I need help guys, ok to sum it up i have a 1988 Iroc-Z with 350 TPI, With oil cooler etc... I recently put a 160 Thremo in it along with the Hypertech 166-176 Fan Switch.

The problem i have is while driving down the road the temp still rises, slowly but it still is creeping up ( Highest i've seen it up to is around 220 ) Anyways, so i pull up in my drive way and im thinking " I'll just hard wire the Second fan and that should help " Well i pop the hood and both the damn fans are on and the temp still isn't dropping, wtf !!

Also for reference, i just got the radiator back a month ago after being rodded out and acid dipped so i know the radiator is gtg and i just fixed the air dam cause that was jacked up ( half of it was hanging down)

One thing i noticed that through me for a loop is, why would the upper radiator hose going to the Thremostat be rock hard at 220 degrees ? I thought if the thremo was opened there should be no pressure on that hose ?!?! Please help me, im exhausted all my options.

Steven

 

Is the air dam in place , the black plastic piece bolted under the radiator about 5" wide and about 3' long ? if not that is probably it .

 

You have 2 air dams, an upper and a lower. The lower is the one that hangs down, it`s supposed to. What type of thermostat did you use? With the thermostat open at temp. the upper hose should be hard. If your lower hose does not have a spring in it to keep it from collapsing, get one and put it in. Also, check your cap. Use about 30% antifreeze to 70% distilled water and add one bottle of water wetter. Double check to make sure your fans are pulling and not pushing, they can get reversed if someone has been playing with your wiring. Have a cold one and things will work out, just takes time sometimes.

 

Damn, didn't know there was 2 airdamns i'll have to check that, well i did alittle driving around during the evening last night and everthing seem to be ok, never got above 180. Only problem i don't like is the fans don't seem to be turning off, i really don't want them to be running all the time. Im going to flush out the radiator today hopefully that will help some( The Water is bad to that rusty looking color ) Thanks for all your help guys and i'll keep yall updated.

Steve

 

If you poke around on this site, use the search feature and you will find pics of air dams. Sounds like you need to flush your cooling system. Flush it until the water comes out clear. Clean out the recovery tank and check your hoses and belt. Use about 30% anti-freeze to 70% distilled water and 1 bottle of water wetter. You will like the results. And you are correct, you do not want your fans running all the time. The previous owner may have grounded them to run when the engine is running or the fan switch could be bad. You are on the right track.

 

Thermostats do not regulate the engine temp they only open at a certain temp and the fan only cools. The engine will tend to run where it wants to timing, fuel, RPM/driving habits, there is nothing wrong with 180 or even 220, these were designed to run up to as much as 230 primarily for emission reasons. your fans are running because the switch is way too close to the thermostat rating. The switch is rated at 166-176 which mean it could be turning the fan on as low as 133, the switches are a thermistor and normally have a 10-20% margin of error and a margin of error for the thermostat.
I personally wouldn't run less than a 180 all year round and my fan switch is 205-215.
NASCAR crews have hardly even think about it till 240-250. and they work their motors al lot harder than we can, and are worth more than I only wish my car could be worth.

 

Click on Search, then type in "88 Camaro lower air dam pics" and there is an excellent picture of the lower air dam. They may vary from year to year but they all do the same thing, direct air to the radiator.