While the car was "hot" were the cooling fans on?
Have you changed checked coolant level?
Has the coolant ever been changed?
Mods?
Have you changed checked coolant level?
Has the coolant ever been changed?
Mods?
Cold start overheating
Just noticed this on a cooler morning. I stepped out and cranked the car about 5 minutes before I was leaving. 40 degrees outside so I cold started the car and popped the defroster on with the temp set at 72 in the car. Came out five minutes later to discover it was getting hot! Not red zone but well past the half way mark on the coolant gauge. I decided to leave it running pulled out onto the highway and as soon as the air starting moving through the intake and radiator it went straight back to where it normally sits at operating temp. After that it never spiked again, I even sat for 10 minutes at idle and nothing. So anyone know what the hell is going on??
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Car has a cold air intake, headers, full exhaust, and is tuned. I just got the car in December so I’m not sure if it’s life prior too. I was thinking I would go ahead and get it flushed out and just get a new thermostat while I’m in there.While the car was "hot" were the cooling fans on?
Have you changed checked coolant level?
Has the coolant ever been changed?
Mods?
Assume that you have own the car for a few weeks/months and it's not the first day cold start you have had. One time running "hot" would not worry me so much. Gat a scanner (amazon and app on your phone $20/$30) and a heat gun. Need to know if your truly running "hot" or is the gauge reading wrong? Coolant flush and change the thermostat is not a bad idea.
When the car is off, and has cooled, look at your radiator hoses to see if they're collapsed. A lot of us have had to change our radiator caps, and this is an easy warning sign. Might not be related, but while you're checking out the cooling system, you might as well inspect that too.
Got it! Thanks man!When the car is off, and has cooled, look at your radiator hoses to see if they're collapsed. A lot of us have had to change our radiator caps, and this is an easy warning sign. Might not be related, but while you're checking out the cooling system, you might as well inspect that too.
What radiator cap are guys switching to??
Stock cap OE ACDelco GM# 13502509, ACD# RC115What radiator cap are guys switching to??
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PSA:Stock cap OE ACDelco GM# 13502509, ACD# RC115
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
For anyone who may be interested in a spare or some preventative maintenance, Amazon currently has these on sale for 50% off, or just $10.49 ===> https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-RC115-Original-Equipment-Radiator/dp/B002E51WJM
Pearl was idling rough on cold mornings. First couple days, it didn't catch my attention. Once I noticed it, Google search landed me at Coolant Temperature Sensor. I check resistance cold and after commute to work. All behaving fine. I also cleaned the contacts on the sensor, issue has not returned in over a year. Most likely not related to overheating, but maybe sensor giving intermittent false reading?
PSA:
For anyone who may be interested in a spare or some preventative maintenance, Amazon currently has these on sale for 50% off, or just $10.49 ===> https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-RC115-Original-Equipment-Radiator/dp/B002E51WJM
Thanks for the heads up! Installing a cold case radiator next week. Just replaced my cap not long ago, but at that price I ordered another so everything is freshy fresh. Will save the old one for a backup.
Replaced my cap with the ACDelco stock one after noticing the upper hose squished down after shutdown, and it's been fine. I also did a Cold Case radiator, and it was easier than expected: it seems like they tweaked the design or my stock stuff is different than others reported, and the fan shroud and neck cleared with room to spare. For anyone thinking about installing one with an auto trans: you'll lose about 1/2qt of trans fluid when doing the swap, so top up the trans after (I added 1.5qt to get to a normal 6L80 overfill for track use, and it's working well).
I'm not sure the new radiator was a bigger improvement in cooling than going to 75% water + water wetter + 25% dexcool instead of the stock fill, but it is shinier.
I'm not sure the new radiator was a bigger improvement in cooling than going to 75% water + water wetter + 25% dexcool instead of the stock fill, but it is shinier.
Ok awesome, I’ll go ahead and give this a try too!Pearl was idling rough on cold mornings. First couple days, it didn't catch my attention. Once I noticed it, Google search landed me at Coolant Temperature Sensor. I check resistance cold and after commute to work. All behaving fine. I also cleaned the contacts on the sensor, issue has not returned in over a year. Most likely not related to overheating, but maybe sensor giving intermittent false reading?
Updating this post. So I bought a new radiator cap and put it on. Did not solve the problem however. The coolant temp gauge sometimes reads hot even got the overheating message on the display. Turn the car off back on and everything is back to normal. I get these random temp readings but I’m not seeing any leaks, the fans are working, so I’m leaning towards picking up a new sensor and doing a coolant flush. 50k miles, should I replace the hoses too? Water pump? If I’m in there taking it all apart should I pick up the cold case radiator and and do the whole cooling system?
