Where to start. I own a 1997 camaro ss and i am having problem with the car overheating. I replaced the thermostat twice, the water pump, and the radiator. What happens is the car will drive fine for a while and after a few minutes of driving the temperature jumps all the way to the 265 mark and the check gauges turns on. I turn off the car and the radiator is boiling and coolant is coming out over the reserve reservoir. The fans seem to work fine. Now recently the check engine light comes. I can’t seem to find out what is wrong. The previous owner had some kind of hole patch in the radiator that made the color brown but i have flushed it clean. I'm running out of ideas. Thanks for any help.

 

Air dam on? Have you changed the radiator cap (18 psi system)?

 

Are you sure there is no air in the system? Have you checked to see what codes are related to your SES light? It may be running lean. Are you sure you have the right thermostat? It is a reverse flow and some people have made the mistake of using the wrong one.

 

Air dam is on and i have not changed the cap.

 

I've bleed the system until coolant came out of the bleeders. I went to auto zone and they do not check codes any more. I also had them get me the right thermostat from their computer.

 

Just to be sure, AZ's computer frequently spits out the wrong thermostat for the LT1. Was the thermostat the long style ?

 

I'm having the same problem even with both fans running and not even driving it. I have replaced everything except the radiator. I have heard a cracked head or gasket can cause it but when I did get to driver it, it seemed to have way too much power. I am totally stumped...I just wanna drive my car.

 

Has anyone else got the wrong thermostat from auto zone. I cant remember what it looked like. What the differences are between them so i can tell them apart.

 

Very good point!!!! Back when i was looking for a 160 stat they kept on insisting that the other one was the right one. If i would have not known that it had to be the long kind i would have bought the one they were showing me. But then again, i would have seen the stock one and saw the difference

 

The link I posted shows the wrong one with the red circle with a line through it. That is the regular SBC style.

 

That dumba** tried to sale me the wrong one. He kept insisting it was the right one but it didn't even have the ruybber gasket on it!! So I Just said hell no put it back an going back to Advance! Here is a link to the replies I have gotten...http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...0&goto=newpost

 

I bought Mine at NAPA(180) and you can't get the right 160 Stat at Auto Zone. Those mostly come from Performance retailers.

 

Thanks for all the replys. I will go to gm and get a thermostat and see if that helps it any. Thanks again

 

Good luck, I hope you get it fixed.