i did search for this but couldnt narrow down a thread. my car runs hot, about 190-220. it has a 160 thermostat, freshly rebuilt radiator, new pump, electric fan, new rad. cap, new hoses, and my air dam is fine. i was thinking that maybe it had air in the system, but how do i tell? also, how would i get it out? also, the fan turns on at about 180*. please help me.

oh, and i removed the bra today hoping that would help. havent tried it out yet. also, would high temp cause lower gas mileage due to hotter fuel going in or wont it make that much difference.

 

To let air out of the system let the engine idle with the radiator cap off for a few minutes or you can drill two 1/8" holes in the thermostat to purge air out of the system and prevent hotspots. Here's a picture:

 

Maybe your fan is not able to move enough air across the radiator.

 

I have seen it happen more than once, is the fan pulling air in. Many times guys pigtail the new fan motor in and it is pushing air against the rad instead of pulling it through. That being said, what type of driving are you doing. Stop and go driving with an eight cyl TG's will run around 200 degrees regardless of the stat temp. 160 is too cold first of all, especially if it's injected. You say the fan comes on at 180, did you modify the turn on temp? Forget the drilling holes thing, it's a waste of time and alters the operating temp of the engine too much. Stable operating temp is more important. What coolant ratio do you have? To bleed the system, when it's COLD take off the rad cap start the engine then slowly rev it slightly up and down. The air pockets should diminish, then top off the rad. If your recovery bottle is not filling to the "full hot" line you might just be low on coolant. Retopping is pretty common after the system has been opened. Otherwise the rad and it's airflow are the primary ways for heat transfer. is it an OE rad, or an aftermarket? Some of the low end budget replacements are not as efficient as the GM unit.

 

the fan is set up right. it is a carbed engine. the radiator is out of a 2nd gen TA. i had it pressure tested and put in the hot tank. i was told its a 3 row. i mainly do highway driving. 60-90mph. i live ten minutes out of a small town so i dont do alot of highway driving. teh hottest it ever got was on the highway. like a 2 hour trip it got up to 220, drivin g about 75. pulling off the bra revealed those three holes on the front end of my camaro, it seems to help a little but havent had it running for longer than 10 minutes. the fan turns on at that temp because thats how it came for turn on temp. its about a 60 coolant/40 water ratio. Im afraid that when i move to Arizona it will run way to hot. i have ran it cold without the cap on to fill it, so there should be to much air in it. i dont have a recovery bottle, just a overflow tube that goes to the ground. some times when it is just about 200 degrees, it will overflow. maybe i have to low of a psi cap?

 

Your cap should be 15-16psi. Without an expansion tank when your system pressurizes and overflows you lose coolant. When it cools the system draws air into the radiator, instead of coolant. I bet you need to fill it every now and then. I wonder if the radiator you have from the 2nd gen is causing you problems, I don't know for sure, but may be worth looking into in detail.

 

how does the system suck coolant back in? through the overflow tube? desnt the cap plug that when its cool, so it wouldnt be able to go back in? i dont understand. but i think my cap is only 14 psi.