ajsSS

So I have 97 ss camaro the car was in a wreck 2 years ago but finally got around to getting the car fixed and painted and all that. So now 2 years later the car is back and running but this is the issue I'm having when I picked up the car from my guys shop the car made it half way home then leaked out all the coolant towed it home. I noticed a small crack in the reservoir from the accident so I replaced the whole reservoir and just so you know this is a new radiator new reservoir and a new cap. Now after that the car was fine and it held coolant no leaks nothing but at 210 say I'm on the freeway for more than 20 minutes straight at 210 the car will completely empty the radiator and dump all the coolant into the reservoir then spray it all out from the cap. I'll pop the hood and it'll just be sprayimg like crazy and when everything cools off I check and the radiator will be completely empty. So if anybody has any insight or has had this issue let me know. Since the accident I changed the radiator the reservoir and tried 2 different caps. Pleeeeeease help me I need the LT gods to look over me on this one..

Cajun ELESS-ONE

is the thermostat in backwards ???

ajsSS

I never had a issue before this was my daily for a whole year before the accident and I had not ONE over heating issue now that there's a new radiator in there and a new reservoir that's all I'm having. I replaced all this bc it was damaged in the accident the radiator was changed at the body shop though. Is there anything he couldve done to cause this? He wouldn't have had to touch the thermostat and like I said I daily drove the car a whole entire year with no issues before it sat for 2 years. Thanks

hrcslam

Sounds like the water pump isn't pumping. Service it up, run it to operating temp, the rev it to about 250p and hold it there. Looking in the radiator, you should see significant fluid movement.

shbox

I don't think that is even physically possible.


OP, make sure the steam pipe hose and the overflow reservoir hose are not swapped.

http://shbox.com/1/radiator_A4.jpg

joelster

^^This.

Very easy to do. Both tiny hoses are the same size, and enter the radiator one on top of the other. Fire it up and all looks normal, put 5 miles on the car and suddenly the gauge goes into the red.

ajsSS

I drove the car to work today about 15 miles car stayed about 190 went to 210 once then went back down as I got off the freeway and car is fine sitting at my shop right now but this is the same thing it did on Thursday. But on Thursday it was all fine i got off the freeway on the way home went from 210 to 190 then going up to my house my little brother in his firehawk pulled up on me so we went head up just a little 8th mile but as soon as I got off it the gauge just started pulling hard I got it in my driveway just as I was approaching redline then again all the coolant was dumped from the radiator into the reservoir then back out. So it's gone thru hot and cold cycles before just something when it's
ran hard on or when its ran to long at 210 idk what it is I'll check those hoses though.

joelster

Just follow shbox's diagram posted above.

ajsSS

Hoses are in the right place. ): Lol

hrcslam

Your water pump is going out. It's likely the spline drive slipping at higher rpms. Did you do what I suggested?

ajsSS

The problem is my car won't stay at 210 once I'm off the freeway it goes back down to 190. I remember I had the spal fan controller and I just programmed it to come on at 170 I think after the battery died the fan cycle got messed up bc a few times it would be spewing out coolant the fans would be off so now I know for sure the cycle is right and they will be on. But when I pull the cap at 190 there is still coolant getting pumped thru there and the coolant isn't still it's cycling around

Shownomercy

iTrader: (1)

How does a spline slip...?

hrcslam

Seriously?

hrcslam

Yes. If the spline is slipping it is more likely to do so at higher rpms. At lower rpms (like idle) it'll stop slipping and pump water again. The symptoms are as you described.

Cajun ELESS-ONE

this does make sense. look for metal shavings in the connector that joins the waterpump shaft to the waterpump drive shaft on the motor

ajsSS

It does all make sense.. car made it home fine in traffic when I got off the freeway took a different route and ended up driving up a steep road and as I was going up at about 3k I saw the needle go from 190 to 210 really fast then as I got to my house it went a little past 210 but since i have the fans actually on now it cooled it back down checked the radiator everything was fine everything was fine but my conclusion is my water pump is just taking a **** under heavy load just as stated above. Lol my dads got a brand new Carter water pump at the shop from his old impala so I'm gonna go ahead and change that tomorrow.. any tips or good write ups?

hrcslam

I could be wrong, but aren't the Caprice water pumps slightly different? You may only need the spline coupler.

ajsSS

Idk it came off a 96 ss impala? Same ram air that's on my car too I'm pretty sure it's the same. Id just feel more comfortable replacing the whole 18 year old water pump out.

shbox

B-body, Y-body and F-body pumps are all a little different in regard to ports and piping arrangement.

ajsSS

Got the pump and all that but I just talked to my uncle and he's a old lt1 mechanic he asked me what I changed on the car after the accident I said the radiator and all that then realized the radiator I got was used even tho it was on a low mileage car I think it's clogged up bc what he said was it has to be the radiator bc I never had a issue before and the car sat for 2 years those splines won't get worn from sitting I'm gonna try and check the temp on different parts of the radiator see if there's a drastic change then I'll know