mine ran a little warm today also..
Overheating Z
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Annapolis MD
Overheating Z
2002 z06 with 81k miles
yesterday my z overheated, temp went straight to 255 within about 10 min and it got hot right near pep boys, so i bought a new water pump and thermostat. put them both in today and i just op tested it and climbs to 250 at idle in about 15 min. took off the radiator shroud and the radiator is a little dirty but i can feel air flow and it is hot(with coolant). also i turned on my heater and i'm not getting any heat.
i did put a new clutch in about 3 months ago( 5k miles). it is possible that engine hit the firewall on the clutch install.
could a pinched heater pipe cause the overheating?
im lost, i dont know where else to go next.
any thoughts?
yesterday my z overheated, temp went straight to 255 within about 10 min and it got hot right near pep boys, so i bought a new water pump and thermostat. put them both in today and i just op tested it and climbs to 250 at idle in about 15 min. took off the radiator shroud and the radiator is a little dirty but i can feel air flow and it is hot(with coolant). also i turned on my heater and i'm not getting any heat.
i did put a new clutch in about 3 months ago( 5k miles). it is possible that engine hit the firewall on the clutch install.
could a pinched heater pipe cause the overheating?
im lost, i dont know where else to go next.
any thoughts?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,191
Likes: 53
From: Tucson Arizona
Then it sounds like you have an air lock that is preventing the coolant from circulating through the engine. That usually only occurs when coolant has been drained and not refilled properly. It shouldn't have occurred just all of a sudden unless the coolant had been very low. Usually you can clear it by turning the heater on high until the hoses running in and out of the heater get hot.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
Sounds like you have an air bubble and need to burp the system.
Here's what I found for ya! Try this!
Fill the cooling system through the surge tank.
Fill the cooling system with a 50/50 mixture of DEX-COOL® coolant and deionized water.
Start the engine.
Allow the engine to idle for 1 minute.
Install surge tank cap.
Cycle the engine RPMs from idle to 3000 in 30 second intervals until the coolant temperature reaches 99°C (210°F).
Shut off the engine.
Remove the surge tank cap.
Start the engine.
Allow the engine to Idle for 1 minute. Fill the surge tank to 12.7 mm (0.5 in) above the COLD FULL mark on the surge tank.
Install the surge tank cap.
Cycle the engine RPMs from idle to 3000 in 30 second intervals until the coolant reaches 99°C (210°F).
Shut off the engine.
Remove the surge tank cap.
Top off the coolant as necessary, 12.7 mm (0.5 in) above FULL COLD mark on the surge tank.
Rinse away any excess coolant from the engine and the engine compartment.
Inspect the concentration of the engine coolant.
Install the surge tank cap.
Here's what I found for ya! Try this!
Fill the cooling system through the surge tank.
Fill the cooling system with a 50/50 mixture of DEX-COOL® coolant and deionized water.
Start the engine.
Allow the engine to idle for 1 minute.
Install surge tank cap.
Cycle the engine RPMs from idle to 3000 in 30 second intervals until the coolant temperature reaches 99°C (210°F).
Shut off the engine.
Remove the surge tank cap.
Start the engine.
Allow the engine to Idle for 1 minute. Fill the surge tank to 12.7 mm (0.5 in) above the COLD FULL mark on the surge tank.
Install the surge tank cap.
Cycle the engine RPMs from idle to 3000 in 30 second intervals until the coolant reaches 99°C (210°F).
Shut off the engine.
Remove the surge tank cap.
Top off the coolant as necessary, 12.7 mm (0.5 in) above FULL COLD mark on the surge tank.
Rinse away any excess coolant from the engine and the engine compartment.
Inspect the concentration of the engine coolant.
Install the surge tank cap.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Annapolis MD
The solution to my problem was a combination of air in the system, low coolant level, and a dirty radiator. she ran @ 208 deg on the freeway, but started to slowly climbed in city traffic to about 230 deg by the time i got home.
i still think there is a little bit of air in there, i just read in another thread to pull the small hose under the throttle body. I'll try that tomorrow.
i still think there is a little bit of air in there, i just read in another thread to pull the small hose under the throttle body. I'll try that tomorrow.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 13,421
Likes: 8
From: Lake Mary Florida
Are you running your AC?
You said dirty radiator, are you referring to the area you see when you lay down and look at the intake area under the nose?
If so that is the condenser not the radiator. You need to either remove the top cover for the radiator/condenser or pull up on some ramps and slide underneath and look between the radiator and condenser. That small space sucks up tons of debris. Getting it cleaned out is another challenge.
The purge procedure described by Bill should be sufficient.
At 81k, I'd start considering the radiator is plugged up and air is not flowing through it. Over time water and dirt gets in between the fins and plugs them up as a solid reducing air flow. Those fins are super delicate. You would need to either remove it and soak and clean it or just replace the radiator with a new one. Some people will tell you to get an all aluminum but the stock one will work fine especially brand new.
You said dirty radiator, are you referring to the area you see when you lay down and look at the intake area under the nose?
If so that is the condenser not the radiator. You need to either remove the top cover for the radiator/condenser or pull up on some ramps and slide underneath and look between the radiator and condenser. That small space sucks up tons of debris. Getting it cleaned out is another challenge.
The purge procedure described by Bill should be sufficient.
At 81k, I'd start considering the radiator is plugged up and air is not flowing through it. Over time water and dirt gets in between the fins and plugs them up as a solid reducing air flow. Those fins are super delicate. You would need to either remove it and soak and clean it or just replace the radiator with a new one. Some people will tell you to get an all aluminum but the stock one will work fine especially brand new.
