High Oil Temp Problem 1994 vette
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 911
Likes: 5
From: TN
hot stuff
Just drove my LT4 the other day, first time since SEP. Was checking the oil temp and coolant temp digital readings. Oil and coolant temp were both 204 after coming off a short interstate run about 25 miles. It was cool outside. Find someone that has one of those guns that registars heat and get it next to the oil pan and see what it reads.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 805
Likes: 3
From: Waco TX
Are both of the water temp gauges reading fairly close? I hear the analog water temp gauge and the digital use two different sensors. I am like everyone else...this just seems impossible for the oil to get to 300* without the coolant getting hot too. Your coolant should warm up quicker than the oil too. Sorry to be redundant like everyone else. Hope you get it figured out, and I hope my '94 doesn't do this.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,383
Likes: 4
Are both of the water temp gauges reading fairly close? I hear the analog water temp gauge and the digital use two different sensors. I am like everyone else...this just seems impossible for the oil to get to 300* without the coolant getting hot too. Your coolant should warm up quicker than the oil too. Sorry to be redundant like everyone else. Hope you get it figured out, and I hope my '94 doesn't do this.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 9,938
Likes: 38
From: South Carolina
St. Jude Donor '03 & '05
Let see when the OP comes back on with some more information.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 16,838
Likes: 341
From: Database Error Indiana
Same here. Takes quite a while to heat up the oil. Like I posted earlier: spun bearings.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
update
We have an answer. overheated engine caused heads and head gasket to go bad. major problems. oil temp gauge was good, water coolant gauge was bad. never showed hot until too late. my son called and said that he drove the car and noticed the oil temp guage showing hot. he then said he had to get it off the road and drove it further. i figure by then, the damage was already done.
what from here? is this something that i can do. i can break it down but what about the heads? can i have them shaved? or should i just get new ones. is there a "canned answer" here or somewhere. this is not the first time that this had happened. BUT WHY DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME, NOW!!!!!
this is a whole new topic now.
what from here? is this something that i can do. i can break it down but what about the heads? can i have them shaved? or should i just get new ones. is there a "canned answer" here or somewhere. this is not the first time that this had happened. BUT WHY DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME, NOW!!!!!
this is a whole new topic now.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 777
Likes: 1
From: Fort Worth Texas
We have an answer. overheated engine caused heads and head gasket to go bad. major problems. oil temp gauge was good, water coolant gauge was bad. never showed hot until too late. my son called and said that he drove the car and noticed the oil temp guage showing hot. he then said he had to get it off the road and drove it further. i figure by then, the damage was already done.
what from here? is this something that i can do. i can break it down but what about the heads? can i have them shaved? or should i just get new ones. is there a "canned answer" here or somewhere. this is not the first time that this had happened. BUT WHY DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME, NOW!!!!!
this is a whole new topic now.
what from here? is this something that i can do. i can break it down but what about the heads? can i have them shaved? or should i just get new ones. is there a "canned answer" here or somewhere. this is not the first time that this had happened. BUT WHY DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME, NOW!!!!!
this is a whole new topic now.
Sorry to here the Bad news. This is why I suggested you Not to start the engine anymore until you had a GM Dealer look at it. Or do a compression check as this would have shown this problem. That beiing said, Yes you can have the heads milled and have the block decked so all is well. Have a good machine shop do this and use a good head gasket as they are made in different thickness just for this so your compression ratio is not too high for street use. I just had this done to my LT4 and had it bored .020 Also look at the post on oil pumps for the 350 as there have been casting changes. Do your research on this, really important. I spent more $$ having my LT4 redone than if I would have purchased a crate engine. You can spend more money on the heads than you think if you replace the valves and guides. How bad do you want matching vin# ??
I feel your pain as I spun a main bearing (driving it Hard with oil a 1 1/2 quarts low)
Stupid of me not to check it more often. Lesson learned the Hard way. Good news is after you rebuild the LT1 it will be ready for another 100,000 miles of Fun. And you will know what you have.....a like new Vette again.
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Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 3,655
Likes: 24
From: Charleston SC
Reading this thread gives me a migraine. first you have two temp sending units that feed two different gauges, are they both bad?. My initial thoughts where you had messed with the cooling system and had an air bubble in the water pump causing no coolant to be circulated but the sensor on the head should have pegged at some point and yes the oil temps would have been through the roof. I know for a fact air in the LT1 cooling system is a killer and can cause little or no coolant flow, been there done that.
