Overheating question
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Teching In
Joined: Jul 2005
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Overheating question I have a 97 WS6 trans am with the LE2 heads and cam package. The problem is when i drive the car it will slowly start to heat up until it gets dangerously hot and then all of a sudden the gauge will slam back to normal operating temp. This will happen continuously while driving.
My question is what this could be, I was thinking it was thermostat related but, im not sure. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
My question is what this could be, I was thinking it was thermostat related but, im not sure. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Originally Posted by 97TAWS6
I have a 97 WS6 trans am with the LE2 heads and cam package. The problem is when i drive the car it will slowly start to heat up until it gets dangerously hot and then all of a sudden the gauge will slam back to normal operating temp. This will happen continuously while driving. My question is what this could be, I was thinking it was thermostat related but, im not sure. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
My question is what this could be, I was thinking it was thermostat related but, im not sure. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.Check your temperature sending unit (driver's side head, between cylinders 1 and 3) and make sure that it is good. I know one day my temp gauge wasn't working, and it turned out the sending unit plug itself had broken.
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It does not matter how im driving, it will do the same thing. It starts to heat up until it is ridiculously hot and then it will suddenly go back to normal operating temp. Then after a little while it starts the cycle over again.
I think you have air in your system then, try bleeding it. I had air so bad one time I went out after it had cooled down after cycling, I was missing about half the fluid in the radiator still, after I thought it was full.
To me it also sounds like air in the system, but I had some problems similar to this and I replaced my thermostat with a 160* and after that I had no problems, so I assumed the thermostat was bad.
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buddy had that problem we bled the air out of the system and it went back to normal. get a thermostat in case too and i would do the tb bypass if you didnt do that keep my car really cool
New question more or less on this topic:
The low coolant light has been on in my car for weeks. I checked the radiator and the resevior and both are full. I was about to try replacing the coolant level sensor (which I believe is in the radiator just under the cap, next to the battery) but the light actually goes out once in a while, only to come right back on next time I start the car. As far as engine temperature goes, when driving it is pretty much always fine (around 180-190), but when I am stopped in traffic sometimes the temperature starts to climb, as high as just past the 210 mark on the guage. Is that normal for these cars to heat up like that when stopped? If it does that in relatively cool weather I am afraid it might overheat in the summer. From what I am reading here it sounds like air in the system might be to blame, does anyone have any experience with air in the cooling system tripping the low coolant light? Any advice on any of these issues is greatly appreciated.
The low coolant light has been on in my car for weeks. I checked the radiator and the resevior and both are full. I was about to try replacing the coolant level sensor (which I believe is in the radiator just under the cap, next to the battery) but the light actually goes out once in a while, only to come right back on next time I start the car. As far as engine temperature goes, when driving it is pretty much always fine (around 180-190), but when I am stopped in traffic sometimes the temperature starts to climb, as high as just past the 210 mark on the guage. Is that normal for these cars to heat up like that when stopped? If it does that in relatively cool weather I am afraid it might overheat in the summer. From what I am reading here it sounds like air in the system might be to blame, does anyone have any experience with air in the cooling system tripping the low coolant light? Any advice on any of these issues is greatly appreciated.
What is the proper way to bleed air from the cooling system? My owner's manual talks about how to properly refill the radiator, by opening the bleeders and filling until coolant comes out, then closing them and topping off. But the radiator is full, I just need to get the air out. Any suggestions?
Another thing formula413, they will heat up if stuck at a light or moving real slow in traffic. Around 210 is probably normal if sitting still. The fans won't kick on til around 220 or 230? Its something stupid high. I would spend about $5-10 to get supplies to wire up your own fan switch. I turn my low setting on the fan on at any light I'm at for longer than 30 seconds, my temp gauge almost never gets over 180.
I've been wondering where the low coolant sensor is at also, mine is bad. My light is on most of the time, sometimes it pops off. They are kinda expensive though. I have a bad low oil sensor also, Low oil sensor is only $25, the low coolant sensor is $65!
I've been wondering where the low coolant sensor is at also, mine is bad. My light is on most of the time, sometimes it pops off. They are kinda expensive though. I have a bad low oil sensor also, Low oil sensor is only $25, the low coolant sensor is $65!
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Joined: Jan 2005
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From: St. Augustine, FL
^^^ Yeah, 210'ish isn't bad. Thats about where the fans turn on in stock configuration. If you haven't tuned it to turn them on at lower temps and do not have a manual fan switch, its almost a waste to get a lower temp thermostat.
Originally Posted by camar0corey
I've been wondering where the low coolant sensor is at also, mine is bad. My light is on most of the time, sometimes it pops off. They are kinda expensive though. I have a bad low oil sensor also, Low oil sensor is only $25, the low coolant sensor is $65!