Have a 1988 pontiac firebird GTA 305 tbi. Car sat for 10 years till I bought it. Put new radiator, new distributor, and new thermostat. Has a digital dash. When I start my car, The tempature guage shoots up to 260 degrees but when I go under the hood, the radiator and enigne are not even hot (the exaust is). Im not too sure what it could be. Coudl it be one of the sensors? also, when I give my car a little gas, the car shakes a lot. Id appreiate some feedback.

 

Get a temperature gun from harbor freight, they're cheap and then you can rule out that you're actually overheating. Shaking might be bad motor mounts.

 

That vibration might be a failing fuel pump or dirty filter. Lots of other things can cause this though. Heat gauge sounds like a shorted wire or sensor.

 

wow, i didnt even know you could get a tbi gta ... but if it shoots to 260 right when you start it, it sounds like a bad sensor or a grounded sensor wire

 

 

New rad cap with the therm and rad? Easily overlooked but can cause overheating... If your truly overheating.

 

Hi guys im new to this forum I registered not that long ago and I have a 92 Camaro rs that I bought from craigslist,im having issues with it overheating I was hoping I can get some help with it,im a newbee so I don't know anything about Camaros just that the body style is amazing.

 

Was it running when you bought it?
Has the water pump been replaced?
Is the fan shroud intact?

Also, welcome to TGO!

 

Thanks RedLeader289 but yes it was running when I got it,yesterday I replaced water pump,thermostat and even the temp switch but it still overheats,by the way the last owner put in a new radiator before I bought it

 

Are you really overheating??? Boiling water out the coolant reservoir?? These cars run normally around 195-238 then the fan kicks on.

Is the right rotation pump on it?
Are your fans still there?
Are the relays working?
Is the Fan Shroud on it?
Is the Air Dam under front on it?

How much T/S did you do with it?

 

that's what they asked me at autozone so I figured it was the gauge but with the new temp switch it didn't make a difference,it sounds more healthy with the pump,also the pump looks exactly the same as the old one,the last owner switched to electric fans

 

The pumps can look the same but it is all in how the pump impeller turns. If you bought a pump made for a V-belt set up it's going to spin different than for a serpentine set up. I had that problem with my crate engine, it came with a serpentine pump and I set it up for V-belts. Swapped out to the right pump and it runs cool as a cucumber.

 

ok I will deffinetly try that thank you ,any other thoughts?

 

If it's doing it while driving i'd check the air dam and make sure it's intact. Other than that i'm out of ideas.

 

ok I will try that and get back to you on that thanks guys that's why I love this site you guys are great

 

so mi issue is with the cooling fan,it was working before but I think it was before I replaced the temperature switch,but need help trying to find a wiring diagram for my maro I cannot find anywhere.when I get home I will also try putting on the a/c on high to see if the fan kicks in.

 

Which sending unit did you change? The one in the driver's side head is for the temperature gauge and is not a temp switch, the one in the intake manifold is for the computer/fan and is a temp switch. The difference between the two is that the switch will have a resistance of infinity, until it gets hot enough to make contact and the sending unit will have a varying resistance that gets lower as it gets hotter; the fan needs the switch to turn it on and off, the gauge needs the variable resistance to make it sweep with the temp.

Here is the only place I could find that could get me the correct sending unit for the gauge. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SMP-TS66

 

Great info. I have a 92 bird and it overheats when in traffic for more than 15 minutes (Starts boiling over) and temp creeps up. When I start moving it naturaly drops to normal. So my fan does not work. My temp switch under the manifold refuses to come out (any suggestions how to remove) My fan works when I power washed the engine and is back to normal so that is fine.The relays on the right of the engine bay have been replaced.Any suggestions into putting the temp switch inside the rad through the expansion bottle? Has anyone attempted this? I just had a rebuilt tranny and the guys bypassed the temp sensor ontop of the engine which is brand new. Why I dont know. And the car seemed to shift alot more smoothly.I went back to original and it seems like its different?
Anyway temp sensor in the rad? good or bad??

Thanks