Need Help......cooling Problem

Steven96gt

New Member
Sep 18, 2014
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Hey guys in new where and ik that this is probably somewhere on here. I'm buying a 96 gt from a friend and it's having some cooling issues the temp gauge will rise to the L and stay there. It has a new water pump and new thermostat in it. He said that he heard about a recall on the stock radiators about them being to small and that all it needs is a bigger one. Just looking for some info. Thanks
 
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You may have an air lock in the system. The factory T-Stat has a little bleed hole that prevents this, however many aftermarket T-Stats do not. Make sure your radiator fan is kicking on. You might also want to check the oil and ensure there is no condensation on the dipstick, or coolant in the oil. Also, a possible blown head gasket could cause a spike in the temp for sure. And when all else fails, replace the coolant temp sensor? Perhaps you are getting a false reading, especially if your only indication that it is running hot is the temp gauge. Stalling, hard start after it has warmed up and an extremely hot heater are all indicators that something is not right.

Good Luck!
 
You might wanna check it with an infrared thermometer just to be sure. Is the needle going up to "L" right after you start the engine or does it slowly just keep going up until it is at "L" and stays there? If it goes up right away after a cold start, then obviously something is going on with the gauge. Or the sensor itself could be faulty. You might wanna just go get a new sensor and put it in. They're pretty cheap and easy to install.
 
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You might wanna check it with an infrared thermometer just to be sure. Is the needle going up to "L" right after you start the engine or does it slowly just keep going up until it is at "L" and stays there? If it goes up right away after a cold start, then obviously something is going on with the gauge. Or the sensor itself could be faulty. You might wanna just go get a new sensor and put it in. They're pretty cheap and easy to install.
I checked it yesterday with the infrared thermometer and the top radiator hose was 185 and where the two sensors r it was reading a lil over 200. And it doesn't go up to the L right away it's after it's been running for 10ish minutes. I tought about taking the thermostat out and seeing what it did. The radiator that I just installed helped a little bit but it still rises to the L and stay there till u stop and then it goes down to the M or the A.
 
I checked it yesterday with the infrared thermometer and the top radiator hose was 185 and where the two sensors r it was reading a lil over 200. And it doesn't go up to the L right away it's after it's been running for 10ish minutes. I tought about taking the thermostat out and seeing what it did. The radiator that I just installed helped a little bit but it still rises to the L and stay there till u stop and then it goes down to the M or the A.
200 is just ever soo slightly above what it is supposed to run at. The top radiator hose is 185 because the t-stat is opens at like 185 or somewhere around that temp. It will be a little hotter at the sensor tho. Some say about a little over 190. So if yoy are at 200 then I would not worry too too much but maybe you do need to look into it a bit. Try a flush and fill. That is probably where you need to start. Also, like teamcaffiene advised I would also recommend burping the system. You might have an air bubble in there.
 
200 is just ever soo slightly above what it is supposed to run at. The top radiator hose is 185 because the t-stat is opens at like 185 or somewhere around that temp. It will be a little hotter at the sensor tho. Some say about a little over 190. So if yoy are at 200 then I would not worry too too much but maybe you do need to look into it a bit. Try a flush and fill. That is probably where you need to start. Also, like teamcaffiene advised I would also recommend burping the system. You might have an air bubble in there.
Ok. What's the easiest way to burp it???
 
Is the ccar really overheating or are you experiencing a bad temp sending unit? Also, I would not go any higher on temp with the thermostat than a 170 temp stat. If the fans are coming on then that is a good sign. But I have read this thread twice and still am not sure if you are really running hot. Are you losing coolant thru the overflow res, or is the radiator spewing?

My best suggestion to you is to reinstall a new 170 temp thermostat. And see what happens. If you have air in the system on these models, then you would notice after the cars is overheating that the top radiator hose would collapse or look sucken in. And then when you shut it off it would relax to full shape again. If it does need burping, then a pressure test will do the trick.
 
