Hey guys, so as of late i've been having a couple issues with my LT1 Camaro & its really starting to bug me. I don't know if all of these issues are related but here are the ones i've been having for a while!

- Car cranks longer than it should when off for a while:

For example, Its like 90 degress over here & I park my car at work. I go for a lunch maybe 5 hours later and the car cranks as if it hasnt been started in years and when it does start its like a rough start up sound. Like as if it was weak or something.

- Car is down on Power:

So when im driving on a long road or something and Im trying to accelerate quickly, the power is so hesitant like im in 4th gear and I try to floor it, it feels as if the car is slugging on slowly behind. It feels like trying to floor it when you're at like 1K RPM. very hesitant but if I hold the rpms kinda high in a gear the power is instant but trying to accelerate quickly when going through gears just feels so slow and sluggish as far as responding to my foot on the gas.

- Car not filling up full amount of Gas its supposed to:

I know for a fact especially after having the car for a while how many gallons I put in the car when I fill up. I was filling up a little more than 16 gallons & I don't know what happened but one day I go to fill up my take and it only fills up 13 gallons & that was after the pump cut off completely too but the gauge is telling me its full. So I run a test since everyone kept telling me oh you probs had your tank with alot of gas left, which I didnt. So, the other day I literally was on E for a while & I go to fill up my tank and it still only filled up 13 gallons! Prices are high on gas right now and this car is just not taking a full tank!

Has anyone had these same issues as me or does anyone know what is going on by what I said? I just don't know, plugs are fine, air filter replaced ETC. Oh did I mention my radiatior fans dont cut on? So far ive only replaced the thermostat & the engine runs hot kinda quick. Any help anyone? Im desprate here! I wanna know if its something I would be able to fix or something major.

 

If you run your tank that low often, I would recommend replacing the fuel filter. Your pump may be on its way out as well but do the filter first. You should also look into the fans issue as well. How hot is it getting?

 

Could a dying fuel filter cause these issues? And So I did a coolant flush cause the original owner had Dex Cool in there and I put Prestone & there was brown goo in the resvoir so at first I thought that was the issue but after the flush and refilling the coolant, the resvoir started overflowing after a couple minutes as if its being pushed out. After that went away, still running hot. Replaced the thermostat, same issue. Fans just not cutting on, the needle sits on the line literally right next to the line before the red so past the middle and only goes down when im driving or the AC is on but the gauge will get to the point after maybe like 5 mins of driving. I don't have any leaks or anything, the engine is just running hot and not cooling down

 

Could be fuel pressure/pump issues. Could also be other things as well.

The problem with the fill up issue is most likely the level sensor in the tank is not working right for some reason. If you have to replace the fuel pump and do get a completely new assembly, it should have a new level sensor with it.

 

Are you saying the overflow completely filled up and overflowed after you worked on it? Did you have cooling problems before the flush?

 

Yup & everytime it was getting ready to happen, it would rattle but that was only after the refill. The pressure was really high, I think it just mightve been I didn't tighten the radiator cap back on tight enough cause it popped off after. Yeah forget that part but yeah The car has had this issue before the flush, not when I first got it but a couple months down the road. I did the flush to see if it would fix it but nope.

 

A head gasket issue could cause overflow problems.......

The other thing that could cause overflow issues is that a couple of the cooling hoses can be installed in the wrong spot. If you mix up the hoses at the radiator neck and just below the radiator neck, you will fill the overflow with coolant coming back from the steam line return.

The connection just below the radiator cap should go to the overflow(in the radiator neck itself). The one below that should come from the engine.

In my case, I have it coming directly from the steam pipe as I don't have coolant running through the throttle anymore.

 

Follow this diagram very carefully.

http://shbox.com/1/95-97_hoses.jpg

If you are stock, the steam pipe connection will be at the throttle body and the other throttle body connection will go to the connection below the radiator neck(not the one in the neck).

 

Just an FYI, DEX cool as it ages and gets contaminated will turn to a brownish goo that needs a good system flush BEFORE you add a new coolant. Did you bleed the air from the system?

 

It's a good idea to flush the cooling system and change coolant every 2 years or 25k in these cars. As was stated, Dex cool can break down over time and I've seen several cases of clogged radiators. The only effective fix is to replace the radiator.

Making sure the coolant is topped off with no air bubble in the system is important as well. It's sort of a PITA on these cars, but can be done in a few minutes.

As far as hard starting and hesitation issues, could be several things. I'd check the fuel pressure both on startup and under load with a fuel gauge first. Stock fuel pressure is 43psi I think, if you're much below that your filter or pump likely need replacing.

If the fuel pressure checks out fine then you're on to looking at possible ignition problems.

 

So guys, It originally had dex cool for I dont know how long but yes it was flushed & we did bleed it. And now im having the issue of coolant overflowing and spilling everywhere. I put coolant into the resivoir and after a couple days maybe 2 the low coolant light came on and once I parked I found a big puddle of coolant under the car and pooped the hood to see the coolant was overflowing. The car had dex Cool for a couple months and I didnt know that and I was running prestone 50/50 for a couple months with it. I knw its bad but I did have it flushed and still no radiatior fan coming on a coolant keeps overflowing

 

I had similar issues with mine a couple weeks ago. Even with a fully functional system you have to get those fans working. I replaced both temp sensors one on the driver side block and one on the pump and that fixed my problem. Other than that it sounds like the radiator is clogged backing up into the overflow.

 

FWIW, the "factory fill" on these cars was DexCool. So technically, your car has had DexCool in it for about 18 years. Problem is twofold: A) DexCool doesn't play well with other coolants; B) these LT1s can be a bit of a challenge, when it comes to bleeding all of the air out of the cooling system.

Therefore, you may have two interrelated situations going on. First, you still may have air trapped in the system, and secondly, you didn't get 150% of the DexCool out of the system, and it's not liking the Prestone "regular stuff" you mixed it with.


What many people don't realize, is that DexCool is just fine, as long as A) you change it every 4 years; and B) you don't let it get low. The one negative about DexCool is that it doesn't like air. As long as you have a 50/50 mix of DexCool and water, and you keep the reservoir up to level, you'll be fine. Let the reservoir run down, and get excessive air it it, the DexCool will get "sludgy".

My Z/28 will be 20 years old this October. Nothing but DexCool in it, and it's just fine.....

 

Not to bother but I was wondering if you got my PM

 

where does fuel pump vent line connect too from gas tank pump. the shorter line from pump