Ok so I have a 2000 with, heads, cam, headers, and procharger.
I originally had the old style H.O. procharger system with the single cooling fan, and I just upgraded the whole induction set up from the old style to the new stage 2 kit. I was going to try to get away with not having to drain the coolant so I wouldn't get air in the system but the new kit comes with a radiator cradle that leans the radiator, so I had to.

So here is whats happening. With the car just idling the temp gets up to about 205-210 degrees, nd then the fans kick on and the temp will go down to 195-199 degrees, so I know the Tstat is opening and the fans are working. But when I go out for a drive the temp will just slowly keep rising till it gets up to 255 and then I have to pull over and keep the car running till the temp goes back down. That is city driving. Wen im on the freeway the temp shoots up real fast and I have to keep doing th pull over cool down thing till I get home.

I have tried burping the system 5 times, checked for radiator blockage, opened up the coolant crossover tube to try to bleed air, and I tried to take off the coolant return line and started the car and coolant is flowing out slowly so I think the water pump is good.

I don't know if im doing the air purge procedure right because there is so many different threads people have posted its hard to find the right info.

if anyone can help me before I go spend a bunch of money I would greatly appreciate it.

thanks
Anthony

 

without knowing anything else...how old is the water pump? maybe its not keeping up with demand...

 

i got the car in 08 so i don't know if the previous owner changed it so im assuming 15yrs old... that's what i was going to buy next.

 

could using tap water instead of distilled water make the temps rise like this?

 

NO...
Assuming there isn't any debris, trash, or bags blocking your A/C condenser and radiator from air flow...
Sounds like AIR in the system...

There are LOTS of threads on burping your system... one of the techies that is REALLY good on the procedures is 8vette7... you might PM him or he may jump in and help you out with the BEST and FOOL proof way to get the air OUT of the system...

This thread should walk you thru the procedure

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...adiator-4.html

 

do you have the twin intercoolers behind the brake ducts or do you have a front mount?... I am not familiar what a "stage 2" kit is and you mentioned you had a single cooling fan, is this still the case?... if so you really need to ditch that single fan and get at least the stock dual fan setup, I would suggest a dewitts radiator with dual spal fans as an upgrade since you are boosted... also make sure you still have the center air dam in place under the car because that really helps funnel air up to the radiator

 

I too am boosted with the Dewitts fans and rad. I also installed a high volume Meziere electric water pump. Runs cool on the street and stays in range on the track. You may also want to consider the Saccity coolit. I have their setup as well easy to install and runs both the fans and water pump for faster and more even cool down when temps are high.


good luck.

 

Seen this happen a few times. The cause was the excessive back pressure that is created when driving. This higher than normal back pressure cause the engine (mechanical pump) to work harder to push out the exhaust gases thus making the engine work harder which creates more heat then the cooling system can dissipate.

The typical cause was the catalyst converters are "toast" and impeding the flow of exhaust gases. If you ran your vette air fuel mixture too rich you might of melted the catalysts.

Something to look for is the other more simpler options become of no avail.
Ray

 

I don't think his cats are the issue because if they were clogged then he would probably be complaining of it driving like total crap instead of higher than normal coolant temps... being boosted there is a good chance he may not even be running cats to begin with

 

Sounds like time for a new rad, cheap just buy one and see if that's the problem.

 

If the car had a air pocket in it...it should get hot sitting still or driving. Actually depending on where the pocket was you might not even see it get hot if the pocket was around the temp sensor.

Anyway.

If sitting still the car warms and cools down then you are correct the thermostat should be working and the fans should be working (should be able to hear them).

If it can't stay cool on the highway then I would look at a few other things.

1. Is the air damn still mounted under the car? If not, it needs to be there. This is critical for these cars as they are "bottom feeders" and need that to direct the air into the radiator

2. Are the fans and shroud mounted correctly? If not, again this can cause an air leak and not let the radiator do it's job.

3. Is the factory radiator duct in place in front of the radiator? This, again is critical to making sure that air flows through the radiator like it is suppose to.



To me, unless you have massive belt slip or the water pump is dying or someone left a rag in the radiator hose...you have an air flow problem at speed which is why it is getting hot when driving.

I will agree with some of the other posts about cats too...but I would think there would be a big drop in power with that car too.......also could be a timing issue but if it was fine before I point to an air flow issue.

 

thanks for all the help guys! I haven't been able to get to fixing the car yet but I will try to bleed the air again tonight.

And yes I do have the twin intercoolers and double fans. I also tried a new coolant cap with no luck.

I will chime back in tomorrow and let you guys know what happens.

thanks

 

 

Finally figured out the problem... the wires on the fans were opposite and they were blowing on the radiator instead of sucking the air out... lol

thanks again for all the help!
Anthony