please post your temps at highway speeds. include the make of your car, type of engine, and if you use an air dam or not.

thanks. I'm trying to see if I need to worry about an air dam.. I have a v6 camaro without a dam, and I run 210 at highway speeds. not sure if that is normal or high

 

before i swaped to the 389, my stock 305tbi was running about 190 on the highway with the air dam.

not thats its much help, but my 86 silverado with 220k miles on the stock 350 runs 210 all day long even in texas heat.

 

383, good power output, STOCK radiator (sucks ***) stock fans, air dam bent up and mangled, but there. I run around 190 freeway, easily over 200 when I start driving spiritedly. 180 thermostat. This is in 80-90 southern california weather.

My opinion, RUN that air damn. If you scrap a lot, consider fab'ing one up from sheet metal that scoops more and has a lower profile. Our cars, especially if you have AC, need the dam.

 

'82 z28,350,stock '84 aluminum core radiator,clutch fan,
A/C in place,195 thermo,stock air dam:
-runs around 195 idle/low speeds,195 hwy easy cruise,
can get up to around 220-230 pushing it hard on the
highway on a hot day-no big deal,but a better air dam,
-mine is pretty limber,so i suspect it might "fold under"
at high speeds-or a bigger radiator would eliminate the
minor hwy heating tendency.
once tried a direct drive flex fan in place of the clutch
and that eliminated any high speed heating tendency,
but HP draw was noticable at over 4500 rpm.
with a clutch or electric fan the air dam is important.
for those with the materials and fabbing skill, a better
than stock air dam could be made to replace a missing
or damaged air dam

 

is your thermostat located in the radiator or the engine block?

 

im guessing youre referring to the temp sending unit. the stock 305tbi temp sending unit is in the manifold, right before the upper radiator hose. so with it there, youre getting a temp reading when the water is at its hottest, before flowing into the radiator to dissipate the heat.

 

when I bought the car it didn't have one, and I'm trying to decide if I need to find one somewhere

 

im actually making a trip to the jyards this weekend, ill keep an eye out for an airdam. cant hurt to run one.

 

I have a 170 t-stat and will run about 175 - 180 on the highway.
i use an actual soup thermometer in the radiator to check though lol.

i have an air dam, but its bent back slightly from putting the car on a trailer when the trans blew x2.

in town, i run about 195.
i have my fans set to turn on at 190-195 and off at 180-185
all temps are as read on a thermometer in the radiator.

 

Engine:355 w/iron heads th-350

Cooling system: Brass/copper radiator from 1978 monte carlo, fabricated fan shroud from 5056 .050 aluminum which covers entire rad. core area. 1.5" depth. 16" "s" blade summit cooling fan. Fabricated air dam from same material.

Runs at 195 in town 210-215 freeway. Runs 10-15* cooler if it's raining.

 

I own an 84 Z28 with a 360ci smallblock pushing 542hp though the stock radiator. I have a pretty much brand new air dam and a 160 degree thermostat. around town and on the highway it never leaves 160 (unless it drops a bit for some reason). when I wail on it, sometimes it goes to about 180, and thats even after prolonged throttle use.

airdams do wonders, do yourself a favor and get/make one.

edit: I also have a fancy high flow water pump, makes up for my underdrive pullies.

 

Blowen 350 stock Rad would over heat in town 180 free way new Griffin Rad and dual fan set up now first line in town same on freeway oh and air dam mostly there

 

I usally run in the ball park of 160-180.

 

Same here 84Z my temp range 158 - 185

 

92 RS TBI w/TPI air 5.0 runs at 190 or lower on highway(and around town)-stock radiator, air dam, single fan, stock 195 thermo

88 IROC TPI 5.0 HO TPI air runs at 220 to 195 on highway-staock radiator, air dam, dual fan, stock 195 thermo

I say get the air dam. Thirdgens run better with the air dam than without.

 

i have a 77 350 with a stock 3.1 rad. and single fan, with a late 80s serp setup with reverse pump 160 thermostat

180 in town or on the highway, always stays at 180

 

Just so you know the v6 and the v8 share the same radiators.

 

my 400whp 383 with stock 89 radiator, stock fans, stewart stage II high volume pump, aluminum heads/11 to 1 compression, 3.42 gear, 3600 stall lockup converter 700r4 trans, 170 deg thermostat, using 50/50 antifreeze/water mix ran 180 on the highway and most daily driving situations. Some traffic it may heat up alittle more than 180 but from what I remember 170-180s it was comfortable.

My new 401 twin turbo motor has some heating issues that i have to work out. It likes to run very hot right now, 190+

 

ya i know. im using the 3.1 rad now

 

I don't have specs for my car yet but.

My buddies 87 IROC 305 TPI = Stock Cooling, Air Dam installed, 480lift Cam, 1.6 Rockers, Hooker 2055's, catback. Ran constant around 190-205. Ambient air around 80-95*. Never could get it above the 205 mark.

Brothers 86 Berlinetta Custom (Custom Carb'd Van 305)
305 with mild cam
open element and hooker 1990's headers
Aftermarket mechanical fan with spacer
Stock cooling otherwise
No air dam
No emissions, no hood latch parts, nothing but motor really.
Car never gets above 170 when moving no matter the outside temp. But hits 210-220 easily when idling for a long period around 10minutes or so in 80-95* ambient air (Has only happened when we go to do emissions where we sit for a good 20minutes before going into the bay).

