I just recently had some H/C put on my 02 Camaro SS so i can attend the F-Body Beach Bash in Myrtle Beach SC. I had to take the car back to the shop so they can fix up the cam surge and popping that following Monday. On the way to the shop,my engine coolant needle was pegging off the chart in the red.They found that I had a blown gasket in which they fixed up including the cylinder head that was warp also.After fixing all that,the engine coolant is still overheating in the RED.The shop is going to try a slight used radiator to see if the temp will go down.My concern is the motor done? Or What.I would like a complete rundown on everything that might be causing this overheating and the effect on the motor.If the radiator job on Monday doesn't fix the problem,what else may cause this overheating issue.I have a EWP that is working very well. I would like an complete A to Z rundown on everything that needs to be checked.

 

So this shop thinks your radiator all of sudden is bad? What do they think, its blocked inside or something, wasn't the cooling fine the day you brought the car in for the head/cam install?

Anyway, radiators don't just go bad. They either spring a leak or they get blocked up over many years and the temps slowly over time increase.

I'd say...take the radiator cap off when the engine is COLD....start it up and then wait for the t-stat to open and you can see the coolant inside the filler neck start to flow and HOPE the level drops way down. If it does, you just found an air pocket. Immediately top it off. Then wait again for the t-stat to open again, make sure its topped off again. Put the cap on and you should be good. I would try this first.
***While you are standing there waiting for it to warm up (about 10 minutes) so the t-stat will open, make sure you keep checking the temp gauge to make sure you're not sitting there overheating. Also, while you are waiting, squeeze the upper and lower radiator hoses rapidly about 20-30 times each, that will help push the air bubble on the engine side of the t-stat through.***

You might also have a stuck "closed" t-stat.

Or about 20 other things............

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I agree^^^ But how did the fill it? You cant fill it like a standard car. A air pocket will develope in the steam vents. I fill them from the water pump inlet just use a hose and pour till it dosent take any more. Then place the radiator hose on the water pump. then fill the radiator till it stops taking fluids. While u pour it bubbles will come out. It will fool you tho, pour fluids untlill it wont take anymore let it sit for 20 min and see if it drains down. if not crankthe car set heater on high if u have one and stare at it untill it gets to temp and pour untill it wont take anymore fluids. Onec its down allow car to cool and recheck. fill if nessary.

 

they may not be properly torquing the heads down

 

The coolant level was fine before and after the H/C was placed in the ride.That Monday i had some tint put on the ride. After i pick up the ride from this tint shop and drove it a little way, that's when i notice the coolant level needle was reading in the RED.I even went down to Myrtle Beach for a F-body Beach Bash car show after the H/C was placed in the ride and the coolant level was fine going down and coming back.Beside this air pockets issue or some sort of blockage in the radiator core and the radiator cap is wore out what can cause this overheating in my ride.What kind of damage this overheating can cause on the engine.

 

a head gasket upside down is always a possibility.....

 

The Focked up period. When shops are facing a situation like this they try to do whatever it takes to get out of it as cheap possible. Make big stink from the get go. They need to do a complete rebuild or longblock for you. You paid them for a service and they screwed it up, their problem not yours.

 

Heres one way to tell if the gasket is blown back to wards the coolant passage. Fill the radiator to the neck cold. Then start the car up with cap off. And if it immediately starts to push water out the radiator, you have a blown gasket or something my friend. No ands, ifs, Ares or buts about it. Water in a cold radiator should not start pushing out immediately on a cold engine. It is pushing out from combustion pressure and not heat expansion. But something as simple as a thermostat or coolant temp switch might be faulty. Are the fans running when it is in the hot? Good luck.

 

The shop fixed the blown head gasket issue.What other things that can be check out beside air pocket in the coolant system,radiator cap is toast or any other thing that need to be address.

 

there are only so many pieces to a cooling system. if you wanna know if its a thermostat issue take that bitch off and put it in a pot on the stove full of water and start addin heat. its gonna open or its not. if theirs no water movin really the water pump could be butthole or somethin. and also listen for the fans.

but if your temp needle was in the red your engine has gotten massively hot when my car blew the head gaskets it only went to the 3/4 needle and i had a diagnostic tool on it so it would show me the real temp and it was like 242 at its hottest and didnt have really a severely blown gasket they were just kinda eh. my advice is to go to the shop and have them do it gain because it is their fault cars with new head gaskets down just magically overheat without somethin goin very wrong. if you start ruling things out and it ends up being the head gaskets again make a big deal about it because its nothing you did and when it comes time for the heads to come off be there and see what the old gaskets look like. make sure they clean the gasket surface on the block and the heads the old gasket need to be gone. make sure they put it on right and torque it down properly.

 

KILLERARMY,

Another condiseration. Because we've seen this here a million times.
Just because the needle is going into the red, does NOT mean you are overheating at all. My engine in my 1998 will hardly stay running if the coolant temp sensor is bad. I believe the later year 4th Gens can run ok with a bad coolat temp sensor. Next time the needle goes into the red (or maybe don't wait that long), but at least well over the 220*F mark, pull over and pop the hood, see if the engine is really getting hot. If you can keep your hand on the lid or on the intake then your engine is not running hot. Bad sensor.

I lost a serpentine belt once while doing a hard top end run, I looked down and my temp needle was buried in the red. I couldn't touch anything under my hood, not for two seconds. It was friggin HOT.

I say this because you never mentioned boiling over of coolant or steam or anything else that shows an overheat situation. And a blown head gasket is sure to make the coolant boil over.......always happens. Air in the system from a bad gakset = lower boiling temps = boiling over of coolant.

Just a thought.

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