Dear Fellow Camaro/ F-Body fans,

Hey! I apologize for the silly subject line...but I thought that it might be unique to make that statement. Besides, you all have probably heard enough of the beefs of other Camaro owners who have problems with thier cars overheating. Sorry to disappoint you, but I have a problem with my car overheating. Please help me if you can.





My Camaro is a 1984 Z28. It originally came with the TBI 305 motor, but now the car has a carbureted 350. The engine is a 1982 Model 350 (but not the vette 350). It has a competition camshaft (specs unknown), headers, an aluminum Edelbrock intake, and an Edelbrock 4bbl Carb (600 CFM?). It has a single 3 inch exhaust pipe, and flowmaster mufflers.




The cooling system is similar (if not exactly identical) to stock. The radiator is a regular brass/copper radiator...the water pump is similar to stock....the fan is a single mechanical clutch type fan (therefore, it is always turning when the engine is on). The thermostat is a 180 degree thermostat, and the coolant is roughly a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water. Everything appears to be functioning fine. However, the radiator cap is worn, and I intend to replace it soon. One critical item is missing though: the lower Shroud piece. I realize that I need to replace it. But I don't know what it looks like- nor do I know what the air dams look like. Could someone please be so kind as to show me a picture of these two parts? Thank you in advance.




The temperature guage may be faulty. The engine appears to hover around 220 degrees, according to the guage. I am thinking about installing WATER WETTER. Will this help at all?



It stays around 220 degrees pretty much all of the time. The car does not like going up steep hills. In fact, sometimes when I go up steep hills, I can tell that the engine gets hot- and sometimes, a little white smoke appears. I believe that it is coming from the headers being super hot. Is this the cause of the smoke? I think that it is. I know that headers like to get hot quickly under harsh conditions.




What do you recommend that I do to help keep my car's engine cool? Thanks for your input.



Sincerely,

Sneaky/Stinky

 

You're not missing the lower shroud, the car never came with one.

 

Wow- my mechanic friend was telling me that I need that piece...

I just hope that I can do some things to keep the motor running cooler...

Thanks for your response. That explains why it did not have the lower shroud piece when I bought it.

 

If it overheats when it's moving, check the air dam. If you search you should be able to find pictures. If it overheats when it's idling, your fan clutch is probably dead.

 

a faulty radiator cap will cause over heating problems also. Go ahead and replace it like you said.

Does the car have a/c? If so, check between the radiator and condensor for leaves and other objects. Make sure it is all clean and not blocking the air.

Your car should have a black air deflector on the bottom radiator support. Its about 2-3 ft long. your car will run hot witout it. Make sure you have it and it is in good condition. (not bent or worn bad).

 

Well, I hope it's not a Vette 350, cause they didn't make a Vette in '82 Or was that '83??? Must be old age setting in again.
There are pics attached below of the air deflector (air dam). It is sitting between the two intercoolers. This piece is critical to keeping your car running cool. Believe it or not, GM put many MANY hours into getting this piece right, even if they didn't spend that much time on certain other parts of our cars. Go to a pick-a-parts yard and see if you can dig one up.
All water wetter does is allow you to run more water than coolant without corroding your cooling system. People use this because water transfers heat better than coolant.
Does this white smoke come out of your exhaust too? White smoke indicates coolant in the combustion chamber. Is the smoke coming out from around the heads??? You could have a blown head gasket.

Your best bet here is probably to switch to an electric fan setup if you can. City driving conditions just plain suck with a clutch fan.

 

gotta post the pics... DUH!

 

again

 

83

 

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for your thoughts and information! I appreciate the help. Take care dudes.