PLEASE help... car overheating
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 173
Likes: 0
From: Victorville Ca
PLEASE help... car overheating
Hey guys can someone PLEASE help me out.
I live in the desert and the last month the temperature has ranged between 100 and 107 hot dry heat.
My 2001 vette with 101,000 miles has been running anywhere between 220 and 230. About 235 when i stop. I have thought this was high and someone reccomended wetter water.
I put wetter water in yesterday and today it is 101 which is lower than the last few days and now it was running at 240 the whole time even while driving fast and got to 250 when i was stopped and this is without the AC on!
can someone help me i am very frustrated and worried. I also do not want to go to a mechanic yet because it is so easy to get ripped off when you dont know anything.
I live in the desert and the last month the temperature has ranged between 100 and 107 hot dry heat.
My 2001 vette with 101,000 miles has been running anywhere between 220 and 230. About 235 when i stop. I have thought this was high and someone reccomended wetter water.
I put wetter water in yesterday and today it is 101 which is lower than the last few days and now it was running at 240 the whole time even while driving fast and got to 250 when i was stopped and this is without the AC on!
can someone help me i am very frustrated and worried. I also do not want to go to a mechanic yet because it is so easy to get ripped off when you dont know anything.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,949
Likes: 10
From: Monticello MN
Hey guys can someone PLEASE help me out.
I live in the desert and the last month the temperature has ranged between 100 and 107 hot dry heat.
My 2001 vette with 101,000 miles has been running anywhere between 220 and 230. About 235 when i stop. I have thought this was high and someone reccomended wetter water.
I put wetter water in yesterday and today it is 101 which is lower than the last few days and now it was running at 240 the whole time even while driving fast and got to 250 when i was stopped and this is without the AC on!
can someone help me i am very frustrated and worried. I also do not want to go to a mechanic yet because it is so easy to get ripped off when you dont know anything.
I live in the desert and the last month the temperature has ranged between 100 and 107 hot dry heat.
My 2001 vette with 101,000 miles has been running anywhere between 220 and 230. About 235 when i stop. I have thought this was high and someone reccomended wetter water.
I put wetter water in yesterday and today it is 101 which is lower than the last few days and now it was running at 240 the whole time even while driving fast and got to 250 when i was stopped and this is without the AC on!
can someone help me i am very frustrated and worried. I also do not want to go to a mechanic yet because it is so easy to get ripped off when you dont know anything.
I would start with having your radiator cleaned. It's the cheapest and probably the most likely culprit. These things are like vacuum cleaners. You will not believe how much stuff will get blown out. Also, you could try having your fan settings turned down, either with a handheld programmer or a tuner.
Ed
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 173
Likes: 0
From: Victorville Ca
i called the mechanic and he said to have the radiator flushed and cleaned and everyhting it would be 200 and that i use the expensive coolant dexacool or something like that.
is that sound about right guys?
is that sound about right guys?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,384
Likes: 87
From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Have you looked under the car. The Vette is a "bottom feeder" and its possible to get all sorts of debris into the intake. I imported a Walmart carier bag to UK when I shipped the car. A good clean may improve matters.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 17,541
Likes: 2
From: Manhattan, KS Missing SoCal since 2005
Get the car up on a lift and look at the front of the radiator - all kinds of debris collects in there. There are a couple of companies that market a screen to help keep junk out.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 8,145
Likes: 1
From: Bradenton FLORIDA
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,962
Likes: 29
From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
I used a cheap air compressor line with a bend at the end that I bought at Harbor Freight for something like $4.95. Between the radiator and the condensor blowing the rocks back out the front.
Also, when you are in the heat, run the AC. That will keep the fans on therefore the car will run cooler. Up in Victorville at this time of the year, you need the AC anyway. I know, I lived there for 5 years long ago. I'm down the hill from you now.
Also, when you are in the heat, run the AC. That will keep the fans on therefore the car will run cooler. Up in Victorville at this time of the year, you need the AC anyway. I know, I lived there for 5 years long ago. I'm down the hill from you now.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: The line waiting to see Santa Claus stretched all the way back to Terre Haute, and I was at the end, Indiana
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18
I agree with the rest of the posts...it's probably some blockage on the radiator. You have to raise the car and look way up towards the top of the intake area around the radiator. You will probably find all kinds of small stuff like grass clippings, leaves and paper packed in there. I found a styrofoam cup, part of a hamburger wrapper and a handfull of grass clippings up there a couple of weeks ago...and it had only been a couple of months since I had cleaned it last.
I am running 11.2:1 compression and the temp shoots up pretty quick if anything disrupts the air flow in mine, so I check it several times during the summer driving season or if I notice the temps rising.
I am running 11.2:1 compression and the temp shoots up pretty quick if anything disrupts the air flow in mine, so I check it several times during the summer driving season or if I notice the temps rising.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,916
Likes: 1
From: West Palm Beach Florida
I agree with the rest of the posts...it's probably some blockage on the radiator. You have to raise the car and look way up towards the top of the intake area around the radiator. You will probably find all kinds of small stuff like grass clippings, leaves and paper packed in there. I found a styrofoam cup, part of a hamburger wrapper and a handfull of grass clippings up there a couple of weeks ago...and it had only been a couple of months since I had cleaned it last.
