1997 Z28 Overheating
09-28-2010, 08:41 PM
#1
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1997 Z28 Overheating
Today to my surprise my Z28 was running hot and it was making a steaming sound, when I looked at the bottom of the car it was leaking coolant. I just bought the car 5 days ago so it's a downer. I did notice that on the dash a red light with a radiator has been coming on and off. After it leaked the fluid I replaced it in the black cap that is on the right side, I filled it all the way to the top when I did it began leaking im not sure if I overfilled it or if the black box container is damaged?? Also the cap has a long piece of plastic on my car the piece that goes inside is all moldy and it seems to me that the previous owner just used water instead of coolant. Anyway if you guys have any tips please post.
09-28-2010, 08:48 PM
#2
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dude that long black plastic thing is the dipstick for the coolant resivor, you over filled that, the light on the dash is the sensor in the radiator letting you know that the radiator is low on coolant, you should put the coolant in the radaitor when the engine is cold. then let it warm up and open the bleed screws to let out any trapped air. then close them when coolant starts spitting out.
09-29-2010, 08:46 AM
#3
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Thanks I really apprciate your help!
This is my first Camaro and i don't know much about the mechanics of the car. This is the fastest car I have owned in my life so Im getting use to having all that power!
This is my first Camaro and i don't know much about the mechanics of the car. This is the fastest car I have owned in my life so Im getting use to having all that power!
09-29-2010, 09:03 AM
#5
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The first thing to check is the small hose from that container to the radiator. It's a small diameter hose that you can trace from just under the radiator cap. It runs under the battery so you should be prepared to pull that out. If the hose is good fill the resevoir up again...is it leaking anywhere? If so, you'll have to replace the whole battery hold down/resevoir..it's plastic and can't really be 'fixed'
If nothing is leaking, the most likely place to look next is the radiator cap. It's cheap so it won't clobber you to replace it.
After you've replaced the cap and checked for leaks, it's time to refill and bleed the cooling system. Look to Shoebox's website for a good write up: http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#radflush . Just use the refill procedure....
If you still have the overheating problem...including high temperature on the gauge...you probably have an issue with the thermostat. Pull the thermostat and put it in a pot on the stove. It should open before the water boils. No opening, new thermostat needed. Note: the thermostatis specific to these engines and is NOT the same as a standard small block, even though they look very similar.
09-29-2010, 02:06 PM
#6
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The coolant reserve box leaks in the middle I think it's cracked. I did notice when Im driving around town if the car stays on and does not move it overheats, but if it's a long road with no stops then the car stays cool. Any suggestions??? Maybe the thermostat is broke??
09-29-2010, 03:10 PM
#7
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The coolant reserve box leaks in the middle I think it's cracked. I did notice when Im driving around town if the car stays on and does not move it overheats, but if it's a long road with no stops then the car stays cool. Any suggestions??? Maybe the thermostat is broke??
First things first....fix the leak first. Here's the part from Year One: http://www.yearone.com/serverfiles/f...tery&SM=1&SC=G . They may not be a supporting vendor so check that out first.
After changing out the resevoir, and bleeding the system, see what happens. We'll help you figure out what else is wrong....
10-01-2010, 08:44 AM
#11
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The motor oil is clean and it has no coolant, people have been telling me that its going to be the head gasket
and the cheapest place to get the gasket replaced is wanting to charge me 900.00 buck's ouch
I just bought the car last Saturday.
and the cheapest place to get the gasket replaced is wanting to charge me 900.00 buck's ouch I just bought the car last Saturday.
10-01-2010, 10:09 AM
#12
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You could buy a leak down tester and that will tell you if you have a bad head gasket. http://www.harborfreight.com/cylinde...ter-94190.html
10-01-2010, 10:31 AM
#13
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You need to do, or have done, some more diagnostics before you know what's wrong for sure. Start with a simple compression test...all plugs out, throttle open...and expect a number like 175 psi with no more than 10% difference cylinder-to-cylinder. That number can go lower over time but you shouldn't have a big variation cyl-to-cyl. If you get a bad reading on one or two adjoining cylinders then you probably have a bad head gasket. A good reading and you should move to a leakdown test to confirm good head gaskets.
