overheating ls1
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Joined: May 2010
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From: Van Buren, Arkansas
overheating ls1 my car is a 2000 camaro ss and it has just recently started overheating when driving. i just changed the thermostat, coolant and belts and tried driving it again just to have it overheat again. any ideas on what my next plan of attack should be?
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From: rosemount,mn/windsor locks,ct
when i said flush, i meant changed the coolant? to bleed the air out of the system remove the hose on the front coolant crossover pipe and run engine until steady stream comes out of the hose. also i have to ask,did you route the serpentine belt the right way?
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If you have an air pocket, idle the engine with the cap off for a little bit. Once the coolant starts to rise in the radiator put the cap on and you should be fine. Also, take a look inside the radiator with the cap off while it's running and make sure you see coolant being returned from the engine. If there is no activity near the cap of the radiator then I would recommend replacing the water pump.
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Verdad Gallardo The hardest part is probably removing the radiator. The water pump is front and center of the engine with a large black pulley. I can send some instructions - PM your email address.
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From: rosemount,mn/windsor locks,ct
In traffic?
On the highway?
Only when you turn the A/C on?
Did this problem just start all of a sudden?
Are you losing coolant?
Is there coolant boiling over or blowing into your overflow reservoir?
Do you see any external leaks?
Don't waste you time and money right now changing a water pump, they always pump water, so the problem is NOT with the water pump. Unless your the 1 in a million who has a sheared water pump shaft. .....and the radiator does not have to come out to change it.
Answer those questions above.......but for now......
Here's how you diagnose this issue:
-Let the engine cool all the way.
-Take the rad cap off.
-Start the engine with the radiator cap off.
-Wait a good 10-15 minutes for the engine to heat up. The t-stat should open and coolant should visibly start to flow. ALSO, if there is air in there, the level will drop, not rise, when the t-stat opens. So top it off if it drops, immediately, don't wait at all. **Keep checking the temp guage to make sure you're not overheating while you're waiting for the t-stat to open.**
-If you do not see the coolant flowing you have a stuck t-stat....change it and you should be ok again.
-If the coolant does start to flow, then your t-stat and your water pump are fine. But the water pump may be leaking.
If the level did drop when the t-stat opened, that means you had air in the system. There's really only a few ways that can happen. Blown head gasket, bad radiator cap, or a leaking water pump or gasket.
Alot of times people simply need a new radiator cap. They get old and while your driving they cannot hold the ~18psi so they slowly **** out coolant, then when you shut the engine down and it starts to cool, it sucks in air. When that air pocket in the cooling system gets big enough, you will all of a sudden get hot.
The blown gasket allows air into the cooling system from the pistons on the upstroke pushing air in.
A leaking water pump or gasket allows air to get sucked in when the engine cools kind of like the bad radiator cap.
So it depends on whats going on........
.
Thread Starter
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 31
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From: Van Buren, Arkansas
i think i have fixed the problem.... i believe i had air in the system, i popped the cap and while the car was running the coolant level went down. i purchased a new cap and all is well. thanks guy for all the info!
