Hi guys, i am new here but i am hoping someone can help me out with a problem my 1998 v6 camaro is having. It runs really good and has hardly any problems until the temperature starts getting close to 210 degrees. It shuts off on me completely when it reaches that temperature. The driver side fan turns on ( or stays on when i have the air conitioner) but it simply isn't enough to cool it down. The big fan sometimes turns on to aid the engine from hearing up but not always. Now what i don't understand is why does it shut off at 210 degrees. I have been driving down a very busy street when this has happened and it killed my brakes and my power steering. I have flushed the radiator out and put coolant in it as well, also I switched the radiator cap not to long ago but it didn't really help.

So is there a way i can keep the car from shutting off on me like this? It really gets in my way of daily driving and i was wondering if there is any way my car can not turn off at 210 degrees because to me, that doesn't seem like a really hot enough temperature to make the car turn off.

Also, is the driver side fan and the bigger fan suppose to turn on similtaneously or do they turn on at different temperatures? It seems to me that the driver side fan turns on at 210 degrees.

 

well i would first test to see what the real temp of the engine is with a infared thermometer and see if theres any codes

 

Okay i would try that but i don't got any equipment like that. The temperature gage works good i believe. Thank you for the reply, and well i will test it out. Cause 210 does seem to low of a temperature for the engine to shut itself off.

 

The fans do come on at different temps, I've heard 225/235 with A/C off.

 

Replaced your thermostat? Checked your hoses for problems/blockage?

 

Yes i read that somewhere myself about the fan turning on at that temperature. But my driver side fan turns on lime at 210 without the AC on. And well one time the car went to 210 degrees and it shut off on me and steam poured through the vents. I don't know how that happened though. Maybe it could be that my temperature gauge is off then? And i would try to change the thermostat but i don't know exactly where it is. I have looked for it but can't find it.

 

Sounds like you need to buy a Haynes or Chilton manual for your car -- not too expensive at your local auto parts store...

 

yeah id go get a chiltons/haynes manual for the car. As for the temp, thats definitely not high enough to make the car shut down. Thats about the normal running temp id say, usually around 210-215 the thermo will open up. As someone else said, have you changed your thermostat? I don't think the thermostat would be causing the motor to completely shut down like that though. It might be a wiring issue and the temp is completely unrelated.

Have you tried just sitting and letting it run until it got to 210 and see if it shuts down then?

Just follow the upper rad hose and you'll find it. Follow the lower rad hose and you'll find your water pump.

 

How's the coolant level? Is there any air in the system? Try jumping your fan relays to make sure that it turns on. Have your fan relays tested and also test your coolant temp sensor with a volt meter. Your sensor could be bad and not reading high temps so your PCM won't know to turn on the fans. There's 2 sensors on for the dash gauge and another that connects to the PCM. The one you want is right under the throttle body.

 

Thank you for all your replies i really appreciate it. And yes i might have to go and get it, i saw it at pep boys yesterday. And the coolant level is good. I opened the air bleed valve and poured coolant until the coolant came out from there so i think it doesn't have air. As for the relays i bought a new relay fuse for the fan and both do work. The driver side fan turns on at about 200 or 210 without the air conditioner. The bigger fan rarely turns on but it does have power going to it. I haven't checked the thermostat yet though. And i have left it idling till it reached 210 and it shut off on me. But ever since i replaced the relay fuse, it turns the driver side fan on and cools the engine back to 180.

But there is a weird noise coming from the fuel pump when the care shut off. The fuel pump makes a low subtle sound but when i feel the car shutting off, it starts making irregular sounds and then the car shuts off. Once it shuts off, it doesn't turn on at all until the temperature goes down.

I will try to check the wiring as well, it could be a wiring problem.

But for now, the car hasn't shut off yet. Its done it about three times already.