Hi everyone I'm new to the forums i just bought a 98 Camaro really nice but yesterday i made a mistake by leaving the radiator cap off and driving the car.. well all my water came out and left me on the side of the highway.. now i put the water back in and i tried to take as much air as i could out of the water with that little plug on the thermostat housing.. but my car still heats up pretty good then it drops and heats up again it's really annoying and i also noticed sometimes when it's hot it'll make a really ugly knocking sound whenever i touch the gas.. Please help i just got this car.. my only thoughts are maybe i could take the thermostat out completely (i live in arizona) and add some engine coolant.. i dont know what else to do.. any idea why it still heats up? and also the fans are kicking on..

 

When filling the cooling system back up, did you let it warm up so the thermostat would open and help fill and vent it? I wouldn't take the thermostat out. The thermostat also gives the radiator a chance to remove the heat. It also gives the engine a chance to warm up on cold days (I realize there aren't many of those in Arizona).

 

I'll do that venting thing again but umm i did remove the thermostat today just to see if that was my problem and it wasn't it's still heating up.. Also whenever i drive my car my water boils and wants to spray out if i loosen the radiator cap (i wont take it off all the way) and one mroe thing when i let my car heat up i turned it off and i herd a tiny noise by the water pump it sounds like it was burning something like if water was to touch the exhaust that kind of sound.. after overheating my car could it have ruined my water pump?

 

Water is going to spray if you open the cap with the engine warm. Water boils at 212 degrees F at atmospheric pressure. In the radiator with the cap on, it can go above 212, since pressure will keep it in the water state. When you release the cap, all the pressure goes away, and then the water cools itself off by boiling, splashing water in the process. Do you see water leaking by the water pump?

 

i dont see any water leak but i can for sure hear something.. the water temp fluctuates between half way and almost to the red.. and it moves fast i dont get it.. it was perfectly fine uptill yesterday when i overheated.. also my car is running rough now.. it all happened at the same time..