Alright, i have been researching and trying things for the past six months to try and get this car to run under normal temperatures... but still no luck. I am at the point now that i am ready to pull the heads and check the gaskets and get the heads checked, but i don't want to go that route if i don't need to..

Here is a list of things replaced...

Thermostat (180)
Temp Sending unit
Radiator
Radiator Cap
Water pump

I have flushed that system over three different times and two of those times i flushed the heater core as well. Ive filled it up and bled the system as i have read how to do under another forum. still no luck.

Here is what it is doing from start up.. I will start the car and the temp will slowly rise until it gets just a little bit above the second mark on the gauge. then both fans will come on full speed (ive looks and seen them both spinning) then the temp will drop slowly back down to just a hair above the first mark. it will remain at that temp until the fans turn off and then it will rise a little above that second mark again. now this is when im idleing and cruising around not going over 1/4 throttle..

But when i come to a hill or "start having a little fun". even with the fans running it will still go beyond that second point and the temp will continue to rise and not stop until i let off or pull over.. then the fans have no problem cooling it down again. and it will also ride right on the second mark if im driving over 65 mph.

it does not lose any coolant, and it does not leak coolant from anywhere. the exhaust does not smell like coolant nor does it drip any type of fluid from the tail pipes. and the oil is nice and full and fresh.

i really appreciate any help i can get to fix this head ache..

 

Look under the front of the car to make sure the air dam (as shown in picture) is still there. Normally, they don't say Camaro on them. At very slow speeds or idling, the fans do the cooling. The fans really don't do any good at high speeds, as incoming air is moving faster than the fans can move it. But, if the air dam is missing, that would be your problem because fresh air isn't being grabbed to push up and through the radiator.

 

other than what 69 is sayin the only things i can think of is a plugged crossover pipe or clogged or blocked radiator/ac condenser. theres a pipe that runs from one head to the other on the back of em and hooks into a hose that runs up to the radiator. have you checked to make sure the ac condenser in front of the radiator is not clogged up with crud.

 

why do camaro's have so much overheating problems?

 

Reverse cooant system and its prone to air pockets// You must bleed the system... I have a strategy that I use. I pull off all of the hoses at the highest point and fill them with h2o & coolant, then stick them on trying not to spill too much. I also drill a small hole in the thermostat to help with the bleeding...the best idea ever by the way! Open the two bleeder screws and let the car run, let it leak for a while until all the air is out. Take the car for a drive and slam on the brakes and accelerate quickly. Then let the car cool, top off the system and bleed it once more. It will work.

 

Well I've bled mine many times and it stills goes go 260

 

Is the question really why do 14-18 year old cars with questionable past maintenance records have problems?

95 Z28

180 thermo

air dam installed

flip on the A/C and the fans are running and it never goes beyond the 180 mark regardless of speed or how it's being driven.

I have it tuned that when the A/C is off, the fans kick on at 199 degrees. When at idle at a light, the temp will rise but as soon as the car hits about 25 mph it cools right down


So, to the OP, if the coolant level is fine, then you either have not correctly bled the system or you have an obstruction somewhere. I know that's obvious but again, with the A/C on (fans running), my temp needle barely budges.

If it were me, step one would be to again bleed the system. Step 2 would be to bypass the heater core and see if it makes a difference. You need to ascertain where the obstruction is located if that is the issue.

 

^ What would bypassing the heater core accomplish? A clogged heater core (if that's the thought) won't obstruct the coolant flow through the engine.

 

you are correct but, if for some reason junk or anything is spewing from the heater core, eliminate the threat.

Isolate what it isn't, and you'll discover what it is.

It's a simple pastic barb and a couple tie wraps

 

Ya there is no front air dam on the front of my car at all... so im going to start hitting the local junk yards to see if i can find one... as far as the bleeding the air system.. i was thinking of doing it all over again. but i read also that there are a couple drains on the block somewhere that will drain the block. if so i would really like to pull those plugs and flush the whole system including the block with water and see if i can get any junk that may be in there out and then start from scratch with the filling it back up and bleeding it..

now i have done it a couple different ways.. but does anyone have a detailed step by step process on how bleeding it should be done? i also hear that taking the thermostat out and filling it from there until its full and then putting it back in and finish filling it from the radiator neck works well to...

one of the first things i checked was if the ac condensor and radiator were pluged.. and they were really bad.. so i did pull them both and cleaned them out really well... and after that i did end up replacing the radiator thinking thats what it was. and after that i dropped a rag in front of them with the fans running and it had very good flow..

i really appreciate all the input and help with this.... its been a headache that has gotten so bad that i have wanted to just give up and sell the car... but i really like this car and have so many big ideas and plans for it.. just gotta get all the bugs out of it first..