I am running 11.2:1 compression and the temp shoots up pretty quick if anything disrupts the air flow in mine, so I check it several times during the summer driving season or if I notice the temps rising.
I am running 11.2:1 compression and the temp shoots up pretty quick if anything disrupts the air flow in mine, so I check it several times during the summer driving season or if I notice the temps rising.
.
Advanced
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 50
Likes: 0
From: GA
I had the same problem a month or so ago, cleaned out behind the radiator as mentioned by others. There was a profound amont of trash, car runs much cooler and A/C is awesome now. It has been running over 100 degrees here in GA for a few weeks. My coolant temp runs about 198-207 now.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 810
Likes: 0
From: Coulmbia New Jersey
As I was reading this I noticed. Jhyten you said flushed. What everyone is talking about it the dirt and debris that collect on the outside of the radiator and condensor fins. Dirt gets packed between the condensor and radiator and will block airflow between the two.
Remove the (4) 10mm bolts that hold the upper rad shroud on and look between them, then use a shopvac to suck the large peices of crud out. Then while there take a air hose and blow in the reverse direction of normal airflow to push out the tiny parts that remain.
Dave
Remove the (4) 10mm bolts that hold the upper rad shroud on and look between them, then use a shopvac to suck the large peices of crud out. Then while there take a air hose and blow in the reverse direction of normal airflow to push out the tiny parts that remain.
Dave
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,106
Likes: 1
From: Foresters Falls(near Ottawa) Ont
As I was reading this I noticed. Jhyten you said flushed. What everyone is talking about it the dirt and debris that collect on the outside of the radiator and condensor fins. Dirt gets packed between the condensor and radiator and will block airflow between the two.
Remove the (4) 10mm bolts that hold the upper rad shroud on and look between them, then use a shopvac to suck the large peices of crud out. Then while there take a air hose and blow in the reverse direction of normal airflow to push out the tiny parts that remain.
Dave
Remove the (4) 10mm bolts that hold the upper rad shroud on and look between them, then use a shopvac to suck the large peices of crud out. Then while there take a air hose and blow in the reverse direction of normal airflow to push out the tiny parts that remain.
Dave
This is the best way to go, for sure. Getting crap out from the bottom while looking up sure helps, especially if you have a shopping bag or dead sea gull up there, but remember, all you're doing is cleaning the front of the air conditioning condenser.To do the best job of cleaning the condenser and radiator, you have to do what Dave descibed. And be careful of the condenser and rad fins ..... they are delicate!!
RonJ ...
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 922
Likes: 1
From: Thousand Oaks CA.
My .02
Everybody that has posted to this has given good advice.........
I drive the Ventura Freeway Parking Lot in 105 degree days and do a variety of things
Every 6 to 8 months clean all the crap out of the condenser. (too lazy to put the screen on
)
Every other year, flush the motor and replace coolant.
Reprogammed the fans to come on earlier.
Put in a 176 thermostat.
No matter how much it sits in traffic, never gets over 190-210.
Everybody that has posted to this has given good advice.........
I drive the Ventura Freeway Parking Lot in 105 degree days and do a variety of things
Every 6 to 8 months clean all the crap out of the condenser. (too lazy to put the screen on
)Every other year, flush the motor and replace coolant.
Reprogammed the fans to come on earlier.
Put in a 176 thermostat.
No matter how much it sits in traffic, never gets over 190-210.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 949
Likes: 1
From: Oakdale CT
Like everyone else said, check to see if you sucked up a bag or something first. If you don't find anything, next I would check the coolant level. This is going to make me sound like an idiot, but I had the exact same problem about 2 weeks ago. Turns out, when I was done working on my car, I forgot to tighten the collant fill cap down. You can loose a lot of coolant this way due to evaporation, and you may or may not be able to see any steam. In my case, after adding about 1.5 gallons of water to the tank, everything was back to normal. The fact that I never got a low coolant message is what baffles me.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 173
Likes: 0
From: Victorville Ca
Thanks guys! This forum is awesome. Problem solved! I think i sucked up a squirrel, a crow, a small deer, there was even a mustang gt in there that i ran over cause it was so slow. jk!
Thanks everyone!
Thanks everyone!
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 4,333
Likes: 6
From: Louisville Kentucky
Rookie here. After removing that top piece that covers the radiator, I sprayed a light flow water with a garden hose down the front of the radiator (I didn't want to force the debris deeper into the front of the radiator). This improved my temperature problem big time in that it now only gets to 235 when sitting still in traffic with the AC on in 100 degree temperatures.
Problem is, I want to force the debris out the front of the radiator but how the hell do you get your hand in there? The way it looks to me is you have to pull the radiator out of the car to clean it. I know this will solve my issue simply because of the improvement that I am seeing with the little cleaning I did. Anyone have any pictures that I can go by to clean this thing? Thanks!
Problem is, I want to force the debris out the front of the radiator but how the hell do you get your hand in there? The way it looks to me is you have to pull the radiator out of the car to clean it. I know this will solve my issue simply because of the improvement that I am seeing with the little cleaning I did. Anyone have any pictures that I can go by to clean this thing? Thanks!
