LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

I need a lot of help asap

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Old 07-24-2012, 06:15 PM
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so it all started today when i was driving my car and noticed a smell coming from outside my car ...figured i was in traffic and didnt think it was my car but then my coolant level light came on and my temp gauge was on 0 and i pulled over. come to find out that the heater hose that comes right off the bottom of the water pump broke right. a better description would be where the first metal crimp is....looks like they were just glued on. well fast forward i get it towed home and get to autozone i get another hose that goes to the water pump and a heater hose connector piece as well....put it all together and fill it back up...2 jugs of coolant and i proceed to start it up. it starts up sounds fine no smoke out of the exhaust or anything but still no temp reading...i wait a couple minutes and then shut it off...look underneath of the car and nothing. so i take it down the road easy (still no temp reading but no other lights on the dash) and its running fine. so as i turn back around i get into boost around 4-5 gear up to 70mph pull in the driveway look down and there is coolant everywhere. so i drain it all out and clean up my mess....fixed that issue (overfilled the rad) and now i have no low coolant light or ses light but my temp gauge is still not reading right...i have no heat coming through my vents in the cabin and i am frustrated.
i could use any tips help or anything of the sort to get my lt1 running again.
Old 07-24-2012, 06:16 PM
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its a 96 camaro lt1 with a 355 vortech supercharged engine....this problem just came up this afternoon..
Old 07-24-2012, 06:24 PM
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and therer is smoke coming out of the valve cover as well but it does smell like oil...is that a big issue or is it something stupid..?
Old 07-24-2012, 08:34 PM
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Please someone help
Old 07-24-2012, 08:41 PM
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Air pocket? I would crawl under the car with LOTS of paper towels and clean up everything wet you see, then put a very large piece of cardboad under the car, fill it up with coolant, and let it idle for a while, while being diligent about checking over everything. Keep us posted.
Old 07-24-2012, 08:46 PM
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When the hose blew and you refilled it air 99% likely is still in the system now, causing your no heat through the vents thing/ or your heater core was already clogged.

Can you over fill the rad on these cars You either had to fill it with the car off and the coolant dropped when you started it or kept it running while the pump was allowing coolant to flow, but still can't really overfill it without spilling it everywhere. If your overflow was already filled then it's possible coolant backed up when it dumped into there. Did the rad cap blow off? or was it just lightly leaking? They can go bad.

The temp gauge I don't know, coolant possibly got into the wiring/ connection that feeds to your dash?

If the car over heated with all that coolant leaking, and your gauge wasn't functioning so not like you'd know? Then the head gasket could have went. IIRC this can cause the coolant to boil and blow out the rad cap/ over flow. So hopefully that didn't happen. Refill, re bleed. I'd do a leak down test on the cooling system before driving it again though
Old 07-24-2012, 10:27 PM
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It's not putting out white smoke on or off boost, oil looks fine n so does the oil level, but a side note I have a tube that goes from the back of the head on the passenger side to the radiator it's right below the cap, I see fluid come out of it once I fill up the radiator...is that a bad sign of a head gasket.?
Old 07-24-2012, 10:30 PM
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And I didn't have the car started when I refilled the radiator either so I might have that air pocket you speak of. My over full tank isn't full either it's at the regular level it should be at and I don't think water or any fluids could have gotten to the other side of the motor where the sensor is at. The fans come on as they should. How do I go about bleeding out the coolant system by the way?
Old 07-24-2012, 10:43 PM
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Like Bufmat said I'd dry everything, TRIPLE check all hose clamps are tight and everything connected right. Then start it and see what happens. There are alot of threads on bleeding the cooling system but basically when filling it keep the bleeder screws open until they start to leak coolant (you should here air escaping through them) Start the car and as it reaches operating temp open the valves (with rags below them) until pure coolant comes out.

If your temp gauge isn't working I'd be hesitate to run the car very long... after everything is re connected I WOULD suggest you rent a coolant pressure test from autozone, napa, ect you can verify the cooling system is holding and nothing else will blow, this will basically confirm or not too if you just have air in the system/ faulty rad cap or a more serious issue.
Old 07-25-2012, 06:09 PM
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Now it is smoking out of the holes on top of the valve cover I'm at a loss right now and don't know what to do
Old 07-25-2012, 06:17 PM
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STOP!

Check for coolant in the oil.
Old 07-25-2012, 06:35 PM
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There is no coolant in the oil nor oil in the coolant....Could the air bubble really be the cause of all of this????
Old 07-25-2012, 07:00 PM
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Perhaps. I've found it easier to bleed a LT1 car when the car is parked into a steep incline with the front much higher than the rear.

I'd fill the radiator, leave the cap off and start the engine. When the t-stat opens, the level in the radiator should drop and you'll see coolant coursing through. Top it off while reving the engine a bit and slap the radiator cap on. You can now fill the overflow tank to half way.

If you allow it to continue to run, the system will build up pressure. The radiator hoses should become hard. Check for leaks.
Old 07-25-2012, 07:13 PM
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The temp gauge wont read when there is an air pocket at the sending unit.You MUST bleed it or engine damage WILL result!
Old 07-25-2012, 08:30 PM
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I used the bleeder screw and left the cap off and it let air out that way but when I went to start it to try and bleed more out it shot coolant out where my radiator cap is suppose to be
Old 07-25-2012, 09:11 PM
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You can't have it open once it reaches operating temp or the coolant goes everywhere.

Last edited by 02v8ta; 07-25-2012 at 11:56 PM.
Old 07-25-2012, 10:08 PM
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it wasnt at operating temp. it was sitting for probably a hour and a half and was cool.
im guessing its a slight crack in the head gasket enough for air from the piston to get into the coolant and push fluid through...if it is in fact a head gasket i am selling the car as a whole procharger and fully built 355 along with it....sucks it was my first lt1 let alone my first muscle car but its been issue after issue and my pockets arent deep enough for such a heft project.
Old 07-25-2012, 11:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Lil'Felt
it wasnt at operating temp. it was sitting for probably a hour and a half and was cool.
im guessing its a slight crack in the head gasket enough for air from the piston to get into the coolant and push fluid through...if it is in fact a head gasket i am selling the car as a whole procharger and fully built 355 along with it....sucks it was my first lt1 let alone my first muscle car but its been issue after issue and my pockets arent deep enough for such a heft project.
Gave you a reply PM that should help you figure it out, but if not give me a deal i'm local ish
Old 07-26-2012, 07:32 AM
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Could a small crack in the head gasket cause these symptoms?
Old 07-26-2012, 07:36 AM
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A crack in a head gasket would cause oil and/or coolant to go where it's not supposed to. EG: Coolant in the oil; Coolant in the combustion chamber; Oil in the coolant.


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