overheating

[thabadguy]

89 rs v6. when i drive on the highway it over heats slowy but when im stoped at a light it will go back to normal. some stuff i have done was changed thremo to 160, took off that lil black plastic thingy under the car.(spoiler i think). i had to put in a differnt fan cuz the other 1 blew up. so i took the fan out of my ford probe and manual switched it. did the block sealent thing(thought might have blown head gasket.) wut could it be.

[genescott]

put that little black thingy back on, that directs the air to the radaitor to cool it when traveling down the road. check for stopped up radaitor also. the fans work for stop and go traffic the air foil works on the highway.

[thabadguy]

ya i statred thinking bout it last night(clear head i guess) and put it on. it works perfect thank u.
but now the prbo is since i lowered it alot. is scraps as i go down the road which is the reason y i took it of in the first place

[gorgepr]

that should be the problem ( the black thing) I dont know about you but I preffer a car that runs good over a car that looks good, also a radiator clean up wouldn't hurt ya is cheap and is a good way to keep an engine kool

[wrightz28]

Teh "black thing" is the air dam which is critcal to these cars, without it your in for problems. Also make sure there is no levaes or debris inbetween the a/c condensor and radiator. This should be merged with you heater thread, that I jsut repied to and a re probably related.

Further more, what "block sealant"? Please don't say barzleaks, that's eninge death on a stick

[thabadguy]

no the orange and silver 1 perma something

[89IROC&RS]

scraping the air dam on a lowered camaro is pretty common. the simple solution, is to trim the air dam. can be done pretty easily.

[thabadguy]

neva thought of that lol smart man

[thabadguy]

ok guys (and ladies) im still overheating really bad now i changed the thermo 4 times now changed the ect. water pump is lookin good. could it be the radatior. it flows but could it be clogged

[89IROC&RS]

when its overheating, is your fan running? you could have a bad temp sensor on the fan, or the motor may have just given out, it does happen. if you have a single fan setup, turn the AC on, the fan should start spinning right away. if it dosnt, time for a new fan.

if the fan dosnt turn on while your over heating, but does turn on with the AC, its time for a new temp sensor on the fan. i believe its in the passenger side of the block.

also, check for debris between the radiator and condenser. blocked airflow will cause the same problem.

i would say a clogged radiator is unlikely unless you can see some sort of gelling or build up around the radiator cap. or noticed it when you replaced the thermostat or water pump.

also, you mentioned you removed the air dam before, you didnt remove the fan shroud did you? without the fan shroud you would definatly have cooling problems.

[thabadguy]

no i manaul switched the fan and since its been overheating its always on.and its not the orginal fan i took the fan and shroud off my probe. i think its the radaitor becuase its really rusty inside. . also because it used to stay cool now all of a sudden it gets hot. and it shoots up real quick when im on the freeway when its high in rpms. theres no leaves or debris.

[89IROC&RS]

well, from napa IIRC its only about 150 bucks, and you seem to have put in the valiant effort in all other regards. replaced the water pump, thermostat, the fan situation.... i shall remain silent on. although if it was working before, i wont question it. so pretty much the only thing left is the radiator itself.

[thabadguy]

Could It Be It Though

[89IROC&RS]

im hesitant to say. normally when a radiator fails, there is a gush of green stuff on the ground to announce it. either a leak at a fitting, or leaking at the tanks on the sides. although clogs exist, you would normally see a reduction in flow from the water pump. or overflowing from the pump trying to force fluid through the radiator.

so like ive said, youve done a decent job so far covering your bases, but the radiator dosnt sound like its failing in the "normal" way.

[mikeemon]

Does your 89 use Dexcool antifreeze? I have been told if you mix the Dex and conventional antifreeze, you will have problems. The two are not compatable and will gel up or some such thing. I was also told that typical flushing is not good enough for switching and you may still end up with problems.