Other GM cars(some Cadillacs, for instance) are having problems with the thermostat.Updating this post. So I bought a new radiator cap and put it on. Did not solve the problem however. The coolant temp gauge sometimes reads hot even got the overheating message on the display. Turn the car off back on and everything is back to normal. I get these random temp readings but I’m not seeing any leaks, the fans are working, so I’m leaning towards picking up a new sensor and doing a coolant flush. 50k miles, should I replace the hoses too? Water pump? If I’m in there taking it all apart should I pick up the cold case radiator and and do the whole cooling system?
Awesome I’ll ohm it out and see what I get.
Replace your thermostat: if it's sticking closed, you'd see relatively rapid overheating, but it may be inconsistent and might get better if you turn it off and back on. You shouldn't be getting overheating warnings at idle, something is wrong here.
Replacement timeline on the coolant is 100k miles or 5 years: since you didn't mention that it's been changed already at 50k, change it. Draining the radiator pulls out around 1-1.3 gallons, so the easiest way to replace most/all of the coolant is to drain it, remove the thermostat and re-close the housing, and then fill, start the car for a minute so it mixes, drain, repeat until confident. Install your new thermostat before the last refill. You can use distilled (or drinkable tap) water for the intermediate fills, and start adding Dexcool to hit your desired percentage on the later steps. If you're doing 25% or less Dexcool, I'd add a bottle of Water Wetter to inhibit corrosion. The chart on this page shows freezing point by % glycol: use enough to definitely not freeze, but more water is better for cooling: Ethylene Glycol Heat-Transfer Fluid Properties
I'd pass on the radiator replacement for now: I did it after having inadequate cooling on a track known as being unusually high load. The stock setup was fine for the other 8 tracks I've driven.
Replacement timeline on the coolant is 100k miles or 5 years: since you didn't mention that it's been changed already at 50k, change it. Draining the radiator pulls out around 1-1.3 gallons, so the easiest way to replace most/all of the coolant is to drain it, remove the thermostat and re-close the housing, and then fill, start the car for a minute so it mixes, drain, repeat until confident. Install your new thermostat before the last refill. You can use distilled (or drinkable tap) water for the intermediate fills, and start adding Dexcool to hit your desired percentage on the later steps. If you're doing 25% or less Dexcool, I'd add a bottle of Water Wetter to inhibit corrosion. The chart on this page shows freezing point by % glycol: use enough to definitely not freeze, but more water is better for cooling: Ethylene Glycol Heat-Transfer Fluid Properties
I'd pass on the radiator replacement for now: I did it after having inadequate cooling on a track known as being unusually high load. The stock setup was fine for the other 8 tracks I've driven.
Awesome!!! Thank you so much!! This helps tremendously!!Replace your thermostat: if it's sticking closed, you'd see relatively rapid overheating, but it may be inconsistent and might get better if you turn it off and back on. You shouldn't be getting overheating warnings at idle, something is wrong here.
Replacement timeline on the coolant is 100k miles or 5 years: since you didn't mention that it's been changed already at 50k, change it. Draining the radiator pulls out around 1-1.3 gallons, so the easiest way to replace most/all of the coolant is to drain it, remove the thermostat and re-close the housing, and then fill, start the car for a minute so it mixes, drain, repeat until confident. Install your new thermostat before the last refill. You can use distilled (or drinkable tap) water for the intermediate fills, and start adding Dexcool to hit your desired percentage on the later steps. If you're doing 25% or less Dexcool, I'd add a bottle of Water Wetter to inhibit corrosion. The chart on this page shows freezing point by % glycol: use enough to definitely not freeze, but more water is better for cooling: Ethylene Glycol Heat-Transfer Fluid Properties
I'd pass on the radiator replacement for now: I did it after having inadequate cooling on a track known as being unusually high load. The stock setup was fine for the other 8 tracks I've driven.
What temperature is optimal? I’ve seen several different ones. Safe to assume cooler is better?Replace your thermostat: if it's sticking closed, you'd see relatively rapid overheating, but it may be inconsistent and might get better if you turn it off and back on. You shouldn't be getting overheating warnings at idle, something is wrong here.
Replacement timeline on the coolant is 100k miles or 5 years: since you didn't mention that it's been changed already at 50k, change it. Draining the radiator pulls out around 1-1.3 gallons, so the easiest way to replace most/all of the coolant is to drain it, remove the thermostat and re-close the housing, and then fill, start the car for a minute so it mixes, drain, repeat until confident. Install your new thermostat before the last refill. You can use distilled (or drinkable tap) water for the intermediate fills, and start adding Dexcool to hit your desired percentage on the later steps. If you're doing 25% or less Dexcool, I'd add a bottle of Water Wetter to inhibit corrosion. The chart on this page shows freezing point by % glycol: use enough to definitely not freeze, but more water is better for cooling: Ethylene Glycol Heat-Transfer Fluid Properties
I'd pass on the radiator replacement for now: I did it after having inadequate cooling on a track known as being unusually high load. The stock setup was fine for the other 8 tracks I've driven.
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