Engine Overheated Anything to Worry About? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

JimmyZ · 01-28-2014, 04:25 PM

Sorry for double posting this as i also put it in the TSB section as well, but i have to deal with my dealership tomorrow and was hoping for some advice.

Let me start by stating I had a squeal in the front of engine and new it was belts or pulleys so i took it to the dealership to see if they could fix. after searching this forum i noticed this was a common issue for these cards.

below is summary of my afternoon.

I went to the dealership to have both belts replaced today. drove of the lot and about a mile down the road the main belt comes off. First, the battery light comes on then i notice the power steering is out so i turn around. finally the engine starts to bog down and it was acting as if the timing was way off, then the over heating warnings came. i pull the car over and shut the engine off but before that i noticed some grey smoke out the exhaust.

I only drove the car about 2 miles with the belt missing, is that enough to do damage to the engine?

i have 39k miles and change my oil regularly with full synthenic. They dealership call a tow truck and the car is now back dealership so they can change oil, replace belt and give a good look over, but I don't know if the grey smoke was true engine damage or just from over heating.

Can anyone offer advice on how to tell if this was a fatal incident or one just that invoked all the shut down features of the car.

SSMickey · 01-28-2014, 04:46 PM

What concerns me is the smoke you saw coming out of the exhaust. Aluminum engines are not as tolerant of overheating as older ones. I would try to get the dealership to at least do a cooling system leak test. Most likely though, there going to throw a belt on it and send it out the door. Make sure that everything is well documented and once you get it back, do a good test drive, to include highway and idling in traffic.

Do you know if the coolant level is/was low after the overheating? Missing coolant and an overheating incident would certainly lead me to suspect damage to the engine.

SnowyCamaro · 01-28-2014, 04:58 PM

Yeah the smoke is the concern the rest is caused by the belt coming off. No belt = no alternator (battery light), no water pump (overheat), power steering pump and whatever other accessories that might be powered by it. I'm not 100% maybe someone will correct me but white smoke could mean coolant making its way into the cylinders, meaning a head gasket problem. Exactly what was said above if you lost coolant then it had to go somewhere, right ?

With no white smoke I wouldn't be as concerned. Be careful with the dealer they will most likely under estimate what damage there is. And I wouldn't trust them with much to be honest since they had difficulty installing a simple belt (a job that can easily be done properly by just about any mechanic out there).

Scott@Bjorn3D · 01-28-2014, 05:11 PM

I would say you lost a head gasket. The smoke was from coolant getting into the cylinders. You could end up hydro-locking the motor and breaking a piston. Problem is you continued to drive the car and not stop right away.

Yes their fault for belts coming off, but GM and them could blame you for continuing to drive the car after the belt came off and blowing the motor. All they have to do is check the computer and see when warning lights came on and it will have mileage and see that you kept the motor running and driving.

Hope it works out for you but it may not be good.

2SS 2011 · 01-28-2014, 05:17 PM

I hate to say it but it looks like everything is wrong with that situation..From what you said...

JimmyZ · 01-28-2014, 05:28 PM

Thanks for the quick replies.

I did not check the coolant levels due to the overheating and everything was hot at the time. I will call the shop in the morning and ask them to explain to me what they are going to do to troubleshoot. they did say they would change the oil, but i will also ask for cooling system leak test. I hear the shop foreman is pretty good so all i can do is wait to see if they work with me.

I appreciate the assistance and now that i think about the order of events, the battery light, then overheating, then the engine acting like the timing was off. this might be where the potential blown head gasket comes in. the last event happened for about 3-5 seconds while i was pulling off the road and then immediately shut it down.

i actually went back and found the belt in the road and there seemed to be no damage except for a slight split about 6 inches long, which could or could not have happened before it came off.

It really stinks because I really take car of the car and i hope i don't end up having to battle the dealership if it turns out to be bigger issue. I don't think the person who did the belt work was a certified technician as the staff was at a training today. so they had one guy for oil changes and another tech on stand by.

Time for a beer so i can sleep tonight.

PalmerGA · 01-28-2014, 06:18 PM

Good luck to ya. I'm afraid you may have a serious problem. Let us know what the service guys find.

ssrs2lt · 01-28-2014, 06:33 PM

awe man sorry.. that really stinks, im agreeing with blown head gasket. that happened to a car I owned, same thing belts weren't tightened n boom goes the engine.

Destructo09 · 01-28-2014, 09:21 PM

How long did you actually drive it once the temp light came on? If you pulled over asap once that light came on I think it would have saved any permanent damage. If you kept going even for a bit purposely then i'm afraid it could have caused serious damage.

