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03 zo6 overheating

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Old Dec 14, 2008 | 11:55 PM
  #1  
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Default 03 zo6 overheating

ok this is what happened.

i had beem driving the car for about 30min on city streets no higher than 30 mph

when my check gauges light came on i noticed the temp gauge was peged. i pulled over and opened the hood checked the coolient level it was fine ( not boiling over) checked the fans they were drawing cool air. checked the analog gauge campared to the digital one and seemed to be reading the same temp. let the car set for awhile and then started it again and the within 1min it peged again.

my question is where do i start.

I dont think car was overheating

thanx for the help
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 06:09 AM
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for what you're describing (doesn't seem to overheat visually) I'd get the long stem thermometer and stick it between the radiator blades when the gauge is pegged-than compare the readings.Maybe you temp sensor is bad...Now,if it IS overheating I'd change the t-stat first...
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 07:58 AM
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Originally Posted by wildbadbill
Maybe you temp sensor is bad.


A defective engine coolant temperature sensor, or an open circuit in it's wiring to the PCM, will cause just what you described.
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 09:24 AM
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I had a friend with this exact same problem, we changed the temp sensor and it didn't fix the problem so I looked in the service manual and the troubleshooting led us to a bad instrument cluster which he decided not to replace.

If you look at the wiring diagram the temp sensor sends it's signal directly to the PCM and then the PCM sends this info to the IPC which displays it both on the DIC as well as the analog gauge.
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 10:26 AM
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thats what i am afraid of. is there any other way to check the temp
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 10:44 AM
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Originally Posted by 98orangecrush
thats what i am afraid of. is there any other way to check the temp
You can measure it with a thermometer at the surge tank.

Just be sure to release the pressure very slowly before removing the cap.

You can also shoot the block temperature with an I.R. gun.
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 11:00 AM
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FYI, the engine coolant sensor also controls a lot of the fuel mixture therefore there could be lots of issues if its bad. If the sensor is reading to the pcm correctly and its just not reporting correctly.. not so bad. As suggested, use an IR gun to find out and take it from there. If it is starting to overheat, are the fans running? Have you cleaned out the debris from the front of the condensory and specifically the small rocks?
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 12:08 PM
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i will check that next. what should the temp be at idle for around 15 min. It was reading 221 and the fans were coming on. the temp in san antonio is 45 degrees today. which dont help things
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 02:18 PM
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If you aren't running the HVAC system, the fans will cycle on and off based upon the engine temperature...again, the 225-235 range for low to high speed operation. So, sitting there at idle, HVAC/fans are off, it will heat up of course till the fans kick on and cool it back down. Now if the temp is blasting all the way up or staying up, then the coolant temp sensor needs to be looked at especially if the engine doesn't feel that hot to you. Again the only way to know is to measure it. IR gun makes it easy and they are cheap.
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 08:07 PM
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put a scanner to it cleared and reset codes seems to be working fine now. freaky
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 08:41 PM
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Originally Posted by 98orangecrush
ok this is what happened.

i had beem driving the car for about 30min on city streets no higher than 30 mph

when my check gauges light came on i noticed the temp gauge was peged. i pulled over and opened the hood checked the coolient level it was fine ( not boiling over) checked the fans they were drawing cool air. checked the analog gauge campared to the digital one and seemed to be reading the same temp. let the car set for awhile and then started it again and the within 1min it peged again.

my question is where do i start.

I dont think car was overheating

thanx for the help
Easier yet, use an infra-red thermometer (non contact) for various readings around the engine and radiator.

By the way, I bought mine a Harbor Freight for about $25.
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Old Dec 15, 2008 | 09:08 PM
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Originally Posted by ALLEGRO
Easier yet, use an infra-red thermometer (non contact) for various readings around the engine and radiator.

By the way, I bought mine a Harbor Freight for about $25.
Did you read posts #6, 7 and 9?
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Old Dec 16, 2008 | 07:15 AM
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Originally Posted by LoneStarFRC
Did you read posts #6, 7 and 9?
Apparently, he didn't.
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