Car Overheating..>need Help Asap!

[BlackbirdWs6zzz]

So i'm sitting with my car...the heat is on engine is running. It's been on for 15 minutes. I happen to look at my temp gauge and it's in the RED ZONE. I immediaitly turn it off, smoke starts flying out of my hood. I open the hood. There is coolent everyhwere. It all drains out and i let it slowly stops smoking and starts to cool down. I got it towed to my house. What do you guys think it is. It was 10 at night and i didn't have any light so i couldnt' see if there was a bad hose. I'll be working on it tommorow. Any suggestions as to what it could be OTHER then the hose????

I NEED HELP ASAP!

Thanks

[99ss]

could be a leak,headgasket, hose, crack in the block or head.

[97rs4life]

waterpump died, or headgasket

[NOS2006]

Last year my coolant kept getting real low (without any visual leaks) and the temp would go WAY up.. well, we took off the upper/lower intake manifolds, replaced the gaskets, and we've been good since. I think we did it in the spring of last year and not one problem since with low coolant or overheating..

EDIT: Before doing the gaskets, I read up on it and it sounds as though the plenum gasket (lower intake manifold) is typical to blow on the Series IIs.

[93formulalt1]

I hope it's something as simple as a hose. . . You can always repair it with a flush kit or something. . . It happened to my LT1 in the Buick. Cut out the part of the hose that was damaged, installed the flush kit thingy, and it worked fine!

[97rs4life]

oh yea could also be a stuck thermostat or coolant needing a good flush

[meissen]

If it's leaking, check the water pump gasket or the timing cover gasket. I can't remember which, but I had to replace it on my car.

[DETROITMUSCLE]

It would be the water pump gaskets of those two, maybe its your water pump or your thermostat.

[BlackbirdWs6zzz]

could the thermo get stuck and then it build up a great amount of pressure and blow a hose??

[DETROITMUSCLE]

if the thermo got stuck the car would overheat and blow out lots of smoke in general, dunno about blowing a hose off though.

[BlackbirdWs6zzz]

So i found a crack in the radiotor crack around the edge. This COULD be it. I need to find someone with a radiotor pressure tester. I don't want to buy one for 100 bucks and never use it again. Once i do that i can go from there. Now what do you guys think??

The cracked raditor cap explains why there was coolant all over the left side of the engine. the battery etc. But when i opened the hood and it was steaming...it was coming from under the engine so i think it was just burning off. Now what???

[BlackbirdWs6zzz]

so here is another question. If the cap isn't holding pressure and it cracks, could that cause it to overheat???

[wezeles]

ya without the pressure build up in the system you will not flow enough water...same effect as if you have a bubble in the system but worse... it will seem fine for a while but once it gets up to temp its doen for... where is the crack in the rad? is it in the middle or on the side? if its in the middle like near the fins you might just need a new rad... if its on the side i would say toss som JB weld hi temp on it for now... the alum. compatable kind just to see if it changes anything.. i bought a brand new rad fro my car busted a crack right on the weld on the side... little jb weld and it still holding fine.. the cap you can pic up cheep... or do you have a crack in the rad at all or just the busted cap? lol kinda confused on the way you worded it

[SS4Matt]

the cap is your problem! my friends 96 Z28 had the same exact thing happen...car would over heat and stuff...once it blew fluid everywhere....well they did a pressure test and this is not 100% accurate but it was something like this...the system is supposed to hold like 8psi or something like that...and when my friend did the pressure test, his cap was only holding like 4psi....he went out to the barn and grabbed an old Stuarts cap from an old C4 racecar and it's never had a problem since...i would suggest getting a new cap and see what happens...it would be the cheapest place to "start" anyways

[BlackbirdWs6zzz]

ya without the pressure build up in the system you will not flow enough water...same effect as if you have a bubble in the system but worse... it will seem fine for a while but once it gets up to temp its doen for... where is the crack in the rad? is it in the middle or on the side? if its in the middle like near the fins you might just need a new rad... if its on the side i would say toss som JB weld hi temp on it for now... the alum. compatable kind just to see if it changes anything.. i bought a brand new rad fro my car busted a crack right on the weld on the side... little jb weld and it still holding fine.. the cap you can pic up cheep... or do you have a crack in the rad at all or just the busted cap? lol kinda confused on the way you worded it

ITS ONLY THE CAP THAT IS CRACKED! That could be my problem. The cap is cracked on the edge. I will run up to murrays if you guys give me the go ahead.