I have an 86 Trans Am with a 305 Carbureted system....It runs 220 just about all the time, I was wondering if this is normal, I put a 195 thermostat in it, changed the cooling temp sensor...the fan relays are working fine...cooling system seems to be flowing fine.

 

First verify that your guage is accurate. With a good cooling system and the airdam intact on the highway it should run on the line bet 100 and 220. Lots of stop and go she'll linger around the 220 mark. I got my 89 in late 91 and my guage was reading high. Checking it with a weston temp probe it was OK, around 200 most of the time. I changed the guage sender and it dropped 20 degrees on the dash guage. Assuming the cooling system is in good shape and timing is set correctly I would say you might be running too hot, but you really need to backup the dash guage reading before investing time and money chasing your tail.

 

I installed my air dam and it was still running very hot. I went out and bought a 195* stat and found out that my 160* stat was frozen shut. Now even in stop and go I just turn on my fan and it stays cool. Is your water pump working? What about your rad cap? Coolent mixture, any blocks in the flow? Paper or something stuck infront of your rad?

 

What are you guys talking about, 220 is the ideal temp. for these engines. Jees, my secondary fan doesn't turn of until 230-240. If your engine doesn't go over 220 even in heavy, hot afternoon traffic, you have nothing to worry about. -89IRO

 

It's not a major issue I'll agree, but a consistent 220 reading for these cars is high. The only reason they tend to hover around 220 in stop and go traffic is because the pri fan is designed to kick on at 222 degrees otherwise the fan would be cycling all the time. I have worked on and driven a lot of TG's over the years and when they are running correctly in highway driving they pretty much stay on the first line. In fact most cars are designed so the temp guage has a reference point for the user. Both my Blazers run on the line bet 100-220, my daughters Cavalier has a 195 point on the guage and it stays there unless it's idling in traffic. It's simply a point of reference so the user can detect a problem. In his case it may be nothing more than guage inaccuracy, but any cooling problem that may be developing should be looked into.

 

Yeah, I know when you're driving on the highway, at 75 mph, the temp. will dramatically drop, but isn't 220 in stop-go traffic normal? So you're saying with these"reference points" on the gage is to give you and idea of the temp. and are not all that accurate? -89IRO

 

From what i see the guage is not exactly linear. bet the first line and 220 is normal for stop and go especially in hot weather. He should see a noticeable drop if he's moving around 45 or so, that's pretty normal. If he is staying at 220 all of the time he MAY have a problem.

 

I fitted a seperate temperature guage, and rely on that to be accurate. If you are concerned about temperature, you have to know first if the guage is accurate or you can spend ages and lots of cash, trying to bring down the temperature, when it is just the gauge reading high.

 

My fan doesnt kick in until its bending slightly past 220. When I am in a drive through, traffic, or signal, my needle will float at 220, but not over, and if it does the fan kicks in and keeps it around 220. On the freeway cruisin, I cool down to 160 and it doesnt budge until I get off. Pretty basic explanation. I wouldnt worry. BTW, 1991 305TBI RS here.

 

i am also running bascially 220 most of the time... seems to be the ideal temp...