I have a 89 Camero RS V8, engine is totally stock. I have not been driving it much for the past 5 - 6 years. It seems to be running hotter than in the past. The fan kicks on at 230 degrees and then turns off at 220. I had a 195 thermostat in it, then I put in a new 180. It did not make a difference in the fan / running temp.

Is the 230 / 220 OK? It seems hot, it smells hot.

Thanks.

 

put a cooler fan switch in it. on @ 200, off @ 185... you've already put a 180 t-stat in there, so it should cycle as advertised - mine does with that set-up. if you left the 195 in there, chances are the t-stat would barely open if at all because of the fan coming on all the time (with a 200 on / 185 off). the stock switches on these cars come on at about 237/238, what you were seeing. way too hot... but with all that said, you need to make sure your entire cooling system is working properly...

 

220-230 is the standard operating temp of our cars so it's completely normal. If you want to reduce it, drop a 180 Thermostat in along with a 195 or 215 fan switch. If you do this, your car will hardly ever get "hot".

 

Thanks. I'll probably go with the cooler switch.