Welll, not really, but now that I have your attention, here's what the RS is doing:

Overheats rapidly.

Lots of cooling system pressure.

Want's to idle at 500 RPM and die when you try to take off, under load, idles fine though.

No acessories are siezed (sp?) No coolant leaks. No ECM trouble codes. The car actually runs fine, until it gets warm, then it wants to die under load at low rpms.

I have a new thermostat, the radiator cap is in good shape, the water pump, who knows, I'll check for a weep hole. I have new coolant. I'm not running lean cause the car still has all the power of before. It shouldn't be the timing, since I set it myself 6 months ago. I would think that if it had something to do with the EST or distributor, I would get a trouble code. The 02 should be good, but just incase I have an extra.

I need help.

------------------
Shane McConnell
macgyver@nethirdgen.org [*]Owner of a 1991 Camaro RS, 305 5-speed.[*]Owner of a 1979 Camaro Z28, 350/350.[*]Webmaster of www.NEThirdgen.org

 

Mac,

New coolant? Hmmm... Lots of presure - Umm, I see... Heating quickly - Uh-huh... New thermostat - Well, well...

I'm guseeing you have entrapped air. Since you've had the system opened, it's easy to get air entrapped. And all ot the fresh water you've used to mix with the antifreeze probably wasn't preheated and deaerated before you mixed, was it?

About five or six heat/cool cycles and topping off in between usually deaerates the water and chases out the pockets of air in the heads' cooling passages. I had an LT1 that took about a week to purge - it was driving me freakin' nuts thinking I had a compression leak on a new head gasket. Gas bubbles in the radiator and everything. Since then, I've tried to fill them with the front of the vehicle raised to aid purging.

You'll still get air bubbles out of the water after it heats a few times unless you heat and deaerate the water before mixing. Commercial boilers have a chamber for preheating and deaerating the water before pumping into the pressure vessel for the same reasons. It's amazing how much air is contained in "regular" tap water, or even bottled distilled water.

The higher coolant temperatures will cause a lower target idle aand leaner fuel offset. Are you getting heat from the radiator? Are you getting observable coolant flow in the right tank of the radiator? Do the fan(s) turn on at the correct temperature? Have you opened the heater valve and purged that as well? (DUH, you live in Ohio...you've been using heat since September - my bad.) Wait for the water to clear up with the cap off. It may overflow a bit, so stand by with the cap to seal it up.

Incidentally, I always have trouble with "SEIZE", too. It never looks right, regardless of which way it's spelled. It's one of those exceptions to the old rule "I before E". But we don't take points off for spelling - only diction.

------------------
Later,
Vader
------------------
"No matter how hard you try you can't stop us now"
Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0

 

Alot of newer cars have a bleeder valve usually on the thermostat housing for the exact same problem that Vader mentioned. I've run into this problem quite a few times. It's really scary when you're working on an engine with aluminum heads! Be careful when you do this, but since you probably don't have that wonderful bleeder valve, try loosening the clamp on your upper radiator hose at the thermostat housing with the engine running after you've built up enough heat and pressure for the thermostat to be open. Just be damn careful that the hose doesn't blow off and scald you with hot coolant! Good luck.

------------------
89RS w/350 TPI; 69RS/SS w/450 HP 350/Muncie 4-Speed "Too weird to live, too rare to die."

 

I would have to agree with the others. If you have a scan tool, the quick way to check is to compare the gauge reading with the reading at the computer. The guage gets its info from the sender in the head. The ECM gets its info from the intake, right near the thermostat. When you get an air pocket, it will usually get trapped under the thermostat and the Tstat won't open by air (unless it turns into really hot steam. If the Tstat won't open, there is not coolant flow, and the sender in the head will get real hot 260*+ and the sender for the ECM in the intake will read like 150*!!! You will just have to play with it. Good luck.