Is the ccar really overheating or are you experiencing a bad temp sending unit? Also, I would not go any higher on temp with the thermostat than a 170 temp stat. If the fans are coming on then that is a good sign. But I have read this thread twice and still am not sure if you are really running hot. Are you losing coolant thru the overflow res, or is the radiator spewing?

My best suggestion to you is to reinstall a new 170 temp thermostat. And see what happens. If you have air in the system on these models, then you would notice after the cars is overheating that the top radiator hose would collapse or look sucken in. And then when you shut it off it would relax to full shape again. If it does need burping, then a pressure test will do the trick.
Idk if it's really running hot I was going to put a mech temp gauge on it and see what it reads. It isn't losing any coolant and idk what temp thermostat it has but I'm planning on looking and possibly changing it and the hose isn't collapsing.
 
Is the ccar really overheating or are you experiencing a bad temp sending unit? Also, I would not go any higher on temp with the thermostat than a 170 temp stat. If the fans are coming on then that is a good sign. But I have read this thread twice and still am not sure if you are really running hot. Are you losing coolant thru the overflow res, or is the radiator spewing?

My best suggestion to you is to reinstall a new 170 temp thermostat. And see what happens. If you have air in the system on these models, then you would notice after the cars is overheating that the top radiator hose would collapse or look sucken in. And then when you shut it off it would relax to full shape again. If it does need burping, then a pressure test will do the trick.
Ok so I hooked up a mech temp gauge and it reading 215/220ish. Is that normal temp or is it a lil high???
 
That is kinda high for my taste, I like to see it around 180-185 at the most. Is the fan you have on the car OEM (1 fan) or is it aftermarket (could be 1 fan or 2 smaller ones). First thing I would look at is the thermostat, a good way to find out what temp is the thermostat is to cool the car down. Then pop the radiator cap, start the car cold, then wait till it gets to normal operating temp, then you should see the water slowly going down or swirling around in the radiator. That will tell you what temp the thermostat is opening at. At cold start up the coolant in the radiator does not circulate until the thermostat opens up to allow coolant flow thru the engine, that is when you will see activity in the radiator. With your mech guage, you should be able to see what temp it happens. If it happens at 200 or more then need to change it, and I would go with a 170 temp thermostat. If the thermostat opens right at around 170 then the stat is good to go.

2nd, need to see when the fans kick on, you will be able to see what temp the fan turns on the same way, visually watch for it to kick on for the first time after the engine warms up, then look at your mech gauge and see what temp it kicked on.

Let me know what you find out on the readings on both the fan and thermostat.
 
That is kinda high for my taste, I like to see it around 180-185 at the most. Is the fan you have on the car OEM (1 fan) or is it aftermarket (could be 1 fan or 2 smaller ones). First thing I would look at is the thermostat, a good way to find out what temp is the thermostat is to cool the car down. Then pop the radiator cap, start the car cold, then wait till it gets to normal operating temp, then you should see the water slowly going down or swirling around in the radiator. That will tell you what temp the thermostat is opening at. At cold start up the coolant in the radiator does not circulate until the thermostat opens up to allow coolant flow thru the engine, that is when you will see activity in the radiator. With your mech guage, you should be able to see what temp it happens. If it happens at 200 or more then need to change it, and I would go with a 170 temp thermostat. If the thermostat opens right at around 170 then the stat is good to go.

2nd, need to see when the fans kick on, you will be able to see what temp the fan turns on the same way, visually watch for it to kick on for the first time after the engine warms up, then look at your mech gauge and see what temp it kicked on.

Let me know what you find out on the readings on both the fan and thermostat.
Here's what the mech reads
 

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Sorry bud for not getting back to you, I had a death in the family and had to book to the funeral.

That gauge is reading 210. That is too high for my liking. Have you done anything since I last commented on your problem?
Hey. I'm sorry to hear about that. But I got it all figured out and fixed today. The fan wasn't coming on at the right temp so it was getting the car hot and when the fan did come on it couldn't cool it back down. Got an sct tuner for it and changed the temp that the fan comes on and everything is good now. Runs 185 maybe 190 if I'm on it.