Engine overheating
hope you figure it out cause seems you got one of those crazy story in the making.
i way i have fixed this on many ls1's and ls based engines is to pull the upper radiator hose off the metal elbow right by the throttle body, get a funnel and pour as much coolant as you can right into the water pump, as one of the previous posters suggested. This will give the water pump something to move and should be enough to work the remaining air out of the system.
hope you figure it out cause seems you got one of those crazy story in the making.

TO THE OP. dude according to others I have no idea what i am talking about so i would not listen to what i said about flushing the system or putting a stock pump back on. I am sorry for wasting others time. lol
Okay on a more serious note, 01ssreda4, chill big senior high count guy.
First off i have seen plenty of customers come to me saying they tested parts because guys on the internet taught them how to and in fact the part was bad. OP i am in no way saying you tested the thermostat wrong but what is the worst that could happen if you put another one in. flushing the system is a good idea so u can make sure your getting enough fluid in the system so you know that there is no large air pockets.
if you can pull the water pump off i would fill it with water and see if there is any water movement when you manually spin the pulley. it has worked for me in the past.
Last edited by ssfast99; Feb 4, 2010 at 06:36 PM.
That is all.
And to top this off ive run into a few more problems. I noticed there was a clicking coming from the driver valve cover which sounds like a loose rocker arm. Ive had loose rocker arm troubles before so its a distinct sound to me. Finally, I think i have an exhaust leak because I noticed that i was smelling exhaust in the engine bay and it started to sting my eyes. I also saw a little bit of smoke or something that looked like it was coming from near the header. But I just assumed it was a bit of coolant that may of dripped on it. This was also in my garage but with the door open, so the fumes possibly could have blown back in.

Thanks for all the replies guys, I appreciate your help.
You are 1 in a million, shafts don't shear very often...its rare.
You need a new pump and you'll be good.
DO NOT do any more top speed runs with that total piece of garbage GM design for a tensioner.....get a Katech. Also, you will throw belts if you smack the throttle real fast and hard...the stock tensioners cannot deal with acceleration either.
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The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Here are some pics:


I guess my next guess is that something is blocking it from pumping. Someone had told me that when the coolant got so hot it could have changed state and is now blocking coolant passages. Does this sound like a possibility? either that or my lower radiator hose is collapsed and just not letting the coolant flow to the engine. I guess my next idea is to just do a complete coolant flush and hope that works....
I also checked out the driver valve cover and all the rockers seemed tight. I noticed that when the guy towed it he had the chains up against the headers. So maybe that created an exhaust leak.
Here are some pics:


I guess my next guess is that something is blocking it from pumping. Someone had told me that when the coolant got so hot it could have changed state and is now blocking coolant passages. Does this sound like a possibility? either that or my lower radiator hose is collapsed and just not letting the coolant flow to the engine. I guess my next idea is to just do a complete coolant flush and hope that works....
I also checked out the driver valve cover and all the rockers seemed tight. I noticed that when the guy towed it he had the chains up against the headers. So maybe that created an exhaust leak.
I have never in my life heard of a hose collapsing. Sounds impossible as pressure in a cooling system builds up and will expand any rubber hose, not collapse it. 18 psi is alot of pressure to have a rubber hose stay closed off. BUT...I guess anything is possible.
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Katech tensioner is the only fix for that.
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one thing i forgot to ask also is ...is ur oil a milky peanut butter color? If so a good and easy indication of a blown head gasket craked motor or cracked or warped head.
Good luck