JimmyZ · 01-29-2014, 06:32 AM

I went and reviewed my drive on map quest and i really did not drive that far after the service battery light first came on. only about 3/4 mile total, but i did come to a stop light and turn around so i sat for a good 5 seconds there.

once i turned around everything started to go crazy and when the overheating light came on i pulled off very quickly. as i was turning into the parking lot is when the car alerted me that it was reducing power and right after that i stop and turned it off. but right before i turned it off is when i saw the white smoke.

I was already on the phone with the dealership by the time i turned around as i called them right when the service batter light came on. so they were on the phone for the whole incident.

going to talk to dealership today and will keep this thread updated as we work through this.

SMN2011Z28 · 01-29-2014, 09:12 AM

I would also make sure the belts did not do any damage when they came off, such as to the hoses or even the radiator. Mentioned earlier have a very thorough leak test done on the cooling system with the car running for a good amount of time. You want it up at decent temp.

xnuyokr · 01-29-2014, 01:35 PM

MBS · 01-29-2014, 04:09 PM

Time for a badass engine all peaked out !

james347 · 01-29-2014, 05:38 PM

Electric Water Pump FTW! (sorry not helpful)

Check coolant, change oil, check plugs, new belt. Check all levels very carefully for next several days/weeks.

01-28-2014, 04:25 PM	#1
JimmyZ Drives: 2017 1LE Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 47	Engine Overheated Anything to Worry About? Sorry for double posting this as i also put it in the TSB section as well, but i have to deal with my dealership tomorrow and was hoping for some advice. Let me start by stating I had a squeal in the front of engine and new it was belts or pulleys so i took it to the dealership to see if they could fix. after searching this forum i noticed this was a common issue for these cards. below is summary of my afternoon. I went to the dealership to have both belts replaced today. drove of the lot and about a mile down the road the main belt comes off. First, the battery light comes on then i notice the power steering is out so i turn around. finally the engine starts to bog down and it was acting as if the timing was way off, then the over heating warnings came. i pull the car over and shut the engine off but before that i noticed some grey smoke out the exhaust. I only drove the car about 2 miles with the belt missing, is that enough to do damage to the engine? i have 39k miles and change my oil regularly with full synthenic. They dealership call a tow truck and the car is now back dealership so they can change oil, replace belt and give a good look over, but I don't know if the grey smoke was true engine damage or just from over heating. Can anyone offer advice on how to tell if this was a fatal incident or one just that invoked all the shut down features of the car.

01-28-2014, 04:46 PM	#2
SSMickey Drives: 2010 IBM 2SS Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Columbia S.C. Posts: 1,455 View My Garage	What concerns me is the smoke you saw coming out of the exhaust. Aluminum engines are not as tolerant of overheating as older ones. I would try to get the dealership to at least do a cooling system leak test. Most likely though, there going to throw a belt on it and send it out the door. Make sure that everything is well documented and once you get it back, do a good test drive, to include highway and idling in traffic. Do you know if the coolant level is/was low after the overheating? Missing coolant and an overheating incident would certainly lead me to suspect damage to the engine. __________________ ProCharger P1X, Vengeance Racing Kaotic Cam, ARH Headers and Exhaust with Borla ATAK mufflers, MGW Shifter, MTI Drop Springs, Forgeline RB3C Wheels, 3.91 gears, Night Owl LED Control System

01-28-2014, 04:58 PM	#3
SnowyCamaro Drives: 2013 Camaro ZL1, 2006 Chevy Equinox Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 833	Yeah the smoke is the concern the rest is caused by the belt coming off. No belt = no alternator (battery light), no water pump (overheat), power steering pump and whatever other accessories that might be powered by it. I'm not 100% maybe someone will correct me but white smoke could mean coolant making its way into the cylinders, meaning a head gasket problem. Exactly what was said above if you lost coolant then it had to go somewhere, right ? With no white smoke I wouldn't be as concerned. Be careful with the dealer they will most likely under estimate what damage there is. And I wouldn't trust them with much to be honest since they had difficulty installing a simple belt (a job that can easily be done properly by just about any mechanic out there). __________________

01-28-2014, 06:18 PM	#7
PalmerGA Drives: 2013 SIM 1SS/RS L99 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Southwest GA Posts: 8,755 View My Garage	Good luck to ya. I'm afraid you may have a serious problem. Let us know what the service guys find. __________________ 2013 1SS/RS Coupe L99, Stainless Power Works LT Headers, SCT X4 Custom Tune from RDP, CAI Inc. Air Intake w/ Apex Scoop, VMAX CNC Ported Throttle Body, Solo Axle-Back Exhaust w/ J-pipes, Apex Catch Can, Husky Splash Guards, Heritage Grille, 3D Carbon Rear Spoiler, Oracle Chrome Turn Signal Bulbs, GM Reverse Light Trim Billets, Gorilla Black Locking Lugs, Emblem Pros Retro SS Badges/Custom Retro SS Kickplates/Under-hood Bowtie, 35% window Tint, Nitto Motivo Tires (6-8-18)

