I do not have any experience with thirdgens because i've never owned one. I test drove a 92 L03 with 135k on it, and it seemed to run hot. Guage was hanging at about 75% JUST below the red line while sitting and idling (this was after 45 minutes of sustained highway driving, so she was pretty well warmed up) and it just seemed a little too warm under the hood (this might have just been my imagination, i'm not sure if I would really have been able to notice it)

Typical overheating problem? Most likely an easy fix? Just thought I would run it by these forums since you all know these cars better than anybody. I'm familiar with general overheating problems, common causes and fixes, just want to make sure there isnt something special that I should look out for in this car. I did not get a chance to peek at the radiator to see if it needed to be cleaned or what shape it was in.

The guy did say that it he thought it might have the "Wrong thermostat installed" from the previous owner.

Sorry if this is terribly redundant or stupid to be asking, i'm just trying to build a bit of knowledge and being as cautious as possible so please bear with me...

Thoughts?

 

DOH! Sorry, I just realized I put this in the wrong forum. Any chance it could be moved for me? I guess the question is somewhat basic anyway, you can delete it if you wish. I tried but it wouldnt let me.

Thanks.

 

In order to properly test for an overheating problem you need to know what the temperature is. Is it full of coolant? Normally you dont have a over heating problem while crusing unless you have a bockage problem or somthing is blocking the air in front of the radiator. Do the fans come on? You can get a lazer type gun that you point on the upper hose and it will give you a temp reading. I think your gauge is off but, need some more info.

 

At crusing speed the temp gauge is fine. When I sit and idle for a awhile the temp gauge rises and does not come back down until I get back up to crusing speed. I have a 92 camaro tbi stock motor, 144k on it. If I have blockage in the cooling system, I would think that it would run hot all the time. I am guessing that my fans are not running like they should or not at all. We could have the same problem.

 

Yep i would check and see if the fans are running when the car is hot. If not you can back prob the connector and see if 12 volts are running to it. Then you can bench test it. One is ground the other is 12 volts. There are a couple other things that could cause the fan/fans from not running. But if you have 12 volts going to it (only when the car is hot) and you have a ground thats it and the fans dont turn thats the problem. Also make sure they turn by hand.

As for a blockage problem your right in most cases it will run hot all the time. But if it were a partial blockage you would not overheat at idle because the flow would be sufficent. However at cruising speeds you need more flow. Thus overheating.

 

An older thirdgen running hot is very normal. They do not have great airflow through the rad. Often the electrical for the fan is worn and has high resistance causing low fan output and short relay life. Coolant being low, wrong/bad thermo, radiator being dirty mangled are all things I would consider also. Most problems are pretty cheap easy to fix and if you make a few modifications you won't have to worry about them coming back.
Almost forgot, vaccum leaks make your car run lean which makes it run hotter. Another common problem/easy fix for you to check.

Ben

 

Air dam under the car?

 

Usually cars without an air dam run hot while driving and cool off when stopped. But it's not impossible. Good thing to check for.

 

i've been having problems with my LO3 running hot also. while its driving it stays relatively cool not getting much over 220, but when i'm sitting there idling the thermostat shoots up and i have to turn the heat on to cool it back down? my serpentine belt is lookin kinda worn, could this be the culprit?

 

It could be, but if your belt is worn, I'll bet your water pump has some miles on it to. They get weak before they go bad and if you've got more than 80K miles on yours, it isn't helping.

 

Flush out the cooling system ever (radiator, block, the works)?

 

i flushed the system a few months back, the water pump would be a good place to start.

 

Good aluminum ones can be had for pretty cheap. They save you a couple pounds where it counts and I picked up a little power because my stock onw was so worn.

Ben

 

what kind of cost are we looking at here, and what about ease of installation?

 

get the modine alum stock one from the parts store. Super easy install, and works great for stockish cars