Chris787n

Well first I would like to say that I am a new member to the Third Gen family. I recently (well for a couple months now) have had a '89 Camaro RS 305 TBI. And I absolutely love it. Ive already had quite a few memorable moments and I know ill have more. But unfortunately, im having an overheating issue. So, what ive done so far.

-Changed faulty thermostat (tested multiple times and ways and it wasnt working)
- Swapped to a new radiator (at first I didnt notice any cracks in the old one but after driving it one day I soon saw where the crack was)
-Rigged the fan in front of the radiator to run 24/7 (it wasnt running period, no matter how hot the car got)

And so, it still over heats. Im a bit of a novice when it comes to this. I am still learning the ropes. But if anyone has anything that I might overlook or should check I would greatly appreciate it.

jdawg1276

Do you have the air dam and what temp is it running and are you having to put a lot of fluid in it?

Chris787n

To be honest I am not exactly sure what the air dam looks like. But it climbs past the red zone and yes I have noticed I do put alot of fluid in. And add some little by little as the temp rises.

jdawg1276

It's the black plastic thing that hangs low in the front of the car the scraps ever bump you hit

Chris787n

Ill go check, I think i certainly hear it.

Chris787n

Yup, I see it.

jdawg1276

Get some on to pressure test it may have a leak at intake manifoild. Or could be bad water pump o and when I bought my 88 it overheated leaked to come to find out it was radiator cap it wouldn't hold pressure

Chris787n

Hmm, well I am not sure if itll mean anything. But I watched the water circulate in the radiator and when the temp rose I saw the exchange and the cool fluid come in and change the color. Is it possible my water pump is still bad? And is it possible to pressure test it myself? Or is it one of those things that require expensive equipment lol. And i re-used my radiator cap from my old one to new one. Bad idea? Seemed like it fit snugly.

ex-x-fire

you can rent a pressure tester at autozone/adv auto.

Chris787n

thanks! now i need to know whats the pressure to look for

jdawg1276

About the water pump not shore I know I had one that worked fine but once you shut it off it would leak as for the radiator cap it is the spring that is important take it off and see if it's really loose and ask around to your friends to see if they have a pressure tester doesn't take long to do

jdawg1276

Just make shore you have money to fix the problem because I had intake gasket leaking a little but after test it leaked really bad couldn't drive it into till I fixed it

jdawg1276

Some one can chime in but you just pump pressure into the system if there is a leak u will see it spraying out but that's all I know

Chris787n

Thanks, the next thing I was going to replace was the water pump. I got error codes 43 and 15 from my computer and im not sure if theyve got anything to do with my problem. But ill look into pressure testing.

jdawg1276

I would pressure test before buying water pump may be something cheap first imo

Chris787n

Interesting I woke up his morning. Cranked up the car. The temp seemed to stabilize around 220. I saw smoke/steam coming from the radiator cap. Then next thing I knew there was some pressure leak shooting from the top left area of my engine compartment. I should have probably looked exactly where but I panicked closed the hood and quickly shut the car off. I see my the valve train cover to the left is wet and the tube going to the block were the thermostat sits was a little wet.

Chris787n

Ok, so I think I found the culprit. Or atleast where to start. I attached a pic of where smoke is coming from. I believe between my 6th and 8th cylinder?

jdawg1276

Is it a bad coolant temperature switch or do u have aftermarket gauges?

Chris787n

Sorry I didnt ask when I bought it and im not sure.

Mailbox Hunter

If you don't have any extra gauges in the car, chances are its stock. And if it "EJECTED FLUID" then chances are the water pump is functioning. Correct me if I'm wrong? Could have just been pressure...

Between Cyl6 & 8 on the passenger side sits a sensor that turns the fans on at roughly 220* and turns it off at roughly 200* (per the gauge, and per the manual). If the sensor is even a little loose, it will kick out coolant when the system pressurizes (at heat).

TO KNOW IF THE SENSOR IS FAULTY: Let the car run idle. If the radiator fan NEVER turns on (circa 220* per the gauge) then the sensor is bad. If the fan turns on, move on to step 2...

STEP TWO: Since you're already going to have to get under the car to tighten the sensor, I would HIGHLY recommend replacing it with one from Hypertech that turns the fan on at 200* and off at 180*. They make a 180*on/ 160*off sensor but I feel as though that's to cold for the oil, and then you don't get heat!

You wont NEED to put any kind of leak tape (that white stuff) or tread sealer on it, I mean you can, but its a B**** to tighten... but it works.

STEP THREE: While you're at it, and the coolant is out (when you remove that sensor you WILL be baptized by coolant) throw in a 180* thermostat. It opens wide at 200* and starts to close at 180*, you know, so it works really well with the fan sensor setup.

All in all with that setup, the car will run much cooler. Personally, I swapped my radiator to a thicker tricore aluminum one (There's an article on here somewhere...) but thats quiet expensive if you don't need to.

All in all when I did all of the about (with radiator) in the CA heat of 100+ degree's outside, my engine ran at 190-210* at a stand still. With the AC on I was at roughly 220-235, but hey... thats still "stock" standards. But thanks to CA heat I feel like a cooling expert!

Mailbox Hunter

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this picture almost looks like the 2ndCly? Are those the battery cables near the front? 6 & 8 are more... cluttered. Uh... check that stupid T looking thing that the coolant lines run into that sits unsupported on the top of the engine... its plastic... it leaks... its stupid.

The Wolff

That looks like the drivers side in the picture #5 & #7 cylinder? The birdcage of grass below is a giveaway---always collects on the drivers side by the firewall..