I did a search first and it helped but i just want to clearify (forgive me for sounding stupid)

Air in the cooling system of an LT1 will cause overheating issues?

 

Yeah, air in the system will cause hot spots. In case you haven't found it in your search, there are two bleeder screws, one is on the large radiator hose leading to thermostat cover on top of your water pump. The other is on a metal connector on a smaller heater hose going to the top left side of the water pump. Open up both bleeder screws when filling the car with water after sitting. You should hear air coming out, try not to let a lot of coolant come out and get on the opti. Then close them up after you see coolant come out. You should be good after that. If you are worried about leaks, borrow a pressure tester from Autozone, quick and easy.

 

I raise the front of the car as high as I can. I then run the car without the radiator cap for 3-5 minutes. Then as it starts to warm up, I close the radiator cap and just open the top most bleeder screw. Once warm, air should purge out and eventually there will be a steady flow of coolant. You might have to drive the car around and do it a couple times.

This is how I do it, hopefully its the right way

 

I don't think you should have to raise the car up. Just opening both bleed screws while filling with water and coolant should work. But it is true that you may have to do that a couple of times. Do it once, drive it around, let it sit, for a while, then check it again. If you have no leaks the water should be right at the top when you open the radiator cap.

 

Before you start opening the bleeder screws, be sure you have protected the Optispark distributor with a copious amount of towling and other absorbant materials. If you don't do that, and manage to get coolant on the Opti, your next post will be "why won't my engine start?".....

You might want to check out Shoebox's website, with tons of info on the LT1 4th Gens, including "how to" instructions for many common maintenance procedures, including proper filling/venting of the cooling system.

http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech1.html

 

Extremely helpful website; diagrams, pictures, how-to's.

 

I refuse to open the lower bleeder screw. Its way too close to the opti for my comfort. That's why I just raise the car up and use the upper bleeder screw.

 

Thanks guys. I've done what you told me to do and hopfully it'll work. I won't know till I leave work though. If I get halfway home I'll text some curse words threw my phone to the message board. LOL

 

Ok guys, i did what you advised and I think it helped a bit. However it's still running a lot hotter than I'm comfy with. Just for the record, new thermostat (hypertech 160 degree version) water pump is new (less than 100 miles on it), radiator is only a year old and a visually doesn't look excessivly dirty. Hoses are all good and I'm not leaking anything (except when it getts too hot and she bubbles out the resivor under the battery). And the fans work with the heater/a/c on. Now I haven't verified if the fans work on thier own yet. What temp are those suckers suposed to kick on at?

Hypothetically speaking, what would cause the fans to not come on on thier own?
Or could there be some other issue that I haven't even thought of?

 

I suggest you run a pressure test, to see if you really aren't leaking anything. Boiling over the overflow tank, how old is your radiator cap?

 

Just bought a new one yesterday

 

How hot does the car get? Specs? What kind of coolant do you have? Is your cap an AC Delco cap? Do you have any leaks?

 

Right next to the red-line so around 235-240ish based on the gauge reading. The orange kind (name exscapes me at the moment). It's a genaric Autozone radiator cap. No visable leaks, no puddles under the car either.

 

how did you purge the air from the coolant system?

If you put the heater on will it stay cool or still overheat?

 

Going a little past the middle mark (210) before it kicks back down doesn't sound abnormal. Sometimes if you have a leak, it will be a little pinhole somewhere that you would have never found. I'm gonna suggest a pressure test again. Look and listen for leaks.