 

South Texas. Stock cooling system except for 180° thermostat and fan switch. (Fan switch is irrelevant on the highway as the fans are off over 40 mph anyways).

180-190° on the highway. 180 with A/C off. 190 with A/C on.

You need an air dam.

 

High speed highways my 91 TA 350 TPI runs about 185, and then about 170-175 in normal crusing zones. Only time it gets to 215 is when the car is first started for the day and driving, when it reaches close to 220 the termostat kicks in, close secondary fan to kick it back down to cool temp, and it stays that way all day long after that.

 

Mine is an '85 L69 with 5-spd. No problems on the highway can be 95 degrees traveling 85 mph A/C on temp gauge doesn't move. Get in town and the heat starts slowly building. At first the electric fan can keep up but after a while it is running constantly and heat still slowly builds. this only happens when outside temp is over 85 or so. Radiator has been replaced with OEM. Water pump also replaced. I have already had the car boil after shut-off after driving in bumper to bumper traffic. Don't know what to try next. I have had other IROC owners tell me that it is a common problem but from what you guys are saying that may not be the case. I do have the air dam in place.

 

Put in a 180 thermostat and/or change/flush your radiator fluids...

 

even better go with a 160

 

lol every1 seems to be running hotter then me. i have a 92 camaro rs, factory raditor, t-stat, single fan, air dam. has a/c 350 tbi, 700r4. highway speeds im running at bout 165...not joking. but my city driving omg...itll go up to 220 before the fan kicks on but the fan drops it to o i would say 180ish. but ya if your running 220 highway you need that air dam bc the fan doesnt kick on above 35 mph.

 

last summer, just for kicks, i took out my thermostat just to see what would happen with the temperature. especially on a 90* plus day.

even with the air temps in the 90's, the car ran at around 110* on the highway.
again, i verified this by running on the highway at 75 for 25 minutes, then suddenly pulling over and immediately shutting the engine off and putting a thermometer in the radiator.

the stock cooling system in these cars is very effective if it is in working order.
get an airdam, get a 160 or 170* thermostat, and set your fans to turn on at 180
you will be fine
unless you have a huge converter and 500 hp, you dont need to go crazy with cooling, especially on the highway.
if you have problems with cooling in town, replace your fan motor, it costs $35 last one i bought.
after that, buy or make an actual fan shroud, so that the fan pulls air from the entire radiator, not just the portion that the fan covers.
this is more effective than a dual fan. guaranteed.

if you are still having problems, go to advanced auto parts and buy an adjustable fan control relay.
you stick a temperature probe into the radiator and you have a screw that you can adjust from 100* to 210*
put it where you want it and dont look back

 

My 357" HSR with a 160*F thermostat..... stock Rad , stock Dual Electric Fans and stock Waterpump runs around 190*F in rush hour traffic.... of course it runs around 160* on the highway.
If my memory serves me correctly my fans come on at 190* (Prom Tuned) and doesn't go higher....
I have an Air Damn by the way.

Nobody's talked about Water Wetter.... I've used it for years (2 bottles)
http://www.redlineoil.com/Products.aspx?pcid=10
I think it works like a charm!!!! My temps have been very predictable since I started using it.

Royal Purple makes their own stuff.... I don't wanna be biased
http://www.royalpurple.com/radiator-additive.html

 

HOLY COW!

AS the temp climbed here in Texas so did my temp guage. Last week I was running on the highway at 240, not that far far away from the redline. I bit the bullet and drove out to a guy's house that had an air dam he would sell me.

I'll say it again... HOLY COW!

Right away my temps dropped 100 degrees.. On the highway, 97 degrees outside, with AC going, I ran 140 degrees for 6 hours worth of driving on the highway yesterday.

It's amazing that little $15 piece of plastic could do so much. Incredible...

 

140 is a bit cold, do you have a thermostat?

 

you know... that's a good question. I THINK so.. I've only had the car since December, and never had it out. I would think that if I didn't have one it would have caused a problem when it was cold outside (or at least as cold as it gets here in Texas)

I'll pull the Radiator cap off and see if the water circualtes when it's cold

also, I have a V6... it's possible that they just don't generate the heat of a V8

 

in order for that to happen, the engine block would have to dissipate more heat than flowing water could. you either have a stuck thermostat, no thermostat, an incorrect gauge/sending unit, or just misread the gauge.

 

Factory they wanted the V6 cars to run screaming hot 220+
Temp switch isn't in the red till 260.

But I don't let anything I own run over 200, v6 v8 don't matter as once over 200 I find you lose that crispness feel of a cool engine.

I run 180-190 or less all the time in both my v6 n v8 car.

On the V6 I got air that comes directly from out side the car, and an aluminum air dam, AC rad is gone and my cooling fan never runs unless I sit still for 3-4 mins. Long as Im moving, I get plenty of air to stay well below 200.

 

ECM set to 160* for the Primary
factory secondary fan switch in pass side head
160 stat
305TPI with HSR and Shorty headers

Drove in stop and go traffic for an hour yesterday in 95* temp and the car ran at 160-170*. It also runs this temp at highway speeds.
I have a factory air dam installed as well.