Weird engine over heating problems.

[Cerwin Vega Fan]

I have a 1995 Z28 convertible with 75,000+ miles. My car has been getting pretty hot as of late (runs at 3/4 mark and sometimes over that). Their is a little red light that keeps coming on (red light under the RPM number 6). OK I was told this meant my radiator was low so I checked it. Turns out the radiator is full yet the light keeps coming on. Once the light comes on the engine temperature just keeps going up. Today I came home just for like 5 minutes today and when I got back in my car it was over the 3/4 mark. My fans do not seem to be working either so I have a fan switch on the way. But still I cannot understand why does the radiator light keep coming on even though my radiator is full. Plus even if my fans are not working my car is still heating up to quick. Could anyone help me out here please?

Thanks,

Chris

[Coop '02Z]

HAve you bled the cooling system? There are two bleeder screws on two of the coolant lines you loosen a screw and let air out... the '94 I had did the high temp quick thing and scared me until I found out about the bleeder thing that is exclusive to the LT1 and it's reverse cooling.

[Cerwin Vega Fan]

2nd question, well if I purchased a 160 T-stat would it work like stock one if I didn't have anyway to program it? Or would it screw up and cause more problems?

[Dave M]

a 160 dgree thermo would simply open at a lower temperature. You wouldn't hurt anything, but you wouldn't help anything either unless their was air moving through the radiator. A manual fan switch or reprogramming the fans is required if you want to see any benefit. The low coolant light is a common problem on the LT1, and it may be air trapped in the system. Air in the system could also cause your overheating problems. Properly bleed the system, and see if that helps.

[95redbird]

put a 160 therm. in and kick your fans on around 170 thats what i do and my 95 never over heats its stays under half

[Joe 1320]

You have several issues that need to be addressed. First, The low coolant sensor is prone to failure in these cars. It is located just below the radiator cap on the back side.

Also, you need to make sure that your coolant level isn't actually dropping while the engine is running. I am also going to recommend pressure checking the cooling system. If the car is running a factory thermostat, the car will should run at less than 200º at a steady 60 mph. At that speed, fans are useless and shouldn't come into play. If the temps still rise, there are other problems. If the temps rise due to low speed driving or stop and go then the next issue are the fans. Provided there are no fuses blown, I would pull the harness connectors and manually jump them to the battery and see if they are indeed functional. Both fans are the same part number so they interchange. If one or both fans aren't working when manually jumped to a +12v source, then replace the fan motors. If they do work but are still non functional when the factory harness is reassembled then obviously the problem is in the wiring.

[95z28]

Mine did it for a while, water pump went on me like 2 weeks later.

[Cerwin Vega Fan]

How hot are LT1's suppose to run on average?

[Cerwin Vega Fan]

Well this is interesting, I forgot to menition that the wires going to my air pump are melted. Maybe that has something to do with my fans not wanting to work? When I take the air pump fuse out the fans will only come on if the car is moving and the SES light stays on when the fuse is out.