Please help!!!!!
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Please help!!!!! I have a 94 camaro with a lt1 350. It was overheating so I removed the thermostat . I threw a check engine light 10mins after I started the car no thermostat .the car shut off and was hard to restart and I had to keep the Rpms up to keep it running. It won't stay running and is hard to start any ideas?
First of all......read the check engine light! The cooling system should NEVER cause the engine not to start unless you lost the temp gauge in the water pump. I would put the thermostat back in, and check that sensor in the water pump (or replace it) first. Then try this all over again. If it starts and runs, make sure you bleed your system properly, then see if it still overheats.
If it still wont stay running, you need to look and see if there is any coolant in the oil, or oil in the coolant, and see if there is any smoke coming from the tailpipe...could be a head gasket. How bad did you let it overheat before you pulled the Tstat? Did it overheat when you pulled the Tstat?
If it still wont stay running, you need to look and see if there is any coolant in the oil, or oil in the coolant, and see if there is any smoke coming from the tailpipe...could be a head gasket. How bad did you let it overheat before you pulled the Tstat? Did it overheat when you pulled the Tstat?
If your car is overheating (for sure) removing the thermostat won't fix it. There's a problem elsewhere and thinking that removing the thermostat will be a fix will only make the problem worse.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,740
Likes: 2
From: Nebraska
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you probably dumped anti-freeze all over the Opti when you pulled the thermostat. Now you probably have the dreaded Opti code and that's why it runs like ****. You're probably going to end up replacing it or at least taking it apart to dry it out. If you're lucky, it will dry out on it's own and be fine.
Then you're going to have to figure out why it got hot in the first place.
Then you're going to have to figure out why it got hot in the first place.
Concentrate on the cooling system. What I would do is fill the system and bleed it properly. Do a search on this forum on how to fill the cooling system. Rent a pressure tester from any parts store and do a pressure test. Do another search on pressure testing. Make sure the plugs are out when you do the test.
Trending Topics
as they all said removing the tstat is the wrong answer.......if there is something wrong other than the tstat the cooling system will have no regulation and will eventually become heat soaked and will just keep heating up out of control.........the tstat is there for a reason
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo www.shbox.com
Do some reading. Pick up a manual. Don't do anything until you understand the basics of your engine.
Do some reading. Pick up a manual. Don't do anything until you understand the basics of your engine.
PLEASE tell me he did not just ask that question!!! 
You missed my other question...how hot did the engine get when it overheated?
To read codes on an OBD1 you can use Tunerpro or Tunercats (free downloads), OR, Some auto shops have an OBD1 Scanner. Find out what the code is, and like SS RRR said...before you touch ANYTHING, start learning about your engine. Read the manuals and if you see something on the motor you do not recognize, find it in a Haynes or a Chilton and learn. LT1's are a different breed of engine and if you don't know how it works or what is going on you will mess something up FAST!
For the record, your Opti is your Optispark Distributor. It sits right behind your water pump on the front of the engine...
You missed my other question...how hot did the engine get when it overheated?
To read codes on an OBD1 you can use Tunerpro or Tunercats (free downloads), OR, Some auto shops have an OBD1 Scanner. Find out what the code is, and like SS RRR said...before you touch ANYTHING, start learning about your engine. Read the manuals and if you see something on the motor you do not recognize, find it in a Haynes or a Chilton and learn. LT1's are a different breed of engine and if you don't know how it works or what is going on you will mess something up FAST!
For the record, your Opti is your Optispark Distributor. It sits right behind your water pump on the front of the engine...
12 Second Club
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 419
Likes: 4
From: Long Beach, MS
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you probably dumped anti-freeze all over the Opti when you pulled the thermostat. Now you probably have the dreaded Opti code and that's why it runs like ****. You're probably going to end up replacing it or at least taking it apart to dry it out. If you're lucky, it will dry out on it's own and be fine.
Then you're going to have to figure out why it got hot in the first place.
Then you're going to have to figure out why it got hot in the first place.
not knowing what the opti is means you probably didn't take the proper precautions to prevent dumping coolant on it when you took the thermostat out.
12 Second Club
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 419
Likes: 4
From: Long Beach, MS
I have a 94 camaro with a lt1 350. It was overheating so I removed the thermostat . I threw a check engine light 10mins after I started the car no thermostat .the car shut off and was hard to restart and I had to keep the Rpms up to keep it running. It won't stay running and is hard to start any ideas?
