Overheating problem

**Krazy Kamaro Kid** · 10-28-2009, 06:42 PM

Hey guys, been a lurker off and on here for a while but recently had to join because i think my engines dying on me. I have a 2002 ss camaro that my dad got me after I graduated high school. It has 57,000 on it and has run good for the most part. Not long ago it started overheating on occasion. I would always catch it in time and never let it get above 220 or so. I talked to my friend about it (hes in UTI) and he said if i put about a quart of 50/50 coolant in with my oil, it will make the car run colder. I tried this and it worked great for about a month but now the problems back and my cars running really sluggish too. I cant have it on for more than 5 minutes without it overheating. I need this car for work so i still drive it everyday but id like to get the problem fixed as soon as i can. Anyone have any quick easy fixes that will work for a while like my friends idea?

**346ci** · 10-28-2009, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by Krazy Kamaro Kid

Hey guys, been a lurker off and on here for a while but recently had to join because i think my engines dying on me. I have a 2002 ss camaro that my dad got me after I graduated high school. It has 57,000 on it and has run good for the most part. Not long ago it started overheating on occasion. I would always catch it in time and never let it get above 220 or so. I talked to my friend about a qit (hes in UTI) and he said if i put about a quart of 50/50 coolant in with my oil, it will make the car run colder. I tried this and it worked great for about a month but now the problems back and my cars running really sluggish too. I cant have it on for more than 5 minutes without it overheating. I need this car for work so i still drive it everyday but id like to get the problem fixed as soon as i can. Anyone have any quick easy fixes that will work for a while like my friends idea?

A quart of 50/50 coolant/water in your oil!!!!!!!!!! No!!!! I hope you mistyped that or something, nothing but oil should go into the crankcase and nothing but water/coolant in the cooling system. I would not listen to your buddy if he is telling you crap like that. I would change your oil immediately before damage occurs.

As far as your overheating problem goes can you hear your fans kicking on? What do you mean by catching it, does the car shuts off or does the temp drop after it hits 220?

I would check your radiator to see of there is anything blocking airflow to it like garbage or if the fins are damaged. Your thermostat may be starting to stick a little and opening late or not at all if you can only run it for 5 minutes.

**Redphoenix1998** · 10-28-2009, 09:33 PM

umm coolant or oil in water is bad. I have nothing to say to that. It is a big no no. But back to your issue, check to see if your fans are kicking on. Also check to see if you have any blockage in your thermostat. Flush your entire cooling system with distilled water and keep going till everything runs clear. Drain the radiator one last time and fill with 50/50 dexcool in the radiator. Run again and see if you're still over heating. More than likely you have a blockage or the Tstat isn't opening allowing coolant to flow to your block

**02blackbirdws6** · 10-29-2009, 04:38 PM

i had the same problem, i changed the radiator and the thermostat before i realized it was the water pump

**Krazy Kamaro Kid** · 10-29-2009, 08:00 PM

I already checked the waterpump and it only had a minor leak so i just sealed the thing up. My dad told me it had a 160 tstat in so it cant be that either, and why would coolant in the oil be bad? it seemed pretty logical to me and it made the problem less apparent for about a month.

**35th-ANV-SS** · 10-29-2009, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by Krazy Kamaro Kid

I already checked the waterpump and it only had a minor leak so i just sealed the thing up. My dad told me it had a 160 tstat in so it cant be that either, and why would coolant in the oil be bad? it seemed pretty logical to me and it made the problem less apparent for about a month.

If your water pump is leaking it is bad. This is your culprit.

Change it before you spend thousands replacing warped heads, etc.

And no, coolant mixed in with oil makes NO SENSE WHAT-SO-EVER.

**zeetwentyeight** · 10-29-2009, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by 35th-ANV-SS

If your water pump is leaking it is bad. This is your culprit.

Change it before you spend thousands replacing warped heads, etc.

And no, coolant mixed in with oil makes NO SENSE WHAT-SO-EVER.

hahaha no coolant in your motor is like drinking rat poison

**silverWS6** · 10-30-2009, 06:38 AM

Okay WAIT WAIT WAIT..... Let me get this straight, you actually poured like Anti-Freeze/Coolant into your oil? Like where you normally put oil in, you put half a gallon of 50/50 in there? And you ran it like that for 1 month?

If the answer to all those questions is "YES" then your engine is beat sir. Go beat the living shit out of your friend now...

**NoscamaroSS** · 10-30-2009, 07:09 AM

Remind me to never go to school at UTI!

**35th-ANV-SS** · 10-30-2009, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by silverWS.6

Okay WAIT WAIT WAIT..... Let me get this straight, you actually poured like Anti-Freeze/Coolant into your oil? Like where you normally put oil in, you put half a gallon of 50/50 in there? And you ran it like that for 1 month?

If the answer to all those questions is "YES" then your engine is beat sir. Go beat the living shit out of your friend now...

I really am still scratching my head on this. Who in their right mind would inform someone to do this? I really hope this is a troll thread....

**silverWS6** · 10-30-2009, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by 35th-ANV-SS

I really am still scratching my head on this. Who in their right mind would inform someone to do this? I really hope this is a troll thread....

I hope so too. Who in their right mind would even consider putting coolant in their oil!

