Yeah, so I'm having a bit of a problem with my LT1. Basically it'll run for a minute and the temp will be alright (around the bottom of the gauge), and after a few more minutes it'll start climbing very quickly and it'll go past the red zone completely =/. The check engine light will come on after a minute and the "check gauges" light will come on just a bit before it. If you start moving at around 45-50mph then it'll cool back down to the midpoint on the meter, but as soon as you stop or slow down, it climbs again.

I took it into a shop yesterday and they didn't have too many answers for me. They said the coolant was a little low but nothing major, no leaks that they could see, the fans were coming on, and they said the thermostat appeared to be functional. He said a temp sensor may be malfunctioning, but he wasn't sure. The coolant apparently bubbles a little bit so I'm not sure what to think. He said the head gasket could be on its way out, but he wasn't sure about that either.

So....I'm looking for some opinions. What do you think I should do from here?

 

I would make sure the coolant level is full and you have a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water. It may also be you have some air trapped in the system or something as simple as needing a new radiator cap.

 

I'd flush the system get some water wetter additive ( I think thats the name ) A new 160 stat and clean the crap that gets stuck between the rad and condenser. Alot of times there will be leaves blocking the path of air down there.

 

I'd take it to a different shop, one with competent mechanics. A temp sensor is a very easy part to test.

Did they even confirm if it was actually over heating?

 

I'm going to see about getting a new rad cap, my mom had the same kind of car and she said she had a problem and that fixed it...so I'll give that a go, not much of a loss if thats not the problem. I am pretty sure that they said it was bubbling up quite a bit, which I figure would confirm high heat. Whether that is "overheating" or not, I'm not sure, I'm not familiar with cooling issues =/.

I'm going to take it elsewhere probably later today. Maybe they can confirm what he has said. This guy said he doesn't get into big jobs like head gaskets, so he was going to bring it over to another shop. After telling them the symptoms, they are saying head gasket as well.

After looking at the driveway, there appears to be some fluid of some sort in the general area of where I usually park the beast, so that may help you guys. I'm not usually around during daylight (midnight shift =/) so I haven't really noticed it before now.

What is involved in a system flush?

If it is indeed a head gasket, how tough of a job is that to do by myself, and what sort of tools/experience/money would you need for that.

 

Changing head gaskets isn't too bad.

The shop should be able to do a Hydrocarbon test. They hold a little sniffer filled with a blue solution over the radiator outlet while the car is rnning and it tests the coolant system for hydrocarbon gasses which would indicate a head gasket leak.

Most shops have this kit.

 

If the fluid is coolant, maybe you have a leaking hose, or possibly the weep hole on the underside of the water pump.

 

Take it to another shop. This is absolutely not acceptable. LT1's cannot be low on fluid, and must be full. Also check the "weep hole" on the water pump.

 

Only time I've see na car climb tha quickly was if a HG was blown out.

 

If it is/was a head gasket, why would it make sense that it cooled down when at higher speeds, as compared to idle?

I took it over to another shop and they're taking a look tomorrow morning, and the guy seemed to think it is the thermostat. It didn't heat up much on the way over, so I don't know what the hell is going on. Even at a dead stop or 30 seconds (would have killed it before) now it just rose a bit, but not anywhere near the red.

Also, I suppose it is worthy of a mention, my check engine light started to flash on the way in. That has happened one other time a few weeks ago, for about a minute and I never saw it since, up until today. Why the hell would it flash? Bah, too many questions -_-.

 

A flashing SES light usually means something is way wrong. I would get it scanned ASAP, it should have the code stored.

 

I'd definitely get a new cap to start with----if the system is not pressurized the boiling point goes down and coolant can spill out of a bad cap rather than going into the overflow reservoir. So low coolant and no pressure=overheating----and a new cap is the cheapest fix until otherwise indicated. JMHO .

 

i had my car flushed at firestone, when i left there it pegged out the temp gauge. they said that my electric csr water pump was bad, & tried to sell me a factory replacement. i had it towed to a performance shop & turns out that i had sludge in my radiator. the performance shop replaced the radiator and my BLACK car won't go past 130 on the hottest of days. just something to think about.

 

Well, got it checked out, definate head gasket issue, bad misfire on cylinder 8, coolant leak, yadda yadda.

So, woot. I've had the car on the road maybe 2 weeks.

Anyone got details of how I'd go about doing the work myself...I've had nothing but problems since I got the car, and the cash is drying up faster than I can make it. I'm fairly mechanically inclined, but I lack any experience doing this type of thing. So, if you could suggest what I'm in for or give me some direction, it would be very very very much appreciated. =(

 

Chicken or egg----i.e. is the gasket issue because it overheated or is it overheated because of the head gasket? Obviously, you will need to put in a new gasket---is the problem on Pass side where you have the miss (8)?

Before doing anything, I'd make sure that understand what is going on. JMHO