First off, I'll try and keep this as short as I can, but I want to include all the details I can, I'm stumped here, so please keep reading and help me out!

A week or so ago I posted about a cooling system problem I had. I would intermittently have the low coolant light come on, and the car would run hotter than normal. Keep in mind I have my fans reprogrammed, so even in the middle of summer it never got above 190*. When the low coolant light came on it would run 15* hotter than normal. I have a 45 minute drive each way to school, and many times the light wouldn't come on one way, but come on the other and run hot. Every time I checked the coolant it looked full in the radiator, and had some on the dipstick for the overflow tank. One day I left the radiator cap off, and let the car warm up, right before the thermostat opened I saw some bubbles come up to the top, then a lot more bubbles, and then the coolant level dropped almost out of view in the radiator. So I left it running, refilled it, and bled the system. I also found the heater core was leaking, so I bypassed it.

Since then I got a new thermostat. Autozone told me a 195* stat was stock, so that's what I bought. It's not, so now my car is running about 205* After I installed the new stat I refilled the cooling system with water and bled it. I began driving it again, and just like before, low coolant light and running warm. Today when the light came on it got up to about 230* when I barely had my foot on the gas going through the neighborhood.

Only addition I have to the cooling system is a meziere water pump. There is no white smoke coming out of the exhaust, and if there was a coolant problem this major with a headgasket I know there would be a plume of white smoke coming out. I know, I've been there before.

I want everyone to through some ideas in, I have no money to pay someone to fix whatever is wrong. The only thing I can think of that *might* be the problem is that there is too much water, and not enough coolant in the mix, and it is actually boiling in the system- especially now that I'm running a hotter thermostat. Maybe if the water is boiling inside the radiator it could trigger the low coolant light? I had a 50/50 mix, but I usually just top it off with water. Although the mix is still definitely green in the radiator.

I'm going to head to autozone and get the right thermostat, and some coolant to get the mixture right again. Does anyone have any ideas at all? Let's hear em!

 

To avoid at least on problem, when you buy a t'stat, make sure you get the correct "reverse flow" style. Go to Shoebox's page and print out the picture showing the difference between a "standard" 'stat and an LT1 'stat, and take the picture with you, to make sure they give you the correct one. Stock is 180degF.

 

Fred, that was the first problem I had. They sold me a standard gen I small block stat. I saw the diference and didn't install it. Apparently if they look up a 95 Camaro in their system it shows the old style stat, but if they look up a 96 it shows the correct gen II style. However, it does not show the correct temperature, because the computer said 195 stock(which I know now is wrong).

 

Sorry to hear you still got your problem John. Go do what Fred said and get the right stat. As far as your low coolant light, I would just unplug it and leave it hanging. Those always go out and give false readings. I replaced mine once and my friend at the stealership told me to just unplug it. "If you know you got coolant than you don't need it."

After the stat and the light you'll have 2 things outta the way. The only thing I can think of is ...well sounds to me like your stat is sticking at times. There would be no reason for it to run hot sometimes but not the other. Or your waterpump could be on the fritz. Have you checked the wiring to the electric pump. I've heard people having problems with that before.

Well buddy good luck. Let me know what happens.

 

The pump seems to be fine. I had a problem previously with the supplied fuseholder not making a good connection. Since then I have replaced it with an inline fuseholder that uses a blade type fuse. It is grounded to the front of the cylinder head where the ignition coil is.

John

 

it was bubbling or making bubbles? Maybe it needs another bleed? Have you tried to flush your system somewhere? My sister's blazer had a clogged radiator and would overheat sometimes and sometimes wouldnt.

YOu ruled out the wrong thermostat, but is the one you got in working order, as in maybe it is a lemon. I would definately swap in a correct temp stat anyways. I know you know this but ya know....

I was never a fan of elec. h2o pumps. S.J.S. may be on to something with the pump not working all the time.

I wish you luck finding your prob! Shame to have such a "cool" car and ****ty luck. THe dealer may be next.....(Jaws music)

 

Bubbles all of a sudden started surfacing, then it got a lot worse then the level dropped.

Thanks, and yea that's what happened to the 91 camaro I had. It started giving me a bunch of small problems like this that I couldn't track down so I traded it I really don't want to get to the point where I feel like I need to get rid of this car.......

 

Sorry bud, but just because your car doesn't emit white smoke doesn't rule out the possibility that you have a head gasket leak. Mine NEVER smoked and yet, had a small leak that would basically drain my coolant by about a gallon in about 45min. of highway driving.

If you have bubbles (not the occasional 1 or 2) that come up when your car is running and the thermo is open, you have a gasket leak. Or if you want to be absolutely sure, just unbolt your valve covers and see which one has a green tint on the underside - this will confirm gasket leak and let you know which side it's on.

But since you really don't have any coolant missing, what do you claim to be running hot? Is it in the red or just above 205° (205°-215° is normal with stock thermo). Also, I believe Autozone sold you the correct thermo, 195° is what I had.

I don't think you need to worry about your coolant/water mixture so long as it isn't 100% water. Coolant isn't what cools, water does this.

Good luck.

Edit - just noticed you have green coolant instead of orange dexcool. may be tougher to see on valve covers.

 

Before I did the heads/cam swap, I had a blown headgasket- that was the reason for me swapping heads. The car was not overheating, yet would use coolant more than it is now, and I could see a huge plume of white smoke following behind me everywhere I went.

Running hot, it was running about 230* today. I believe I bought the car with the stock thermostat in it, the temp gauge showed 185* in normal driving. A 180* or 185* thermostat as stock has been confirmed by many people on this board, so I'm relatively sure that's what it is. Even if it is not, it will at least get my coolant temps back to what they were. Also I pressure tested the cooling system, it didn't show any apparent leaks. At this point I wish I had cranked the motor while doing the pressure test, but I didn't. I feel pretty confident it's not a headgasket, but I can't rule it out.