01-29-2014, 01:35 PM	#12
xnuyokr Drives: 2012 1LT Drop Top Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Yardley, Pa Posts: 745	__________________

01-28-2014, 05:11 PM	#4
Scott@Bjorn3D Drives: Kami, 2013 2SS LS3 Luvin Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Eufaula, Alabama Posts: 6,427	I would say you lost a head gasket. The smoke was from coolant getting into the cylinders. You could end up hydro-locking the motor and breaking a piston. Problem is you continued to drive the car and not stop right away. Yes their fault for belts coming off, but GM and them could blame you for continuing to drive the car after the belt came off and blowing the motor. All they have to do is check the computer and see when warning lights came on and it will have mileage and see that you kept the motor running and driving. Hope it works out for you but it may not be good.

01-28-2014, 05:17 PM	#5
2SS 2011 Drives: 2011 Camaro 2SS/RS M6 Black Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NY Posts: 963 View My Garage	I hate to say it but it looks like everything is wrong with that situation..From what you said...

01-28-2014, 05:28 PM	#6
JimmyZ Drives: 2017 1LE Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 47	Thanks for the quick replies. I did not check the coolant levels due to the overheating and everything was hot at the time. I will call the shop in the morning and ask them to explain to me what they are going to do to troubleshoot. they did say they would change the oil, but i will also ask for cooling system leak test. I hear the shop foreman is pretty good so all i can do is wait to see if they work with me. I appreciate the assistance and now that i think about the order of events, the battery light, then overheating, then the engine acting like the timing was off. this might be where the potential blown head gasket comes in. the last event happened for about 3-5 seconds while i was pulling off the road and then immediately shut it down. i actually went back and found the belt in the road and there seemed to be no damage except for a slight split about 6 inches long, which could or could not have happened before it came off. It really stinks because I really take car of the car and i hope i don't end up having to battle the dealership if it turns out to be bigger issue. I don't think the person who did the belt work was a certified technician as the staff was at a training today. so they had one guy for oil changes and another tech on stand by. Time for a beer so i can sleep tonight.

01-28-2014, 06:33 PM	#8
ssrs2lt Drives: too many Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: oh va pa ma tx Posts: 3,046	awe man sorry.. that really stinks, im agreeing with blown head gasket. that happened to a car I owned, same thing belts weren't tightened n boom goes the engine.

01-28-2014, 09:21 PM	#9
Destructo09 Drives: 2010 CGM Camaro 2SS/LS3 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Raleigh-Durham Posts: 1,409	How long did you actually drive it once the temp light came on? If you pulled over asap once that light came on I think it would have saved any permanent damage. If you kept going even for a bit purposely then i'm afraid it could have caused serious damage.

01-29-2014, 06:32 AM	#10
JimmyZ Drives: 2017 1LE Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 47	I went and reviewed my drive on map quest and i really did not drive that far after the service battery light first came on. only about 3/4 mile total, but i did come to a stop light and turn around so i sat for a good 5 seconds there. once i turned around everything started to go crazy and when the overheating light came on i pulled off very quickly. as i was turning into the parking lot is when the car alerted me that it was reducing power and right after that i stop and turned it off. but right before i turned it off is when i saw the white smoke. I was already on the phone with the dealership by the time i turned around as i called them right when the service batter light came on. so they were on the phone for the whole incident. going to talk to dealership today and will keep this thread updated as we work through this.

01-29-2014, 09:12 AM	#11
SMN2011Z28 Always a work in progress Drives: 2014 RRM SS RS 1LE Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: SOCAL- San Diego (PB) Posts: 215	I would also make sure the belts did not do any damage when they came off, such as to the hoses or even the radiator. Mentioned earlier have a very thorough leak test done on the cooling system with the car running for a good amount of time. You want it up at decent temp.

01-29-2014, 04:09 PM	#13
MBS Drives: 2010 rs 2lt Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: wisconsin Posts: 2,497	Time for a badass engine all peaked out !

01-29-2014, 05:38 PM	#14
james347 Drives: 2006 Crownline Join Date: May 2012 Location: . Posts: 700	Electric Water Pump FTW! (sorry not helpful) Check coolant, change oil, check plugs, new belt. Check all levels very carefully for next several days/weeks.