1998 Chevy Camaro Overheating

ATGBIRDY

MEMBER
1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO
6 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
95,000 MILES

My car is overheating if I drive it for more than 15 mins
The oil pressure gauge drops when it starts getting hot
Smoke is coming off my exhaust pipes next to the oil reservor

Do you think its the oil pump or the gasket?
would that make it overheat so dramatically?
or
could it be the radiator, thermostat, waterpump, or the hoses not cooling it off
which might also put extra pressure on the oil causing that problem.

i dont know if this is related at all,
but my car was misfiring 2 weeks ago
and I replaced the sparkplugs, wires, coils and ignition modules.

1 Reply

TEAG

MEMBER
158 POSTS

The first thing you should do is check all your cooling system. While the car is running. Squeeze the upper radiator house and see if it has pressure. After that. Let the car cool down and pop the rad cap. Start the car and see if coolant is circulating. Thats what Id start out with. Make sure the cooling system is working. To check the thermostat. Take it out and heat up some water on the stove. Put the thermostat in the water and see if it opens. If it dont. You need a new one. Also check the air dam under the car. Its a little black plastic air diverter that redirects air flow to the engine to help cool it off. That alone can cause alot of cooling problems.

The smoke coming from the engine sounds like some oil spilt on the engine or you have a leaky valve cover gasket.

Are you losing coolant? If you are. How much? Also are you topping off the oil alot? If so. How much is it using? Check the cooling system like I said and repost here and well go from there. Good Luck! :)