My 89 GTA is running hot. I have recently replaced the radiator and the water pump, and i put in a 180 degree thermostat. what could be causing the problem?

 

CGH,

Welcome aboard! You'll find plenty of advice, opinions, and suggestions here.

You have a rather untimely problem, since you're not in Brisbane, Sydney, or Melbourne, Typically the board is rife with overheating issues starting in about April. I guess you're just a few steps ahead of the rest of us.

The common causes for overheating are improper coolant flow, inadequate air flow, incorrect timing, and incorrect fuel mixture.

You've evidently addressed the flow issues from the pump outward. If you run the engine with the radiator cap removed, can you see flow in the right radiator tank?

Does the overheating occur at all times, only when cruising, or in stop/go traffic?

A little more information about the symptoms might help quicken the fix. Also, when you replaced the radiator, pump, and thermostat, did you flush the system? If you used more than a 50% solution of antifreeze, the cooling effectiveness of the mixture will be degraded below optimal. Straight antifreeze won't freeze easily, but it also doen't carry and transfer heat very well.

Any more data?

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Later,
Vader
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"I cannot take this any more... Saying everything that I've said before..."
Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0

 

to expand on what mr vader said, bad cap for the radiator, is the air damn missing or damaged, debris built up in front of the radiator?

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ICON Motorsports
1st & 3rd

 

Vader,

When i got the car in april i flushed the system (along with all the other fluid changes i did). I replaced the radiator and all the fluid in mid june (my fan mount was bad and the fan rubbed a hole in the one i had, so i replaced the fan mount as well) I replaced the water pump and teh thermostat around the same time, i think it was in july. i did so after the problem occured. The antifreeze was mixed 50/50 with water. I haven't checked the coolant flow through the radiator, but i do know that it came out of a car that i was driving about a month before it was switched and that engine was running just fine. Someone else jsut mentioned to me that the timing could be off, and it was something that i had not concidered before. But i am not driving the car at the moment so i'm not concerned with it yet. there is currently 10 inches of snow keeping my car very much in place in my back yard. i'm just tring to get everything set for what i need to do in the spring. I'm trying to have it Cherry by summer.

thanks for the help

 

Vader,

When i got the car in april i flushed the system (along with all the other fluid changes i did). I replaced the radiator and all the fluid in mid june (my fan mount was bad and the fan rubbed a hole in the one i had, so i replaced the fan mount as well) I replaced the water pump and teh thermostat around the same time, i think it was in july. i did so after the problem occured. The antifreeze was mixed 50/50 with water. I haven't checked the coolant flow through the radiator, but i do know that it came out of a car that i was driving about a month before it was switched and that engine was running just fine. Someone else jsut mentioned to me that the timing could be off, and it was something that i had not concidered before. But i am not driving the car at the moment so i'm not concerned with it yet. there is currently 10 inches of snow keeping my car very much in place in my back yard. i'm just tring to get everything set for what i need to do in the spring. I'm trying to have it Cherry by summer.

thanks for the help

 

more info... what driving conditions... idling... stop and go traffic... highway cruise speeds... and what exactly is the temp guage saying??? this info is important... thanx

zroc

 

hehe welcome to the board tim (he live 10 miles from my house)- to expand on this gta of his, it has a dig dash, and the temp gauge i dont think gives us an exact readin, but i know it does run upwards of 220-230.

i guess we will probably check the timing in the spring, when it becomes un buried by snow, along with throwing a bottle of injector cleaner in there...

Steve

 

zroc

it was under any driving conditions (well, when it was warmer) as long as i was on the road for like a half an hour or so.. sometimes less. i noticied it more when i would take the hour ride to school. i think part of it was that it was 90 degrees out sometimes while i was making the trip.

I'm just lookin for possabilities that could cause it so i can check it later. so just throw them at me


fb305svs

what's goin on? yeah we'll be checkin that one. I think as soon as the snow clears and i can actually get it out of my back yard i will be messing with it. you know me. I also do want to check the guage itself. it could be lying to me.



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If it breaks, it wasn't good enough anyway.

 

Check all the belts that run the fan. If they slip or squeal then they are not tight enough/worn and should be replaced/tightened at your discretion. Really easy job, solved my Overheating troubles, and if that doesnt do it turn on the heat

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--Steve S-- 84 Trans Am 305 (cough)LG4(cough), 5 speed, Flowmaster 80 series, otherwise an emissions restricted slow 150 hp(chilton rating) 240 torquer that needs RELEASE!!!!

P.S. Daily Driver

 

84trans am

that would be a good idea, except my engine has a serpintine belt that tightens itself, and it has 2 electric fans that are both running fine. The second fan doesn't run all the time, but i have it hooked up to a toggle to make it do so. and i was running with the heat on.. I'm trying to avoid the fry-a-lator.

thanks anyway


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If it breaks, it wasn't good enough anyway.

 

CGH,

It's also possible that the lower radiator hose is collapsing when the engine is at cruising RPMs. This will restrict coolant flow considerably, and is very difficult to diagnose without revving the engine and observing the hose. Most O.E.M. lower hoses have a steel spring inserted through the length of the hose to prevent this, but it might have been inadvertently removed/forgotten.

Beyond that, overheating at highway speeds is often caused by poor air flow due to restriction in front of the radiator or between the radiator and AC condenser, and/or a broken/missing lower air deflector. When the snow level recedes, make sure you have on of these attached to the lower radiator support:



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Later,
Vader
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"I cannot take this any more... Saying everything I've said before..."
Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0

 

Vader, I have had an overheating problem in hot weather in stop and go traffic forever. I have tried all the fixes I have seen on this board except the lower radiator hose. I went to GM for a replacement and it didn't have the spring inside. I tried one parts house and they didn't have one either. Where do you get one and did they come from the factory with this type of hose? Sure appreciate the help.........bob

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91 camaro RS L03 convert,
t-5, ultimate TBI mods,TBI spacer,SLP 1 5/8 headers,
3"cat back, 3.42 torsen posi,alston SFC's,Global West LCA relocation brackets

 

Allright Vader. Three Fieros, two Impala SS's and a TA. What else do you have lurking in the intergalatic overlords imperial fleet?

 

woah hey, my air dam doesn't look like that! it's about 1/3 as big as that, and it doesn't curl around the sides at all! did the T/As get a diffrent dam?

I overheated forever, but i just run the fan always, run water wetter, and took out the thermostat (i bet im going to be told im stupid again.. hehe) and it runs cold now.

 

Don't feel bad, my TA doesn't have an air damn like that either. Vader, is this custom?

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Rob
'86 TA 305 TPI