"Tech has diagnosed your overheating issue and finds temperature gauge reads higher than actual temperature.

High and low fans are operating properly.

After performing test he found vehicle would not restart, may be weak battery, weak starter or possibly just overheated.

Tech recommends for overheating, replacing temperature gauge with OEM unit and replacing temperature sender. Then retest

After retesting if starting issue continues further diagnosis would be required to diagnose."

What do you all think of that? Could it be th temp gauge and sender?

Very possibly it could be the gauge and/or sender. These cars are known for inacurate temp gauges. Best way to check is to measure the coolant temperature at the sensor location with a known good test gauge. If it is actually overheating it could be a stuck/ wrong heat range thermostat, wrong coolant mixture, clogged radiator, worn water pump impeller blades,etc... If the coolant tests at the correct temperature then you should be checking the starting and charging circuits: battery cables clean and tight?, altenator belt tight?, battery should have at min. 12.5 volts with engine off. With engine running altenator should be putting out 13.7- 14.5volts. If all of the above checks out, then I would look to the starter. With a fully charged battery, perform a starter draw test. you can do this with the starter motor either on or off the car. It will either pass or fail by drawing too much amperage from the battery due to a grounded armature. As a rule of thumb, generally if it won't crank cold=battery. If it won't crank hot=starter. Dave

the car has been in the shop since early november so i assume its likely battery, i hope its battery.

Starter I just replaced through GM in May.

Radiator blew out in Junish and I had all that work done to fix things that were connected to that.

The overheating might just be the sending unit and the thermostat connected bits.

I hope so.

I spent 6000$ on repairs on the car last year and have nothing left to start this year.

I'd like to have some fun with it in the meantime.

Where did you have the work done? Was it a reputable garage? The LT1 uses a reverse flow thermostat, not the normal one that the other small block Chevy motors use. Putting the wrong thermostat in can cause overheating too. Just a thought.

Matt

The work for the starter was done at a chevy dealership in tempe az, i hope they are reputable o.O

As to the thermostat, i think the one in it right now is an ebay listed one for 94 firebirds because i was unaware of the reverse flow thermostat. With my luck that could be causing the problem.

got the estimate from the shop, appx 50$ in parts and 320$ in labor for the inspection to find the possible cause of the overheating and then the replacing of the sending unit and temp sensor.

Being a truck driver really sucks in this, so little time to work on things myself and learn things about the car through experience.

My GM dealership tech diagnosed a clogged cat as a bad alternator.

You can diagnose your fans easily. IRC, the one fan should be on all the time unless you get over a certain speed (it might not turn on until it gets to temp though, I haven't had my LT1 for so long I forgot.)

The second fan comes on when the AC is on.

I had a black bird with black interior and even on winter days when the temp would creep towards the middle in stop/go traffic, I could quickly bring it back down by turning my AC on and leaving the temp dial on heat.

Next, I'd check to see if your cooling system was properly bled. Air pockets can do odd things, especially to sending units. This is rather easy on the LT1, I believe there are two bleed screws that are easilly spun with a nickle or dime. There is a proper order to this, somebody who currently has an LT1 can chime in on this. Going from my memory, I'd lead you astray. .

These are just a couple of easy tests you can do at home that don't cost anything. Might as well rule 'em out (and verify what the techie says).