heater/Cooling problem?

[Winch]

My son has an 02 Camaro V6 and he goes to school 200 miles away so I'm not at the car at the moment. He called this afternoon and said the heater is not putting out any warm air. Blower works but the air is cold. He said it had been running for 15 minutes and the temp gauge showed a steady 205-210. Then he calls back 20 minutes later and said he kept letting it warm up and the temp gauge almost pegged out at 260 so he turned it off. The car has a history of a slow coolant leak and he said when he first realized it wasn't warming up as fast as it usually does he added coolant. Sounds like he put about 3/4 of a gallon in it to fill it up.

I had him make sure the serpentine belt was on. Then I told him to let it cool down for several hours. Make sure the coolant was at proper level then start it and drive around the block to see if it starts to work. I said to bring it back to the dorm if the temp rises above 210 again and in that case we'll have to have it towed somewhere to be looked at.

The temp there was about 10 degrees today. My thought is a stuck thermostat? Where is that at on a V6? Can you smack the housing with a wrench like on a 327?

Any thoughts / suggestions?

[Nas Escobar]

Re: heater/Cooling problem?

To find the thermostat on the Camaro is easy... Follow the upper rad hose to the metal piece where it meets the engine block. That's where the thermostat is. A black fuel line also runs there if I'm not mistaken.

It's 2 12 mm bolts if I remember correctly, and it's hidden where the throttle body or throttle wire stuff is.



Another thing to note, check the water pump to see if it's wet around the edges. The water pump is around the general area of the throttle too (under it to be exact). The common reasons why a 3800 would lose water is either a LIM, a cracked heater elbow or the radiator, although the water pump or water going to the head can also happen, it's just not a thing you jump to from the top.

So if the thermostat is opening and the water pump isn't going bad (a shaking water pump pulley pulley will also show a sign of a failing water pump), then you need to check the heater elbows. There's one by where the belt tensioner is, the other is hidden at the bottom of the belt tensioner assembly.

As far as the heat though, it sounds more as if the heater core is failing than the actual cooling system, but I can't really say without knowing where the car is losing its coolant. If the car is dripping outside, then that's the faulty part, and if the car is getting wet inside, then it's the heater core. Although, on the Camaro I'm not sure if this rule applies (to the heater core), but it is worth mentioning.

[Winch]

Re: heater/Cooling problem?

I found this browsing around and will send it to him:

http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/gm/...e-thermostat-2

He doesn't have the scan tool mentioned but his temp gauge is a real gauge so it shows the temp. Where is the sending unit measuring the coolant temp? In the engine block I suspect? I think it is measuring the temp of the coolant in the engine right?

[Winch]

Re: heater/Cooling problem?

He let it cool for an hour then tried it again and it worked fine now. The temp stays at about 205. Sounds like a stuck thermostat. He comes home next week so I think I'll replace it then.

[Tyler]

Re: heater/Cooling problem?

I had the same problem with my car not too long ago. A/C worked and heat didn't. after about 2 months of heat not working, the heater core feed line popped open and ended up having to plug up the return/feed lines. luckily florida doesn't require heat except maybe a couple weeks out of the year. Those hoses that feed into and out of the heater core are very flimsy and weak. Check into those. If they're clogged, I wouldn't give you too long before those lines failed.



Basically, they're just rubber plugs from the auto parts store. Sorry, I don't remember the size. I ended up having to secure them in with a wire hanger just for extra insurance that they won't pop off.