Got to school, and my car just stopped running, I put a little bit of water in it and it fired right up and drove it home. Got home and me and my cousin noticed the radiator hose had a hole in it so we put a new one on it. Let it idle for about 15 mins drove it up the road, and no problem. My temp gauge is not working, but we did not smell the car getting hot or anything. It idled fine.

Drove to town and after maybe 3-4 miles I started to hear some clicking. Than I noticed the oil pressure was at 20 lbs at 2,000 rpm. Than stopped at a stop light and car started smoking so I immediately pulled over and shut her down. I tried to start the car again, but it would turn over but would not start. Called a tow truck, and after about a hour he came and we looked under the hood and all the water in the radiator was completely gone. We put some in, and it fired right up no problem at all. I drove it to a friends house about 3 miles away and it ran perfect. Oil pressure was fine also.

So question is what is going on? Someone said it is 1 of 2 options...water pump has gone bad or thermostat is bad. The car is 97 z28 with 150,000 miles on it. Thanks.

 

Well you have a major leak if you radiator is empty after topping it off. Also have you checked the WP weep hole to see if it is leaking? The mechanical pumps do not usually completely go out. The no start thing makes me thing opti is getting wet however. Your just guessing until you fix your temp gauge. You can also have air in your system that can cause issues.

 

Maybe you did not bleed the system correctly when you refilled it and did not get enough coolant back in (perhaps the radiator was not completely dry). When the thermostat opens, the level in the radiator will go down. Try a proper refill and see what happens.

 

Who knows, I guessed where it would not start was because it had got so hot. As far as the bleeding it correctly, I do not know. I had a friend working on it, and I was just helping since I have no idea what I am doing. It sucks when your only car you have does not run. Good grief I need a break. I will keep you guys updated.

 

You need to get the temperature gauge fixed. Very important thing!