my car runs 220 on the interstate doing like 70-80 and i think its a bit too hot.......i plan on dropping a new non-cc motor in it soon....will that motor run hot too or is it just something in the computer.......i already plan on ordering a high flow water pump.....will it do the trick?


thanks

 

My 91 Camaro RS 305tbi with a Stewart Stage 1 water pump part#13123, 180* thermostat and 70-30 mix of coolant runs about 200* with the AC on going 65mph on the freeway on a 97* day. I'll assume you also have your Air Dam in place. the Stewart pump will definitely help and you might also switch to a higher CFM fan or dual electric fans if the problem persists.

 

well i have a switch hooked up to my fan so i can turn it on whenever i want and it will run like right around the notch b4 the 220.....which i think is about 200 on mine....but i dont wanna run the fan all day long.....i hope the water pump alone will b able to fix this problem....

 

Our cars were meant to run that hot out of the factory due to emissions purposes I believe. I got a 160 Stat and a fan switch in my car. Problem solved The car never sees 220.

 

Our cars are designed to run 195* from the factory. I removed my air dam and my car never sees temps above 200* EVER. Just make sure your radiator is clean (flush), timing is in the correct place (this can make a huge difference) and all the hoses are in good shape.

 

You removed your air dam and you never overheat? I always have heard that our cars will over heat if that airdam is gone. Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong thing.....is the air dam the wide rectangular plastic piece attached below the radiator.....or is it the wide curved piece of plastic that runs from the top of the radiator and curved under to connect to the front fascia??

 

My 89 Formula 350 never gets that hot. The only time that it even gets up to 200 is when I was idleing in a parade! My water pump and fans are bone stock. The only upgrade that I did was put in a 160 thermostat. Iven in the 95 degree plus days that we have hade around here (Iowa) it doesn't get that hot with the AC running and me doing 75 to 80 mph on the back roads it never got that hot!

 

iroc22, you must not spend much time a highway speeds (over 40 mph). the cooling fan(s) work fine till you get over about 40 and then the air flows under the car so fast the fans can't pick it up and pull it through the radiator.

 

I think I have the same engine on highway it never gets above 195 with 195 themostate 230 in standstill untill fan kicks on and it drops 210 about Look inside radiator and check for scale and rust you may need a new radiator .

 

Even on the hottest most humid day with a/c on I only see 200 as the max temp... mind you its only a 305, a 350 should not see much hotter...

if bored over then you'll see higher temps...

no air dam = blown radiator... learned the hard way...

 

My 89 rock with zz-4 block runs midway between the first line on the guage and the 220 mark highway with AC on and average temp of 95 degrees. All stock cooling setup, and all just replaced. Condition of radiator and coolant, amount of corrosion and obstructions in front of the rad can cause problems.

 

I do, I drive everywhere. And it does get warm around here too. Yesterday I was driving in 90* heat. All I can say is that my rad and water pump are only two years old. I always replace my rad hoses at the first sign of wear (bottom one has been replaced many times, sees the most wear). Flush rad frequently. Timing plays IMO the biggest role in whether your car overheats or not. I always keep my timing at 4* advance, and that keeps my car cool. I removed the air dam because it just kept getting bashed up on driveways. Didn't make any difference without it.

 

I took the air dam off my car because it was half gone anyhow and it made a big difference on my car. I bought a new one and put it on and now its running alot cooler. I would never take it off again even though it does drag alot now but hey I like mine running cold.

 

and why does mine run 160 on the highway

in town, during rush hour mine will hit 225 or 230 then the fan kicks in and goes to 200 or 205 and then cools way down when i start movin

 

well its because when idling around town you dont have near the air flow you would driving around at higher speeds. More air flow means cooler temps . Your fan wont kick on untill then because it is what the computer conciders to be the high point of its operating temperature.

 

basically means that your radiator is fine but your fan sucks, fan does cooling at speed lower than somewhere around 35 or 40 and after that speeds the fan cant do a whole lot with all the air moving through the radiator by driving the car faster, but then higher RPM = more fuel and air combustion= more heat, so..

on my car, its hot idle and high speed, over 220 always, never under at operating temps, i need new radiator i bet and a better fan, mines about to come all apart literally.,,,,

good luck

 

I agree with IROCThe5.7L

get the 160 stat. My 87 305 carburated only sees 220 at around
100mph for maybe 10 min. "DONT ASK!!!!" average temperature is around 160-180 depending how long it's been running

I also wouldn't suggest drilling holes in ur stat as I'm seeing many people doing. If you have to drill holes. You got bigger problems.

 

Drilling two 1/8" holes on the edges of the thermostat is to help purge air from the cooling system when filling it up and as the car warms up. There's an article about it in this months Super Chevy magazine. It's also recommended by John Lingenfelter in one of his books.

 

although technically im sure the system will purge itself just fine after thermostat has beenb open for long enough after opening the cooling system and closing it up again after whatever repair you performed is completed.

good luck

 

true, thats why the radiator cap is the highest part of the cooling system, so all the air makes it way up there

 

Well just to answer the question at the top, they run hot because the engines are "Bottom Feeders". They draw air from under the car. There isn't much coming in from the front to the radiator at speed and when sitting they suck up heat from the pavement. Aerodynamics and cooling ofter conflict quite abit.

 

true, but any vehicle just about can also suck up a good amount of rising HOT pavement heat. i may be way off on this but there may be a possible cutom inprovement that could be made maybe to these cars to help keep hotter air from going through radiator maybe,
maybe- if on underside of the bottom horizontal shelf deal in front of radiator under nose of car- you could like insulate it somehow under there to help keep heat from rising so bad up directly in front of radiator and such when where it may just be getting pulled in through radiator,

i dunno,,
just a thought, maybe someone can add to that or improve that concept.
even some very shiny aluminum flashing connected to under side of it would amost have to aid in reflecting heat off away from that thin plastic shelf.

 

Wow. This is a first. I've NEVER EVER seen anyone recommend removing the air dam from a thirdgen EVER. I think that's called "bad advice" regarding removing the air dam... Certainly the heat from the pavement is troublesome but some air is certainly better than no air at all.

 

I never had a need for an airdam until I went to an electric fan from an 89. My 82's stock clutch fan did the trick no matter what the outside temp was or what speed. Since I switched to the electric fan I had to put a airdam on or my car would run 230*@ 55+ MPH.

 

On the interstate my car never reaches 180* but in town is a different story.