thermostat?

[redws6]

i just replaced my water pump on the trans am. when i was filling it back up with coolant, it only took about half of the amount of what is required. and now the temperature chills just past the 210 mark, it was never that high, unless i got stuck in traffic on a 95 degree day.

when i let some air out of the system, using the bleeder screw on one of the heater hoses(not the one on the thermostat neck) i tightened it and the srew head broke off....

so is it the thermostat is stuck shut? or is there still alot of air in the system, which wont allow anymore antifreeze to go in?

anyhelp is appreciated.
thanks
chris

o and the thermostat is only about a month old, and maybe 2 hours worth of driving old. i went to get the stock 180 degree, but they only had a 195 degree....would this have anything to do with it?

[Christopherrr]

A stuck thermostat would send the needle well past 210...

I would put my money on the 195* thermo as your culprit...

[redws6]

ok thanks for the input, you just gave me the shove ive been for to buy a hypertech therm. thanks
chris

[Injuneer]

Did you get a t'stat that is specifically for the LT1 reverse cooled engine? If not, and you used a conventional 'stat, it may be contributing to your problems. You definitely didn't help your engine make power by using the 195deg.

You also need to use both bleeder screws to get all the air out.

Shoebox has some great stuff on the cooling system:

http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#radflush

http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#thermostat_change

[redws6]

hey you know what, i bet you i got one for a normal sbc, now that i think about it, the people at autozone are idots...yeh i know, i shoulda went somewere better to get a t-stat, but i just wanted to get my car runnin, plus i dont have a liscense right now....so it didnt really matter at the time...but good call.
thanks
chris

[Firebirdcrazy]

You know when I had changed my coolant it would not fill all the way either. They had to keep the engine running and as it heated up the thermostat would open in steps to allow more coolant to be fed in. Took about 15 min but it eventually took in all the required coolant.

[crazycooter]

I have a 94 v6 and did the same thing, my temp went really really high today. I let it cool and checked the radiator, it was a little low. topped it off. my question is where are my bleeder screws on my car and if anyone has picks that would be great. thanks for any help.

[Christopherrr]

I'm not familar with 3.4's but if you follow your plumbing for your cooling system, you'll see it sticking out. Looks like a screw...can't miss it actually. Maybe a member with a 3.4 can chime in.

[Injuneer]

Do the V6's even have bleeder screws..... they are not 'reverse flow' cooled like the LT1 V8?

[crazycooter]

Nope no bleeder screws, how do I get the air out with out them? I check each day and its a little low. Do I just need to keep checking and toppin off unitl it settles?

[Christopherrr]

I know 3.8s have bleeders...flushed my friends Camaro and sure enough, it did. I figured all of GM's would have them...pretty simple.