vinze28

my 93 v6 camaro is overheating. only once, havent driven it too far since. I filled up the coolant resevoir and i dont have any visible leaks, but its gradually getting hotter as i drive short distances and i can smell that hot coolant smell when i stop it. did a visible check with the water pump. no leaks. and none from the water neck or radiator. im thinking maybe the thermostat? help. thanks.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Stuck t-stat could certainly cause an overheat pretty fast, as in 10 minutes.

Did you check the coolant level in the radiator?

Fans working?

Is the coolant boiling over?

vinze28

coolants not boiling over. hasnt gotten that hot yet. and im not sure when the fan is supposed to turn on...im waiting for it to cool down to check the radiator level. when are the fans supposed to turn on?

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

When it cools down, kill two birds with one stone. Start it back up with the radiator cap still off. Start the engine and stand there and wait to see if the coolant starts to flow, about 5-10 minutes. If it doesn't and your temp guage gets up near 220, your t-stat is stuck closed. If it does open and starts to flow, I would top off the coolant, put the radiator cap back on and wait to see if your fans come on. If it keeps getting hotter, like past the 220 mark, and your fans don't come on, your fans are not working. If they do come on, carefully with your hand feel how hard they are both blowing.....then go turn the A/C on and see if both fans are now blowing at a higher setting.

Fans have high and low, and they go into those two speeds together. Have a friend stand there to see if the fans change speeds if you want. Feeling it with your hand is very noticable.

Fans are primarily used for stop and go city driving. They won't come on during highway driving when cruising steadily. The front air dam does the work on the highway

vinze28

i tried it but i dont think i waited long enough, so ima try again. but when i did do it. the coolant didnt do anything. it just sat in the radiator, so i think it might be the water pump. hope not, is it hard to change? im gonna try it again. and wait longer to see if the fans will start up. how do you know where 220 is?

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

water pumps don't stop pumping, they just leak when the seal gives way.

If its not flowing, then the t-stat is stuck closed. The only way to know if you reached 220 degrees exactly is to have a scanner hooked up to the car, but if you're temp guage is at 200, you can bet the actual temp is at about 230. I believe stock fans come on at 195, pretty sure but not positive.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

Wanna bet?
It did on my parent's old minivan years ago. Impeller broke off the shaft or something weird like that. It was a ford tho

His problem does sound like a bad thermostat to me though.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, I guess it can happen, but I have never heard of one of these doing that.


Best way to rule out the water pump is to take the t-stat out and put the housing back on and start the engine. The coolant should immediately start to flow. If it doesn't, then you have a broken shaft. But man, that would be the first one of this type I ever heard of.

vinze28

oh alright guys , thanks for the help...what will i need to take off the the housing for the t-stat? a torque wrench?

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

ratchet and socket. Don't mess up the o-ring or drop it.

vinze28

are you sure its not torqued down? i think im gonna just start with the t-stat its only like 9 bucks at kragen and just go from there.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

What? Do you mean with a torque wrench? Heck no. They are just snugged on with a ratchet.

To change the t-stat you have to take the two housing bolts out anyway.

vinze28

i know. but i tried to take em off one time on my truck...and they were hella tight on there. i just gave up. and yes i meant with a torque wrench. do you know where i can find a how to on this ****? with pics and what not.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

I can go take a pic of my housing if you want. Do you know where the housing is? Maybe your looking at the wrong part????

There's two bolts, across from each other.

Take the bastards out!

KENS_SS_4

Torque wrenches are used to put fasteners on. Not to take them off.
The holes should be clean the threads chased and the fastener prepared with any required thread lock or sealer. then install to the proper torque with a torque wrench.
Failure to do so voids any implied warranty that goes with my advice.

vinze28

i know what your talking about...the upper radiator hose leads right to the water neck and the thermostat is inside. right? is there a website or a spec sheet i can buy that tells me what to torque the bolts to?

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

There probably is a torque spec for it, but its meaningless. Just crank it on kind of tight. When the ratchet stops, give it like one more turn.

vinze28

cool. im gonna have to go pick it up tomorrow. how much is a good torque wrench? and was i right about where the t-stat is?

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Here's torque specs for everything, but I don't see t-stat housing bolts.
http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?category=1

The t-stat is under the tensioner, and yes the top radiator goes from the radiator to the t-stat housing. Don't know how much a torque wrench is. You don't need one, just tighten it to a medium level. I would have to guess 22 lbs.

vinze28

thanks man. ima print that **** an have it tattooed. haha. how do i know where 22 pounds is...owell **** im just gonna tighten the **** out of it. **** man, now im confused though. what do you mean its under the tensioner. dude if you took a pic it would really help me out.