Well I'm finally driving my Firebird again! But I have a question regarding engine temp, since it seems to like running warmer than my other car.

When I bought the car, the relay for the cooling fan went bad, so the owner hot-wired the fan to an in-dash switch, rather than fixing it the right way (seems like a lot of effort for a half-assed fix to me, but whatever, lol). I had this fixed. I also had a coolant temp sensor replaced.

Driving around today, I noticed (particularly in crappy traffic) that the engine was getting as hot as about 230 F or so, but when it reaches that point, the fan kicks back in and cools it back down to about 210-200F or so. Sometimes a bit lower at cruising speeds on the freeway.

Just wondering if this is normal for a 305, or if I should check out the radiator/coolant levels? thanks!

 

I would change the thermostat to a lower one...180 degrees...you probably have 195 installed...at the same time I would make sure no part of my radiator was plugged...that it was flowing properly...the 230 is 30 degrees too high for me but stop and go sucks too...lol

 

The TBI cars are fan switch operated (not ECM) at 238º for the fan (or, by HVAC controls set to A/C). A cooler thermostat on a stock car is useless.

 

How about this = http://www.mamotorworks.com/corvette-3-138-944.html Would that help .If so, I'm thinking of just buying the fan switch for $19.99 and putting it were the stock switch is.
(The stock fan is just a back-up fan for my primary fan,that is automatically on with start-up and manually switched. )

 

SW505 $9 @ Autozone, 215° turn on.
Regardless, a 180° t-stat isn't going to improve anything on a stock motor.
Especially, a stock TBI.

 

Thanks!

Yeah, I'm just making sure it's normal before I start getting worried. I'm not bothering w/any mods to the 305. In the process of getting a few more things fixed on the car before body work & paint, then doing a 5.7 +trans swap of some kind

 

I've seen mine hit 260 before on really hot 104 degree day running the A/C. I was in stop and go traffic for 3 miles.

 

All I know is my car (stock 305 tbi) almost never gets to 220 with my 180 thermo. In fact I rarely go over 200 degrees. When I had the 195 thermo in I ran a lot higher. Now maybe because I also added the TPI induction mod but either way my car has never got close to running hot or the fan turning on unless the AC is involved. I made these changes in 2007.