well guys. i just actually looked at my pump. The Impellers or whatever they are called ARE COMPLETELY SHOT! I'm going to get a new one from murrays here in about a half hour. I WILL reply back with news. BTW THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE HELP!! and also, would the water pump being bad have anything to do with how crappy my fans run. Because they hardly ever come on anymore. thanks!!!!

 

well i put the pump on... The car is STILL heating up to the bar passed the half way point. I truly give up. There is circulation and everything. Maybe cuz im using a 16 p.s.i. radiator cap??? Maybe cuz im using water instead of antifreeze??? Everything is connected and checked thoroughly to make sure. if anyone knows why its heating this high still, tell me. OR is this the actual temperature its supposed to hit?? ALSO my fans came on at like 250 degrees for about 31 seconds then shut off. I thought they were supposed to come on at 216...
this p.o.s. car is confusing the heck out of me. i dont have money to keep throwing away at new stuff.

 

A higher pressure simply raises the boiling point of the cooling fluid. I don'y think that's what's causing a high temperature. Plain water actually cools better than Antifreeze so that isn't it either. Are you sure you bleed the system properly?

The fans should come on at 215 but that temperature is provided by the sensor in the water pump where the gauge is driven by a sending unit in the cylinder head. One or the other could be wrong. Get the car scanned to see what the PCM thinks the temperature is....

 

to get the air out of the system............
1 i opened the bleeders
2 i took off the R Cap and filled car with hose water
3 i turned car on, water began to circulate, and then i began adding more water to the radiator....
4 i let sit idling for a good 8 minutes with R Cap off and watching it squirt inside
My low coolant level light is on, but that COULD be because it is broke

 

Not a good idea to use tap water either. Ever seen white "blooms" inside a radiator before? guess where it came from.

 

any other ideas why this things running so hot. Again, the fans are kicking on around 250 degrees. I know they SHOULD be on a little after the half way mark i think (215-16)... BASICALLY when i start the car up, begin to drive for about 5 minutes it will heat up to oh about 180 give or take a little. BUT it will stay at that temp, well until i slow down really slow or stop. the moment i stop the gauge shoots straight up to about 250. I can drive the car forever as long as i don't have to stop or slow down is basically what i'm trying to say.I tried bleeding the lines to make sure yet again and water was coming out so they're for sure bled. Only thing i can think of is the 16 p.s.i. radiator cap instead of the 18 factory...

 

The factory programming has the low speed fan coming on at 226 and then turning off at 221, the high speed fan comes on at 235 and off at 230..all of these in Fahrenheit. It sounds like a problem exists in the fan control circuit. First thing...confirm the water temperature. Measuring the surface temperature of the thermostat housing will be close enough. Second, make sure all connections are clean and tight concerning the fans. Third, measure the resistance across the terminals on the water temperature sensor on the front of the water pump and compare to this table: http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#ect . If you have a scanner you can see what the pcm thinks the water temp is and compare that to what you measured on the thermostat housing. Use the detailing testing instructions on the link page (Courtersy of www.shbox.com) to further test things out.

If I had to guess I'd bet on the temp sensor in the water pump. Test everything before buying a new one, of course, but if you do replace it, don't forget the teflon thread sealant to avoid leaks.....

Good luck

 

probably have a bad head gasket.

 

Maybe, but a bad head gasket doesn't mess with the fans on and off temps....

 

Sounding more and more like a bad PCM temp sensor; the one in the WP if I remember correctly.

IF you can drive around and it doesn't overheat then your cooling system is fine; but you have an issue with your fans. I'd say get it scanned for your coolent temps that your PCM is seeing; I'll bet it's probably screwed up.

 

does anyone know who scans these cars for free . i called auto zone and they said flat out NO!.. i was like wtf?
BY THE WAY i replaced the sensor in the water pump less than 2 months ago

 

Hmm, I guess they don't do OBD1 anymore. You can download the software to do it yourself (you'll need a cable) or it might be worth paying the diagnostic fee at the shop of your choice. What you need to know is the temp the PCM sees and if the PCM is commanding the fans to be.

The fact that you changed the sensor a few months ago doesn't mean it isn't faulty. You can't overlook anything when diagnosing a problem.

It appears that you had two problems, the mechanical of the waterpump and the electrical of the fans. It would make sense to make certain the mechanical is now fixed. Pull the connector off the water pump sensor and jump the terminals. The fans should come on with the ignition. Make sure they do and drive the car around watching the water temp. If the temp stays in the normal range under all driving conditions then you can focus on the electrical...

 

how am i supposed to keep the fans going so i can drive it lol.... or did i misunderstand the question...? Like i said the fans come on SOMETIMES..mostly around 248-250 degrees. then stay on. the car doesn't cool down not on my gauge at least. im REEAALLYY hoping this crap is electrical and dang near FREE because this water pump is brand new as of yesterday. (79.00 for pump and 8.00 for thermostat) came out to 98 and some odd cents. the guy from murrays said the scanner is called an OBD 2 and GM is the ONLY place around here that can and will scan it and it will probably be close to 100 dollars. GENERAL MOTORS CAN KISS MY WORKING CLASS 7.45 an hour A S S.... BUT you said i could download the software??? im really good with downloading free stuff so how might i go about this? thanks alot for all the help guys. i know i put up like 20 posts just by myself on here so thanks for not givin me a hard time for takin up your time.

 

for the time being install a manual fan switch. I think there was a wiring diagram around here somewhere...

 

If you pull the connector off of the water pump, jump the metal terminals with say a paper clip. Turn on the ignition the fans should come on. If they do, go drive around paying close attention to the water temps.

And for the free software.. The software is free but the cable goes for $60+.. And that's if you can find a used one. Otherwise it's a $100 cable.