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I could use some suggestions to help troubleshoot this overheating problem before I overheat.
Symptoms - cold start to standard 210 indication on temp gauge normal rate of rise. Driving suburban traffic without a/c 20 minutes no problem.
Cold start with a/c on (a/c blows cold air no problem) temp rise to 210 normal, couple of minutes later temp gauge soars and MIL turns on.
Sounds like a fan right? Here's the twist. Shut off a/c, key off/engine on, temp back down to 210 immediately. Turn a/c on pegs the pgauge again instantly. Do key off/ engine on leaving a/c on and the temp gauge stays pegged.
I believe the fans should come on when the AC comes on. Let the car warm up to normal temp and see if the fans kick on when they should. If they do, then try it with the AC on and verify the fans come on.
Like already said, check for crap in the condenser and blow it out from the back.
If te car has any significant miles on it, and coolant has never been addressed, then see if coolant is low, or sludgy. My 95 with 60k mi had dexcool in it that would overheat when I autocrossed....this is what I found:
Drain plug completely pulled and NO coolant coming out:
Yummy:
Last edited by smitty2919; Aug 12, 2016 at 03:04 PM.
Thanks Guys - been on vacation for a few days. That's a pretty scary looking radiator pic!
I will take a look to see if something is blocking the condenser. Wouldn't that be a nice fix? The fans are definitely running when the A/C is on, the question is are they running on high or not?
So - it's been almost 2 months before I got around to looking at my overheating issue on my 2002 Camaro SS. I open the radiator cap and surprise, no coolant is visible! I start adding coolant and it takes close to 1 gallon to fill it, after I let it run until the thermostat opens and it burps a couple of times to get the trapped air out. Seems to be running fine now with and without a/c on, and there are no sign of any leaks! (of course it must be leaking - where else would the coolant go?) I was all set to do electrical troubleshooting and the issue was the most basic cooling problem - no coolant.
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2002 SS overheating help troubleshooting 
