So i noticed when i'm driving around the car seems to get to 220 quick and will bounce from there to 240 or so. when i'm driving it'll cool up a bit but once i'm at a stop it starts to heat up again. I popped the hood and noticed my exhaust manifolds were cherry red. Any idea why they got like that?

 

sounds like your running lean. and very hot. check your coolant levels, and your thermostat. also check to see your air dam is in place, sometimes it bends over and that reduces its ability to keep your car cool.

also check your plugs to see what they look like, and check your fuel pressure. do you have TPI or TBI?

 

also double check your timing. I had one do that once. The timing was way off, thats what caused it.

 

my cars a tpi. I checked the plugs and they look like its burning too much fuel. its a brownish looking color. i know they aint fouled. Also the thermostat is new. I put a 160 in it. And the timing is set at 8. how would i check my fuel pressure?

 

Did you disconnect the spout connector to check your timing? If you didn't, it's way off now. Stock your car should be 0 with the spout connector DISCONNECTED, the computer does all the timing advance from there, so if you are at 8 degrees with the spout connector still connected, that could very well be your problem. If it has been running that hot, make sure and change the oil when you get it sorted out.

If the car is OK at highway speeds and overheats at stoplights or stop-and-go traffic, you might have a problem with the fans and/or airflow through the radiator or your coolant level.

Do you have an auto trans or manual? High stall converters heat up the trans fluid big time, which runs through the radiator, etc etc.

TA

 

Its a auto trans. and it has a gm production torque convertor with no real stall. just a rebuilt convertor i'm guessing. and the fans kick on but not until its already boiling hot at like 230 or up. it does struggle sometimes to even pick up speed, but once i'm at 60 or so it just bugs out and picks up ok. i've looked at the radiator for any leaks or anything and cant find one. Also my coolant level is where it should be.