Are LS1s prone to overheating?

**TransAMrit** · 09-20-2006, 10:37 AM

Had a bit of a scare this morning in my 02 WS6 M6. Traffic was fairly heavy, so it was stop and go for a while, on a pretty warm morning. Right after the toll booths, when I had no hope of making it to the side of the road quickly, the "Check Gauges" light came on - turns out my temp gauge was right on the red portion (260F, I think). As I said, I couldn't possibly pull over - so I turned the heater control all the way hot. In a few seconds, the temp immediately dropped to the middle of the gauge, which is the normal range... Crisis over.

Any clues on what happened here? Are these cars known to have flaky electric fans, thermostatic switches, radiators prone to clogging, anything? I'll be checking the coolant before I leave home in the morning, but I'm guessing it's fine.

I've not seen this problem in the two or so weeks that I've owned this car, and most weekday mornings are stop and go traffic. I also didn't see it anymore today, once the temp went back down. I'd just like to be prepared to check things if it happens again.

Thanks

**2001NBMZ28** · 09-20-2006, 11:19 AM

Was the coolant in the radiator low when cool? Radiator cap clean and tight?

**nosfed** · 09-20-2006, 11:35 AM

Could be anything. Thermostat could have stuck briefly, or you could have had an air bubble in the system as well. Like stated, check the coolant first and go from there.

**SSTODD** · 09-21-2006, 06:48 AM

I Have Never Had The Dummy Gauge Even Move When Stuck In Traffic Like The Woodward Dream Cruise Which Can Be Hours, So It Sounds Like An Issue With Your Car. The F-body Ls1 Is Reliable With Cooling

**Azrael** · 09-23-2006, 01:29 AM

I had to replace the water pump on our 2002 SS because it was leaking from the seep hole. Just replaced with a new stock water pump. Our first indication was the check guages light and overheating, noticed we were losing coolant (matter of fact it was almost bone dry). Have not had a problem since...

**TransAMrit** · 09-23-2006, 08:30 AM

Sorry, forgot to update. It turns out the coolant was significantly low. I ended up adding about half a gallon to the radiator. After that, the car started running slightly cooler, and so far has not done the overheat thing. Will watch for any coolant loss or temp increase in the upcoming week.

Thanks

**b.lee** · 09-26-2006, 04:27 AM

ya, mine never goes over 210* even in woodward traffic... which was bad during the dream cruise.... plus i was always revving it for the crowd.

runs 160* or lower on the road.