ok well i went through the search function soo many times and tried all the different things recommended but i still have issues.

first off heres a list of all the new parts:

radiator
160 t-stat with holes drilled
hoses
temp sensors

other stuff:
heater core bypassed
fans wired to ignition
aftermarket water temp gauge
burped system

ok so heres my problem, i keep losing coolant somewhere. the car has not overheated and i see no signs of a blown head gasket (milky oil,smoke,overflowing coolant reservior) and yet i lose coolant and a pretty good rate.

i hooked up an aftermarket water temp gauge to see what kinda readings it would give me and most the time its different the the factory one. the factory one reads from the drivers side of the block and the aftermarket one reads from the pass. side of the block.(dont knwo if that makes a difference.

i just took it out and the highest reading i got on the factory one was around 230, where as the aftermarket one was showing almsot 260.

kinda blurry but the max reading on the gauge is 260


parked the car and decided to look under the hood (at night) and noticed that there is some kind of fluid sitting on my k-member.


also noticed that i got condensation inside of my pass side breather.

 

It's too hot, thats for sure. Water on the crossmember would cause one to think the water pump has gone south, leaking from the weep hole. Borrow,or buy a cooling system pressure tester. That will let you search the entire system while it is under pressure. What is the condition of your radiator cap?

 

You can build your own pressure tester with an inner tube and air pump, but I think that you should look for flow. I assume that yours has a cap on the radiator like my 86. Take it off, start the car, and when the thermostat opens, you should see coolant flowing through the tubes at a fast rate. Also look for stream of bubbles. Do note that the coolant level will rise as it warms.

I don't believe that you said how quickly the temperature built and whether it is a steady climb and whether it levels off at the temperature you noted.

Your purchase of an aftermarket gauge makes me guess that this has been occurring for some time. If it isn't flow (water pump), then I'm going to guess head gasket starting to fail. Have you tested for hydrocarbons in the coolant (buy test kit from autoparts store).

 

When water pumps start to go bad, they don't pumps significantly less water. The bearing can go, but usually the seal starts to leak water, first. If the pump is turning, it is pumping. The water on the K member, as stated, suggests, a leaky pump seal and water coming out of the weep hole. The water you are losing is going somewhere. If there isn't enough on the K member or on the ground below it, or in the oil, it has to be going out the tail pipe. Condensation on the oil fill cap isn't too unusual, but it does indicate moisture in the crank case. The slow warm ups aggravated by that 160° thermostat isn't helping matters, and it certainly isn't making your engine run any cooler.

First, be sure you don't need a water pump. Second, rule out a blown head gasket. A CO in coolant test may be necessary. Then perform good routine maintenance. Do a super thorough flush of the cooling system. Remove the radiator and clean the cavity between the radiator and condenser and clean the fins of both the radiator and condenser, also. Once refilled, be sure it it fully burped. When you remove the radiator cap with the engine cold, there should be antifreeze on the bottom of the inside of the radiator cap. Go back to a sensible 180° or higher thermostat, and reprogram your fans(? the '84 only came with 1) to more productive numbers like on at 205° - 215° and off at 195° - 205°. Unless there is something wrong with your engine or tune, it should maintain coolant and reasonable temps.

RACE ON!!!

 

ok well the rad cap is new. it holds 16lbs of pressure with a pressure tester. i dont have a A/C condensor and theres nothign in front of the radiator. theres no water, smoke or anything like that coming out my exhaust. like i said my fan is wired to ignition.

i jsut put the 160 in on friday t see what it would do. i had a 180 in there before.

usually itll hold a temp around 190 but after a little while of driving itll shoot up to 230 and stay there for a while and then slowly go back down to 183. then if i keep driving itll go back up to 230 and pretty much stay up there. it has never overheated yet.

i guess the temp seems about right but i keep losing coolant and i fear that if i keep driving it itll eventually overheat and i dont want that.

im hoping its not a head gasket cause i jsut got done changing them and i did put all the gaskets in and torqued the ARP bolts to specs. heads were rebuilt and everything.

 

just checked the water today and had to fill it up btu this is what i got out of it.

so i guess i gotta rebuild something. or jsut get another car.

 

I like how you go from "rebuild something" to "get another car"

Kinda extreme....

 

well jsut been having non stop problems with this thing. still have an electrical drain that no one can find. thinkin of tryin to find a tpi vette thats why.

 

ok well im lookign to get new head gaskets from summit but just lost on the thickness' and bore sizes?

will vortec heads fit on a 84 block?

 

No, vortec heads won't fit. Intake bolting is different.

 

Neither the overheating, the running hot, and especially not the loosing of coolant will be solved or even helped by going to a TPI car. Most of them have aluminum heads with even greater head gasket problems.

Check your automatic trans, or OD unit of the 4+3, fluid. You may have a leaking trans fluid cooler mixing trans fluid with your coolant. Also, find out where the water you find on the K member is coming from. It looks like you need a water pump, at a minimum. Once you get things working properly these are very reliable, trouble free cars.

RACE ON!!!

 

trans fluid is nice and red with no signs of water.

dont get me wrong i love this car and the power is decent considering i have almsot all the mods for a CFI motor.

im dropping it off at my mechanic right now to see if he can tell me whats up.

 

Two points.
Isn't it still possible that the trans leaks into the coolant but not the coolant into the trans? Not likely your problem given the steady loss of coolant.
And, isn't it possible for waterpump fins to be too corroded to function effectively? Or is that a mechanic's myth.

 

Correct. The trans fluid should be under more pressure than the coolant, even at 15 psi. Therefore, the trans fluid would pass into the cooling system and not the other way. The trans fluid would remain clear and red, just down a bit. When a head gasket blows, the engine oil becomes the milk shake, because there is no oil pressure at the head gasket, just gravity powered drain back. It is possible, goodness forbid, that he has both. A bad cooler allowing trans fluid to make a milk shake in the cooling system and a head gasket pumping coolant out the exhaust.


I have never heard that "mechanic's myth". While theoretically possible, I have never seen or heard of it happening. Every second water pump or so, corrosion eats holes in the block? Coolants have rust inhibitors in them.

It's a shame he's farmed it out to a mechanic, already. He hasn't even finished trouble shooting it, yet.

RACE ON!!!

 

took it too my shop and they looked at it while i was at work. came back at the end of the day and they told me that it does have a blown head gasket. so he told me to check the torque on the heads and see if theyre alright. if not then replace them. this time im gonna put a new water pump on too.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a decent (not too expensive) head gasket?

i asked about the vortec heads cause i was thinkin of swappin over to a carb setup.

 

i jsut dont have time to work on it much. especially since its my daily.

 

just pulled my valve covers off jsut to take a look and this is what i found on the drivers side.