Now its Overheating

[rude_life]

Now its overheating..PLEASE HELP

Can anyone help me, i Know it seems like i post a new problem every day but my car is a pile of ****. My car keeps overheating its been acting up like this since it really began to get hot outside about a month ago, but i have been trying not to drive it much during the day because of this.. I dont know why its overheating but its full of coolant. It usually will not overheat above the letter A or L in the word NORMAL on the gauge, but it went all the way to L today and i could smell coolant as i pulled over. I have 5W20 Oil in it right now, maybe thats why with it being over 100 degrees outside every day for the past 3 weeks. I dont know what to do but it seems like it does it more when im driving it, with the engine under load. I just recently replaced the Coolant temp Sensor. I dont know what else to do, I can hear the fan kicking on at about the letter R in the word NORMAL in the temp gauge in the dash, The fan stays on until the temp goes back down to at least the R but the temp wont do that usually until i just let the car sit. The plastic reservoir is half full of water. The hotter it gets, the more it pings. Im so frustrated, PLEASE HELP


By the way... The heater core has been bypassed, i wonder if this has anything to do with it.
Thanks...
Kris

 

[a50sn95]

Time to have the radiator checked out.
Or, just get a replacement.
Radiator Express has them (Stock replacement) for 107.00...
It is a bit old now....

 

[HISSIN50]

Kris, what part of the country do you live in? If it is someplace hot, I would opt for a larger radiator if yours is not rejecting enough heat.

You do have the air dam under the front bumper, right?

Simply backing timing down or otherwise taking care of the detonation could help. Detonation causes temps to go up. The more temps go up, the more likely detonation is (snowball effect).

Good luck.

 

[rude_life]

I love in the high desert in Southern California. HOT and Dry. I assume there is an air damn underneath the front bumper. Could a lean condition such as a low fuel pressure possibly cause overheating? What about the grade of oil im using

 

[HoofnIt]

My car recently started running hot and I discovered the high-speed fan was not coming on. I live in the desert where temps routinely hover around 110.

 

[rude_life]

Your high speed fan is only supposed to come on when your AC is on.

 

[HISSIN50]

I am still unsure if my car is odd or other peoples'. When I hit the A/C, the low speed fan comes on. If high should instead, I am glad it does not. I dont need a meltdown. I have high on a switch anyhow.

Kris, do you have fan switches? In your temps, I think it is wise (for when the CCRM takes a poo, at a minimum).

To address your concerns, are you hearing pinging? In anything over about 95*F (Tucson), I have to run high grade (which is 91 octane here) to ward off detonation (only at low rpms).

Even so, once you hear detonation, you should lay off the pedal so things get back toward normal (temps should not skyrocket for any prolonged period).

Low FP can definately lead to detonation. And this leads to hotter engine temps. Stock FP is ~38 PSI with the vac line off and capped (on the FPR). And 30 PSI + with the line on (as you have it when you drive it everyday).

If your car runs hot on the highway, that suggests the radiator is not rejecting enough heat (a prerequisite for this test is that the car runs cooler when stationary). If it runs hot at all times, that can be a bad component or rad not rejecting heat (and running hot at idle only is likely a fan issue).

The air dam does help, so make sure you have it. A real gauge is a wonderful thing too, esp in your climate.

Oil should not make a huge difference, though I dont think I would run 5W-20 in the summer. It should not make a huge difference and if your pressure is good at all times, it should be fine.

My random thoughts. Good luck bud.

 

[a50sn95]

Your high speed fan is only supposed to come on when your AC is on.

High speed fan is programmed to come on at 228 in the EEC. I think it's wired to a relay to also come on if the AC comes on.
I know it does, because my A/C is discharged, I have changed High speed fan to come on at 208 in my Tweecer, and I had it come on today while I was working on my idle...

 

[Traitor5150]

Yeah Im havinf the same problems while I drive my car will go to the A in NORMAL with the ac on and to the upper part of the M with it off but it is fine if it idles. I know I need a bigger rad but I used my lazer digitial thermometer on the rad hose and bunch of diffrent parts of my cooling system and the hottest reading I got while the gauge was at A was 216. MY headers on the other hand 455 lol

 

[HISSIN50]

High speed should come on naturally at ~228*F, as mentioned. Low speed naturally is ~208*F.

 

[SQUEEZE&STROKE]

Welcome to the wonderful world of sn-95 catrs in Palmdale/lancaster. If you need help...give me a call, we can put your fan on a manual switch and leave that sucker on high all the time.

 

[rude_life]

Thanks Jeff, I will be giving you a call sometime this afternoon. I dont know if this tid-bit is of any relevancy, but it came to mind. Before this 95 Vert that ive got now, I owned a 94' GT Coupe which I now regret ever selling. Anyhow, I remember at various times of popping the hood on my old car, That reservoir that holds water in front of the radiator would be filling up wit coolant. I cant remember from where, but it used to spray into that reservoir. Fact being that my 94 never ran anything above the letter O in the word NORMAL on the temp gauge. It ALWAYS stayed cool. Even on trips to vegas (3) she never got hot. Thats 4 Hours of driving from one hotass desert to the next through a span of hotass desert in-between. Point being that i have never seen this reservoir do anything but sit there. No filling up no nothing. I dont know but does that mean anything? Why is the reservoir there anyways?


Thanks...
Kris

 

[HISSIN50]

The coolant reservoir is there to allow the coolant a place to expand. In the old days, the systems were open and one would have to replenish coolant every so often. Not so (in theory) with a closed system. But if the reservoir is overfilled, when the coolant expands, it will come out the orifice in the top of the reservoir.

There is a line from the res to the radiator (next to the rad cap). make sure that line is sound and that the cap is in working order.

Good luck.

 

[rude_life]

Dude your awesome HISSIN50. Always there to help someone out.

 

[a50sn95]

The coolant reservoir is there to allow the coolant a place to expand. In the old days, the systems were open and one would have to replenish coolant every so often. Not so (in theory) with a closed system. But if the reservoir is overfilled, when the coolant expands, it will come out the orifice in the top of the reservoir.

There is a line from the res to the radiator (next to the rad cap). make sure that line is sound and that the cap is in working order.

Good luck.

Great explanation. I guess I'm from the old days, though.
Also, there SHOULD be some coolant in the reservoir. If you look closely, you'll see lines on it and the words "Hot" and "Cold". These indicate where the water lever should be under those conditions. (Engine hot and cold).
I just top mine off and let it find it's own level....