If you have good head gaskets, there are other things than can be the problem. One, a really bad one, is a cracked block. Probably isn't that but it could be. Another place is the oil cooler, if your car has one. The cooler attached to the oil filter adapter and runs coolant through it to bring down the oil temperature. At that point, the oil is at 20+psi and the water is at 18 psi so a failure could lead to water in the radiator. I'm not sure if the 97's have an oil cooler, it was standard for some years and optional on others. If I remember correctly, the RPO code is KC4...the RPO list is on the glovebox lid. It migh be eaier to just look under the car...if you have small diameter hoses running to the oil filter area you probably have an oil cooler.
Don't panic and don't throw money at it. Do some diagnosis, or have someone knowlkedgable in these cars do it for you....
Good luck,
10-01-2010, 03:16 PM
#14
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Because of the pressures involved, a blown head gasket usually gets water into the oil (the coolant is under pressure and the oil is just a free fall return), not oil into the water. Don't just take the car to the mechanic and tell him to change the headgaskets...you could be fixing something that isn't the problem.
You need to do, or have done, some more diagnostics before you know what's wrong for sure. Start with a simple compression test...all plugs out, throttle open...and expect a number like 175 psi with no more than 10% difference cylinder-to-cylinder. That number can go lower over time but you shouldn't have a big variation cyl-to-cyl. If you get a bad reading on one or two adjoining cylinders then you probably have a bad head gasket. A good reading and you should move to a leakdown test to confirm good head gaskets.
If you have good head gaskets, there are other things than can be the problem. One, a really bad one, is a cracked block. Probably isn't that but it could be. Another place is the oil cooler, if your car has one. The cooler attached to the oil filter adapter and runs coolant through it to bring down the oil temperature. At that point, the oil is at 20+psi and the water is at 18 psi so a failure could lead to water in the radiator. I'm not sure if the 97's have an oil cooler, it was standard for some years and optional on others. If I remember correctly, the RPO code is KC4...the RPO list is on the glovebox lid. It migh be eaier to just look under the car...if you have small diameter hoses running to the oil filter area you probably have an oil cooler.
Don't panic and don't throw money at it. Do some diagnosis, or have someone knowlkedgable in these cars do it for you....
Good luck,
You need to do, or have done, some more diagnostics before you know what's wrong for sure. Start with a simple compression test...all plugs out, throttle open...and expect a number like 175 psi with no more than 10% difference cylinder-to-cylinder. That number can go lower over time but you shouldn't have a big variation cyl-to-cyl. If you get a bad reading on one or two adjoining cylinders then you probably have a bad head gasket. A good reading and you should move to a leakdown test to confirm good head gaskets.
If you have good head gaskets, there are other things than can be the problem. One, a really bad one, is a cracked block. Probably isn't that but it could be. Another place is the oil cooler, if your car has one. The cooler attached to the oil filter adapter and runs coolant through it to bring down the oil temperature. At that point, the oil is at 20+psi and the water is at 18 psi so a failure could lead to water in the radiator. I'm not sure if the 97's have an oil cooler, it was standard for some years and optional on others. If I remember correctly, the RPO code is KC4...the RPO list is on the glovebox lid. It migh be eaier to just look under the car...if you have small diameter hoses running to the oil filter area you probably have an oil cooler.
Don't panic and don't throw money at it. Do some diagnosis, or have someone knowlkedgable in these cars do it for you....
Good luck,
This guy is right on. Don't just take it to a shop and say its the head gasket and have them do work on it. It cold be something a lot simpler and the shop may decide to fix that and charge you for a head gasket change. If you know someone who knows how to run a compression or leak down test I would have them do that. The head gasket should cause the oil to look like a milk shake. I think the oil cooler is on the 93s and 94s, but it could be a add on. Look for lines running from the driver side just above the oil filter towards the radiator.
