I live in a Desert Climate and it gets up to about 105 in the summer and I would really like to be able to use my AC. I have had my Camaro for the last three summers and each summer I have done multiple repairs to the cooling system. I have replaced the radiator twice, the first time it had less than 50% flow through it because the previous owner had used too much StopLeak, the second time they tried to rod it out and they put a hole in it. I have replaced the water pump twice, the thermostat a countless number of times, and I have also replaced the temp sending unit. The air dam in the front is intact and held in place correctly. I am running out of ideas... The only modifications really to the car are a Edelbrock openair air cleaner with a K&N Air Filter. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

 

I also have only a single electric fan. I was considering putting dual fans on the car but I didn't want to make that purchase unless I really needed it.

 

ttt

i have the same problem living in the same climate... if i cant fix it soon i will sell it 120 degrees and no ac is crazy... Have gone threw 2 radiators in 2 summers, replaced air damn,one 16" puller fan with an 14" pusher fan and still over heating.... no mods except the open air like above...

give us some variables that can cause overheating.. should i take the car to get my timing checked? could it be the bra i put on my car ?? my car gets hot at stop lights worse now could it be thermostat.. i give up...

 

I have found quite a few things on this site and a few others for cooling problems... Some of the problem could be your AC Sealing Strips...
http://www.gmtips.com/3rd-degree/dox.../ac-strips.htm
Go to this site and you will see what I'm talking about. I did this repair and it helped a little. Hope this helps you...

 

Well, going to a dual fan setup would help out. What temp is you thermostat rated at. You might want ot go to a lower stat. Also a water wetter may help too. Since you have AC have you checked the condensor in front of the radiator? Are all the fins OK, no airflow restriction, anything like that. Are you running an aftermarket chip? Is the timing set correctly? These are just a few things to look at. Also getting a lower temp fan switch will help to.


bigREd car,
Does your bra cover the openings in the front bumper? Other than that I couldn't see how a bra would effect it that much.

Good luck and keep us informed.

 

I am running a 195 thermostat and I have tried a 160, a 180, and a 170. It overheated with all of them. I know that my timing is good. Also my fan is hard wired so that it comes on when ever the key is in the on position. If the heater core was clogged would that affect the cooling?

 

I don't think if your heater core is blocked it would do anything but to be on the safe side just run a bypass. The fitting is only like $0.75. I would change the stat one more time though. I'd go to at least a 180. Now here is the fun part. We know that most of the cooling system is working except for 1 part, the block. If you are still overheating, we may have some blockage in the block. Try flushing the system out and then replace the stat. That is if you havn't already done this. If this does not work there may be another issue. You might not have a cooling problem, it might be a problem with the gauge. I know you said you replaced the temp sending unit but that doesn't mean squat. If the gauge is off, it will always be off.

 

That is what I was afraid of. I really hope that there is not a blockage inside the engine block. I drained the system yesterday and taken the radiator and everything out to flush it all. The radiator has a little mineral deposits on the fins that I can see from the opening. I think there might be too much mineral deposits in the radiator so I'm going to take it out and have it rodded out. Hopefully that is all that it is. Either that or I will go and get another radiator. The last time that I let a mechanic touch the car I had him test the cooling system and he said that the guage was accurate. But that was about a year ago so I don't know if it is still accurate. I will have to check. Thanks for your help.

 

well since coolant flows through the heater core and if the core is clogged i would either replace the core or just for the summer bypass the core by joining the two hoses that go to it.

 

Hey, no problem at all. Just keep us informed on the situation.

 

I've got that same problem. Mine overheats slowly but surely. I was told that there may possibly be a crack in the block, and if so then there would be bubbles in the fluid at the cap after running it for a few mins be4 it gets too hot and it would turn the coolant brown too quickly. But I'm gonna try that heater core idea. I've heard of this stuff called 40 below, that's supposed to lower overheating engines by at most 40 degrees. Has anyone tried it, especially in a desert climate?

 

Someone here at my college told me about that 40 below. I"m going to try that too. Let me know how it works out for you...

 

Make sure the lower radiator hose isn't collapsing under high rpms. Replaced the radiator cap? Be sure to change the temp rating on the fan, stock it won't turn on till about 220*.

 

Mark... The fan is hard wired to come on when ever the key is forward. I don't know about the lower radiator hose. That is one of the problems I'm going to have to try. The radiator cap is also fairly new. Thanks for the advice...