LT1 reverse cooling system not working
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 33
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From: Miami Beach
LT1 reverse cooling system not working Ok guy so i was driving on i-94 and all of a sudden i saw my temp gauge jump to 260, so i pulled over and my heater hose is disconnected and spitting out hot smoky coolant. i cut the control flow valve off and connected the heater hose back to the water pump. now the water is not circulating nor is my fans working, my water/coolant is not circulating. i checked to see if there was coolant i filled it all the way to the top and it just stays there. So right now i just have a barer engine with no working radiator, no working reverse cooling system, nothing that cools the engine works WTF 
please help somebody.
please help somebody. Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Miami Beach
I tryied bleeding the system and nothing came out, i also tried doing it while the engine was running and nothing came out. i filled coolant all the way till it got full and for about 30 it got bubbly like it air was coming out from there im not sure. im 19 and i dont know a lot about LT1's so i kinda need extra help. everything was working perfectly fine untill i broke the heater hose.
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Verdad Gallardo I tryied bleeding the system and nothing came out, i also tried doing it while the engine was running and nothing came out. i filled coolant all the way till it got full and for about 30 it got bubbly like it air was coming out from there im not sure. im 19 and i dont know a lot about LT1's so i kinda need extra help. everything was working perfectly fine untill i broke the heater hose.
thermostat is a possibilty especially along with the water pump
if the water pump is bad, coolant will likely be dripping out of the weep hole located on the bottom of the pump while the car is running. also try removing the thermostat and letting the car right for a while to see if anything changes, if so replace the thermostat, they're not expensive.
also if you're new with LT1s this site will serve like a bible and has helped tons of people like yourself. bookmark it and use it for refernece whenever needed.
http://www.shbox.com
http://www.shbox.com
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Miami Beach
yeah i dont think its the water pump because theres no leaking, how do you bleed the system properly? i was explained by someone else but i obviously didnt do it right because there was nothing coming out when i unpluged both bleeders.
thanks
thanks
No one has said it so I'll go ahead and say it. The radiator is the lowest point in the cooling system on 4th gens, so you need to jack up the front of the car by the crossmember. The only way I could bleed my 95 Z28 was jack up the nose of the car and run it for a while. Just make sure to not overheat it incase that isn't the problem.
BTW It wouldn't hurt to flush the coolant system as mine was nasty in my 95 but that's a whole different process
BTW It wouldn't hurt to flush the coolant system as mine was nasty in my 95 but that's a whole different process
here's an article on how to http://www.firebirdnation.com/forums...tem-on-an-lt1/
you will open them up and wait until water comes out, then close them basically but read the article for the full how-to
you will open them up and wait until water comes out, then close them basically but read the article for the full how-to
No one has said it so I'll go ahead and say it. The radiator is the lowest point in the cooling system on 4th gens, so you need to jack up the front of the car by the crossmember. The only way I could bleed my 95 Z28 was jack up the nose of the car and run it for a while. Just make sure to not overheat it incase that isn't the problem.
BTW It wouldn't hurt to flush the coolant system as mine was nasty in my 95 but that's a whole different process
BTW It wouldn't hurt to flush the coolant system as mine was nasty in my 95 but that's a whole different process
Common practice on the F-body no need to attack me. If the radiator is the lowest point of the cooling system where do you think the air is going to be trapped? But if you don't know much about how a cooling system works I could see your point.
I'd suggest looking at the thermostat/water pump. It's rare for the impeller to separate from pump but it does happen. I'd check the thermostat though as it's most likely.
all I can say is check the things I posted and go from there.
if the radiator is full and coolant still isn't circulating, first of all go to the parts store and make sure to get a thermostat for the lt1, then remove the thermostat housing, then fill the the engine with coolant from the thermostat housing, once you have put as much coolant as you can in from the thermostat housing, drop the new thermostat in and replace the housing.
also top the radiator off, now when you start your car the coolant level in the radiator should immediately go down, top it off again and put the cap on, let it run for a few minutes, while keeping an eye on the temp and open the bleeders periodically. Initially you should hear air escaping, especially from the bleeder on the heater hose, keep doing that until you have nothing but coolant escaping from the bleeders. Once the engine gets to 160 or 180 depending on the thermostat you put in, the coolant should start circulating fully and push the rest of the air into the radiator.
Sometimes i've been able to slowly open the radiator at this time to add more coolant but you should squeeze the radiator hoses beforehand to be sure too much pressure hasn't built up in the system yet. If you are able to take the cap off, before adding any more coolant you should see a nice even stream of antifreeze flowing into the radiator from the steam hose coming from the back of the heads, if not you have some other issues going on
also top the radiator off, now when you start your car the coolant level in the radiator should immediately go down, top it off again and put the cap on, let it run for a few minutes, while keeping an eye on the temp and open the bleeders periodically. Initially you should hear air escaping, especially from the bleeder on the heater hose, keep doing that until you have nothing but coolant escaping from the bleeders. Once the engine gets to 160 or 180 depending on the thermostat you put in, the coolant should start circulating fully and push the rest of the air into the radiator.
Sometimes i've been able to slowly open the radiator at this time to add more coolant but you should squeeze the radiator hoses beforehand to be sure too much pressure hasn't built up in the system yet. If you are able to take the cap off, before adding any more coolant you should see a nice even stream of antifreeze flowing into the radiator from the steam hose coming from the back of the heads, if not you have some other issues going on