I just bought an 86 camaro, w/ the 305. Recently it's been running what i consider to be hot. 220 degrees and up. I checked the coolant, and that's fine, but the fan seemed to be kicking in late(after it had gotten quite a bit warmer than 220, closer to 280. So i changed the fan relay. It still kicks in what i consider to be late. Just wondering if anyone else thinks this is hot, and if so, what could be wrong, and how would i check to see what's wrong?

Thanks~

 

are you reading your stock temp gauge? mine was unreliable so I put in a cheap aftermarket and now I monitor my temp better. I have an 86 305 too, and my fan usually kicks in around 230* (plus or minus for my new gauge, which probably isn't perfect). 220* sounds normal to me.

for a second opinion, you may want to have your mechanic hook up his computer to see when the fan trips on. That might give you some assurance.

last weekend I removed my AC condenser, compressor, and hoses since it wasn't working anyway. The condenser was in so-so condition, and removing it has allowed more air to flow over my radiator, so now she runs a bit cooler (maybe 15* or so), and cools off quicker once I get her in motion. Also, to improve my performance at high temp, I did a coolant bypass of my throttle body (TPI). She's been running cooler and much better since then.

If you have a TPI, you can bypass your throttle body but be sure to hook it back up when the weather turns cool. You live in SD, and you don't want to risk freezing your throttle internals, which is why GM designed the car that way.