fans,.....see if they're work'n properly! I dunno,....my thoughts are that one of your fans might be take'n a crap when the temps get high enough. What does everyone else think?....
Try romp'n on the throttle once she's warmed up. When the temp creeps up pop the hood. Check out the fans,.....see if they're work'n properly! I dunno,....my thoughts are that one of your fans might be take'n a crap when the temps get high enough. What does everyone else think?....
Last edited by WS6 Rampage; 02-28-2007 at 06:41 PM.
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Originally Posted by cjmatt
well i just got under it and the radiator is free of any debris, so i guess im gonna start with a thermostat, then a waterpump if that doesnt work. is there a draincock on the radiator? id look but weve got an inch of snow on the ground
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Originally Posted by RPM WS6
As I mentioned above, before you start replacing parts, make sure the fans are cutting on.
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Had the same problem with my 1998 z28. One day began running hotter than normal, but not overheating. I did not suspect my thermostat because they usually fail either dead open or dead closed. But, wtf, I put in a new one, and problem solved.
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