**tep98ws6** · 10-30-2009, 08:14 AM

wow.

**herculesrider1** · 10-30-2009, 08:35 AM

Oh man, this is too much. From now on, I am not going to take anyones advice who attended UTI. What does the radiator and coolant have to do with the oil?????? NOTHING, again, I say NOTHING!!!! Your friend must be retarded, and I say that in all respect and in my inside voice. Just because your dad told you that you have a 160 degree tstat.....how does him telling you that convince you that it's not the tstat???? IF YOUR TSTAT IS STICKING, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU HAVE A 120 DEGREE TSTAT OR A 180 DEGREE TSTAT, IT COULD STILL AND MOST LIKELY IS, YOUR TSTAT!!!!! A sticking thermostat does not know what degree it is, it just sticks after a number of years of usage. If you think your water pump is not working properly, do this: take your radiator cap off, start the car, let it heat up for several minutes and then look inside the radiator. If you see fluid flowing/moving, your water pump is operating correctly. When your tstat is working properly, the engine will heat up quickly, due to the tstat being closed and not allowing fluid to flow through the radiator. When the tstat opens, it allows fluid to flow through the radiator, thereby cooling the fluid, and not allowing it to get above the 160 or 180, depending on the tstat you have installed in your engine. This tstat opens and closes many many times during the course of engine operation. Chances are it's sticking. I would spend the little bit of money on a new tstat and move on to the next issue. This same exact thing was happening to my '98 Ram Air T/A M6. I replaced the tstat, and waalaa, never had to deal with it again. Word to the wise: Never add anything to your engine that is not supposed to be there. Would you put brake fluid in your transmission? Why not? We need to engage our brain before reacting with our bodies.....we would all be in much better shape.

**Krazy Kamaro Kid** · 10-30-2009, 09:16 AM

Well I took his advice because I assumed that COOLANT would help keep everything COOL....like i said it seemed logical...apparently not, and i accept that. The car heats up fairly quickly, so if im understanding you correctly that means the tstat isnt stuck open...so that isnt the problem. The flow in the radiator is good so im assuming the waterpump was just a little leaky, which is why i sealed it. Everything seems okay, I dont get why it overheats so quickly still. Any ideas aside from the stat and waterpump? I replaced the radiator cap as well by the way.

**silverWS6** · 10-30-2009, 10:18 AM

Drain your oil A.S.A.P and I insist slap your "friend"

**herculesrider1** · 10-30-2009, 10:50 AM

Correct, your tstat is NOT sticking open. If it was sticking open, it would never heat up the engine. However, it does seem like it's sticking CLOSED which is why it overheats. Here is what happens: You start your car, and because the tstat only opens when the temp reaches 160 or 180, it stays closed until that temp is reached. There is no radiator fluid flowing through the radiator at this time, the fluid inside the engine is just heating up more and more as time progresses. Then, when the temp inside the engine reaches 160 or 180 degrees, then and only then does the tstat OPEN. Now, the radiator fluid is flowing through the radiator and cooling the fluid down to 160 degrees. When the temp gauge goes up to 220 degrees, it means that the thermostat is not opening when it should in order to cool the radiator fluid back down to 160. If this happens too often, you could warp your aluminum heads or perhaps even crack your aluminum block. One time is all it takes for the thermostat to stay closed and the temperature go to 280 or 300 or higher and your engine is toast. REPLACE THE THERMOSTAT and change your oil. This time DO NOT ADD anti-freeze to the oil. Make sure your radiator has the proper ratio of anti-freeze to water, usually 50/50. Half anti-freeze, half water. Your car, if it's manual has 11.9 quarts capacity radiator fluid. If it's automatic, it has 11.8 quart capacity. So, you would empty the cooling system, then put roughly 6 quarts anti-freeze to 6 quarts water IN THE RADIATOR. The thermostat will cost you less than $25 and I can guarantee it will stop your overheating problem, given that your water pump truly is operating correctly and you don't have any leaks in the cooling system.

**Krazy Kamaro Kid** · 10-30-2009, 10:56 AM

Ok, I will try the tstat I guess, where could i get one? and how hard is it to replace?

**35th-ANV-SS** · 10-30-2009, 11:13 AM

Autozone...under $20. 10 minutes to change

**herculesrider1** · 10-30-2009, 11:29 AM

I just noticed you live in Austin, Tx. I use to live there myself, nice place!! You can purchase either a 160 degree thermostat or a 180 degree thermostat at any auto parts store. It should come with a gasket, so check to make sure one is there. It is very easy to replace.
1. Buy a new thermostat at any auto parts store
2. Buy 6 quarts anti-freeze at same auto parts store
3. Drain radiator then reclose drain
4. Disconnect lower radiator hose from engine block with pliers which is on the passenger side of engine down low
5. Unbolt neck from block(10mm socket I think)
6. Take out old tstat
7. Install new tstat in same orientation old one was in
8. Reinstall neck and tighten bolts
9. Re-attach lower radiator hose to neck
10. Fill radiator with 6 quarts anti-freeze first and rest with water
11. Start vehicle and wait for tstat to open. Make sure you add 6(six) quarts anti-freeze, then when the tstat opens the level may go down, so just add water to full.
12. Put radiator cap on, check for leaks, and you're done!!