1986 Camaro Temperature Problem NEED HELP ASAP!!

[carl_lindquist]

I have a 1986 Camaro 2.8L V6 the LB8 engine i believe. And lately my temperature gauge is been acting funny. Before i would drive the car and the Temp gauge would shoot up to way over red line. And recently my upper radiator hose blew and i had to replace it. Now when i drive the car, the temp gauge gradually rises but keeps going up to red. But then fluctuates(sp?) constantly from 1/2 way to over 3/4. I want to know what the problem is. Whether or not i should take a look at the temperature gauge, sending unit or what. I dont wanna drive the car and have the engine end up over heating on me.

PLEASE HELP ME!!

[malletslinger]

First off...unless your upper radiator hose is only a couple years old, it isnt strange for it to blow...If it is the origional, then I am suprised it lasted this long.
Did you replace the other hoses while you were replacing the upper? If not, then you should when you have a spare weekend.
How did the inside of the bad hose look? Was it encrusted with white or brown stuff on the inside? How did the coolant look before you added more? Was it a nice green or did it look dirty and/or brown?

Now there are some things I need you to check...
First: When the car is cold, open the radiator cap(make a note of the color of the fluid)...if fluid is low, add some water to bring up the hight of the coolant so you can see it clearly...with the cap off, start the car and watch the coolant in the radiator...
As the car warms up, the level will rise a bit, so have a rag incase it overflows a little...when the car is cold, the coolant shouldnt move much, but after the car has warmed up, the coolant should suddenly start to flow(because the thermostat has opened) movement should be obvious.

Once you have confirmed that the thermostat if functioning properly, put the radiator cap back on... If the cooling fan hasn't turned on yet, then continue to wait untill it does so you can confirm that it isn't the problem...once the cooling fan kicks on, go in and check to see what temp your gage is reading and take note of it, then turn off your car and post what you found.
It is important to know what your coolant gage thinks the temp is when the fan kicks on.