Jake500g

I've got a 1994 z28 camaro. LT1 engine.
When i bought it the fans came on for a little bit but then would just stop and it would overheat. I put in a manual fan switch grounding the wire to the accessory fuse. The car seems to be fine now, but im really getting worried, sometimes the car will jump to where its about to overheat and eventually go down. i'd like to know what i need to replace to get my fans working automatically again.

Jake500g

Also my security light is on, ABS brake light is on, and low coolant light is on. i'd like to fix all of these.

I have a slight oil leak coming from the bottom, i was told just to replace a $20 gasket and pop off 4-6 bolts to fix that. im getting the exhaust welded on friday because i have a couple holes in it. and after all that and some help from the best i can get my camaro in tip top shape.

Injuneer

If the "SECURITY" light stays on, it indicates a component of the PASS-key system is not working, and the system is bypassed.

The low coolant switch is a normal problem. The coolant leaks into the printed circuit and destroys it. First verify the system is full by looking in the radiator (not the reservoir). IF it is full and the light is on:

1) unplug the sensor, the light will go out.

2) try and clean the sensor, sometimes that works

3) replace the sensor.

If the "ABS INOP" light is on, it indicates there is a fault in the ABS system that has disabled the ABS. You can scan the electronic brake control module (EBCM) with software that is linked in a post on the "Computer Diagnostics and Tuning" forum.

Common problem is a faulty wheel speed sensor. You can try cleaning the harness connectors for the three wheel speed sensors - one on each front wheel bearing/spindle cartridge (non-removable), one on top of the diff housing (removable and can be cleaned). Make sure they are plugged in tight.

Oil is dripping from the bottom - of what?

With regard to the "overheating", what does the dash coolant gauge indicate under various operating condition - at idle, under cruise conditions, at high speed on the freeway? Give the temps in numbers, not "about to overheat". The system is extremely sensitive to air in the coolant. Have you correctly bled the air out of the coolant system?

Read this - courtesy of Shoebox:

http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#cooling

Jake500g

the security light came on one day after my car wouldnt start.
I tried jumping it, testing the battery, nothing worked.
so i jacked the car up and tapped the starter with the butt of a hammer and it started up no problem and hasnt had a problem starting since then, but security light remains on.

As for the oil leak.
From the oil pan i believe is what i was told.
it's right underneath the engine.

As for overheating, i drive to my girlfriends house which is about 16 miles from my house, when the car gets to between 160-180 degrees i turn on my switch for my fans, the car then stays at this for the remainder of the drive unless i get on the highway, when im on the highway the car stays at about 210 degrees the rest of the way there, when i slow down to get onto a ramp it goes back down. all in all it's not really overheating i'd say, but when i turn the car off and then get back in it 10 min later the gauge is at 245+degrees, i turn on the fans and start going and it goes back down to about 210.
Just sometimes when im driving for extended amounts of time it likes to stay at 210 and then randomly when im not paying attention to the gauge itll spike up to 235+, ill then pull over and start driving a little slower and itll go back down to the 190 mark.

I really just want to eleminate this whole manual fan switch. i have a heavy duuty switch that doesnt burn up like the smaller ones i use to buy, but it does drain my battery, drawing all this power will more than likely ruin my altenator in the future.

Injuneer

The fact that the coolant temperature increases on the freeway may indicate you are missing the plastic air dam under the front bumper. That pushes the air up to the radiator. If it's missing, temperatures will climb the faster the car goes.

For reference, the engine is designed to run at 210*F (middle of the gauge). GM did that because it gives decent fuel economy and low emissions. There is no harm in the engine running that hot. Stock programming turns the first fan on (or both at low speed - depends when in the 94 model year your car was built) at 226*F, and the second fan (or both to high speed) at 235*F.

I'd get rid of the switch and let the PCM run the fans like it's supposed to. Have you scanned it for codes? Any related to the coolant temp sensor or the fan relays? In any case, you shouldn't be switching the power directly to the fans - which would explain the burned out switches. You should be switching the power to the fan relay coils.

If you want to run the engine cooler, you need to replace the stock 180*F t'stat with a 160* unit, and have the PCM programmed with lower fan on/off temps. Throw in a couple extra degrees of ignition advance and you can pick up 10HP.

As far as the oil leak, just about anything that leaks on the engine - valve cover gaskets, intake manifold, front timing cover seals, oil pan gasket, oil pressure sensor - will eventually make its way to the bottom of the engine and drip off the oil pan. I'd clean the engine very well (do not get water or solvent on the Optispark distributor) and see if you can track down the source of the leak. The oil pan gasket is cheap, but it requires a lot of work to change it, including jacking the engine off the K-member (or using a "split" gasket).