Ideas Please

[J.Cutta]

I have had my car for almost 2 yrs and it has been dependable. However it will overheat within a few minutes if you put a termostat in it. I tried 180 I dont want it to run without a stat. I started to tear the dash down thinking it was the heater core. But a mechanic told me that a heater core has nothing to do with it overheating. The water pump seems to look good and be pumping water through when you pinch the hose. Also is the water pump reverse rotation?

[97cavalier]

did you try coolent temp sencer?

[wrightz28]

Is the radaitor fan coming on?

Support spring missing from lower hose?

Stat installed backwards?

[CamaroRS92]

Are the radiator cores fully open - not clogged with mineral deposits and trash? May need flushing

Do you have full airflow thru the radiator and A/C Condenser?
Check for trash, leaves & other debris between the radiator and condenser. Believe it or not I have found objects as large as a walmart plastic shopping bag in there. (how the crap it got in there is still a mystery since it is such a tight space and has a rubber sealing strip between there too)

Dirt and dust buildup within the cooling fins?? may need to be washed out with a little bit of water pressure A/C - Refrigeration supply houses have aluminum fin cleaner that is excellent for removing road oils bugs and compacted dust without harming the radiator

Excessive amount of fins on the radiator and condenser bent?? A/C - Refrigeration supply houses have fin combs that can be used to straighten the fins on the condensor................The radiator on the other hand is a different story since the fins are in closed cell formation and cant be combed.

Is the cooling fan running at "full" speed? When those motors get some age on them the just dont have the power as they did when new. Even though its running it may not be powerful enough to generate the proper air flow.

are you running a 50/50 mix water / antifreeze ? plain water doesnt cool as efficiently

[sjp123]

The fan on a 91 camaro dos not turn on thill the thermistat reaches 210. but if u pull of the temp senser the fan should kick on right away. good way to see if the temp senser is bad