------------------
If you live in Southeastern US, check us out!
South East Thirdgen


ASE Master Tech + L1
Savannah, GA

'87 Trans Am
S/D TPI retrofit including functional PassKey,
22# injectors,
JET AFPR,
Ported Plenum,
TB Coolant Bypass,
SSM SFC,
Boxed LCAs,
8mm Accel wires,
Flowmaster Exhaust,
16" GTA rims,
Corvette Servo,
KYB Shocks
-->14.97 @ 94.9 MPH<--

'97 Bonneville SSE

 

Can't you just leave the radiator cap off for a while to let the air escape out of the mixture?

That's what I've always done and never have had a problem with it.

 

I should rephrase, I have coolant that's about 8 months old, same with the thermostat.

I used a 50/50 mix since it was summer, I was hoping to have parked the RS by now, that's why I still have the 50/50.

The overheating problem was non-existant until yesterday.

I had NO heat coming from the radiator, and nothing in the overflow reservoir, when I slowly removed the radiator cap, alot of compressed cool air escaped, then came the bubbling hot-*** coolant.

I wish I had a scan tool.

I'm thinking I'm just low on coolant, the water half probably just boiled off, but the thing that's throwing me off was the car wanting to die when it was at 230 deg max, 230 is hot, but not THAT hot. BTW, my car usually runs at 180-190*.

I usually keep on top of things on the RS, but my school/work schedual has limited me to oil changes and the occasional underhood inspection, I need a damn K&N service kit too, but I'm too cheap...

 

(MUSIC NOTES) Somebody has a BLOWN head gasket! (MUSIC NOTES)

Seriously, If the problem just recently started and there is pressure when the coolant is cold there is only ONE real answer. BLOWN....****, FU(KING, DAMNIT, SON OF A *****....HEAD GASKET!

The hot coolant that comes out with the cold is the coolant the combustion chamber gasses are heating. Check for white exhaust smoke and a sweet smell from the exhaust. Sorry Man. Hope i'm wrong.

------------------
84 Camaro ZZ4 with HOT cam. 1.88 60' (12.98 @ 105MPH E.T.)
Other Mods: You name it and I have probably changed it.

91 Firebird 5.0L TBI

ASE Certified CHEVY DEALER Auto Tech
LIVE AND DIE BY THE ALMIGHTY BOWTIE!

[This message has been edited by CamaroMike (edited November 26, 2000).]

 

I must be retarded, I've boiled it down to one of two things, a coolant leak, or loss of coolant via unknown means.

I totally forgot how the CTS works with the ECM, that car ran like **** cause the CTS was probably reading 240 deg.

I added what little bit of antifreeze I had and a bunch of water, car is running fine.

I'll just have to keep adding water until I have the time and money to take care of it..

 

I can't wait to park the RS!

I'm actually more excited about parking it than driving it, winter + Ohio = ****ty day for Mac.

All I want for Christmas is an unsecured loan on an 89 4x4 with a sub 14% interest rate

 

I know just what you mean Mac! I need to get people to quit borrowing my truck so that I don't have to drive my Camaro. I also could get my other car aligned so that I could drive it (At least without tearing up the tires!) Ohio winters suck!

Do you know of anyone with a cooling syste, pressure tester? This would help in finding where the coolant is going. I found I had a heater hose leaking, and I thought it was the heater core a few months ago. More work than I needed to do, but I know it'll be good for a while now.

I've also had a hose start leaking on my Olds recently, and it was where the hose inlet is attached to the radiator. You might want to look there if you have brass radiator tanks.

Good luck!

------------------
Working on:
'84 Z28 LG4 305
Added dual elec fans.
145 MPH IROC Speedo
Building 430 HP 350
using primarily GMPP parts.
Block is in shop!

Awaiting results from all 8 ASE tests.

Starting to look like the Kicker poster child!

 

Starting to look like the Kicker poster child!

what?

------------------
click below to check out MY FORMULA PAGE!
http://www.formula350.com

or click below to email me
astralbaby11@hotmail.com

 

Oh come on guys, winters in ohio are FUN with a camaro
well sorta.
Telephone polls on corners aren't though...

ok, But yes i would check the CTS, thats the only thing that doesn't add up.
later,

Brendan