ok guys, so I have a 1994 camaro z28, I recently had the radiator off to replace the accessory bracket, I flushed all the coolant hoses through the block and everything until nothing but water came out.

Put the radiator back on, filled it with water to flush it some more, bled the air out of the system, and I drove it about 45 minutes to my in laws house, It didnt get hot or anything, and on the way back a little more than half way home, the temp goes all the way to the red..

I think maybe the thermostat might be bad, i stopped at a gas station and let it cool off. added some more water. Drove it about 10 miles, and It started getting hot again, so I stopped at another gas station and let it cool off, added some water, and drove another 15 miles home, and the temp never got past halfway mark.. and the fans never kicked on except for once..

I'd like to wire an "override switch" to the fans to where I can turn them on while the car is off or on..

What is the best way to do this?? I have a switch, some fuses, and wire..

Can I wire the switch directly to the fans After the relays so that they both turn on when I turn the switch on?

Also what is the best way to see if i need to replace the thermostat?

Thanks for any and all help..

 

It sounds to me like there is still some air in the system that needs to be bled out. If it was fine for a 45 minute drive and then all of a sudden went into the red, that indicates to me an air pocket causing the temp sensor to overheat.

If you want to test the thermostat, pull it out, remove the o ring and put the T stat in a pot on the stove. Using a thermometer of some sort, once the temp in the pot water gets to 180F, the T stat should open up.

I am doubting the Tstat is the problem though. Bleed it a bit more and see if you get any more air out of the system.

Check out Shoebox's full cooling system write up here:

4th Gen LT1 F-body Tech Articles = Cooling System

That covers pretty much everything to do with your cooling system...

 

First I agree that more filling and removing air is more likely your problem. Compared to what I had to do to fill my 94. You came up way short. My best and easiest way to fill it was to fill and start it up and continue to fill it every time it went down while it was running. Once you see flow in the radiator and the level stops going down. Shut it off and cap it. Next morning open it up, fill it up and start the process all over.

As far as wiring goes, refer to this schematic from Shoe.
http://shbox.com/1/fan_schematic_1995.jpg

Doesn't matter what design you have cause you want to access the same line.
You only need to pull circuit 335 (Dk green wire) down to ground with a switch to activate the primary fan. I don't see a need to pull both fans in. But you could. Refer to this diagram for help. http://shbox.com/1/fan_sw_diagram1.jpg

I don't suggest wiring so it can work with the ignition off since you might forget to switch it off.

One last thing to look out for if you still have problems. http://shbox.com/1/tstat.jpg

 

I agree with the above. I have a switch that allows both manual and stock operation of fans. Switch allows for high and low(one or two). If im remembering correct was about fifty bucks and its plug and play for the most part. It will allow for fan to run with ignition off which have pro's and con's. Overall I am very happy with it.

 

where did you get the switch from?

 

SLP makes one or you can make one from the schematic on my site for less than $10.

 

Since you are only switching very low current, nearly any switch will work.

But I'm not in favor of a manual switch. I used this when I had my 94

http://static.summitracing.com/globa...et-60602_w.jpg
JET Performance 60602 - JET GM Fan Switches - Overview - SummitRacing.com

 

I think mine was the slp. If I remember correct there were two available one that allowed the stock operation of the fan and the ability to manually turn it on also. That is what I have. If I was not mistaken the other option back then was a manual switch and it didnt allow the normal stock operation of fans. I would not have one like that unless perhaps car was only used at the track. My car would get hot at extended idleing and very slow speeds(5mph) and having the switch really did give me the ability to keep the temp down. Im still under the impression that higher temps will shorten the life of a motor or certain parts. From my perspective if I had a way for the power to be cut to its ability to run with ignition off one to two minutes after turning the key off it would be the ultimate. Kinda like a turbo timer or something. That may do more for my mind than the car but on a hundred degree day in direct sunlight turning the car off and letting all the heat soak in under the good just reminds me why things get brittle and deteriorate. Im interested to see how the stock operation of my new motor will do with cooler thermostat and fans tuned to go on a little earlier.(and the debris out of radiator and condensor fins)

 

Well, I looked at shoebox's coolant system write up, and followed the instructions, as well as the cars manual...Bled all the air out, and I drove to my moms today, and it still gets hot.. I even turned the heater on as suggested, but WHILE it was hot, the heater was blowing cool air as if the coolant was not flowing into the heater core, and then the temp would go back down and the heater would blow HOT.. but it only cooled down once while i was driving.. so this makes me think the thermostat may be going out.. and also, Im getting small amounts of water in the oil.. and I see little spots of water on the dipstick.. I'm already needing to replace the valve seals... So I think I'm just going to order a whole gasket set, and go through the engine and replace all the gaskets, and hope my heads are not cracked, but if they are, and not that bad, cant you get them fixed?? Like welded or something?? I'm gonna go ahead and do this, so I can get the engine apart and look over everything, and replace what needs to be replaced, even maybe a port and polish on the heads and intake.. Also give me a chance to clean up some of the parts.. and maybe paint the intake and heads... Anyways, Thanks for all the help and answers.. I appreciate everyone's time..

 

well guys, I had my engine looked at by a shop, and they said its getting blow by from the piston rings on the back 3 cylinders on the passenger side of the motor, they didnt take it all apart, they just took the heads off and could tell.. But They said I could either replace the rings or rebuild the whole motor. Which would be better? I'd rather just replace what is broken, and be done with it, but what do you guys think?

 

Usually when you have wear like that, more than just the rings are bad. With the replacement parts and the machining and labor it will be nearly impossible to beat this deal.
CHEVY 350 96-01 LT1 SHORT BLOCK: High Performance Engines | ATK Custom Built Crate Engines
It won't take much to use this block for your earlier model F bod.

Less than a year ago, I went through nearly the same thing. Only in my case excessive metal wiped out the crank and bearings. I chose to rebuild but should have gotten a complete engine. In my case the generation I engines that were used in my truck are readily available cheap. I should have gone that way.

Complete units have a warranty. Anything you rebuild probably won't.

After you get the engine pulled out, pull it apart. Once you see what is wrong, then decide. I'll almost guarantee that the pistons on those 3 cylinders are shot also. Then the list of parts adds up and before you know it, you're past the cost of the short block above.