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Havnt been on in a very long time, however spring is around the corner and id like to get the car going this year (hopefully).
Car is a 87 IROC-Z 305 TPI.
I got it running, starts and idles well for how long it sat. Car has 55k original miles. Car has original radiator water pump etc.
The first thing I would like to address is the radiator and cooling system. Car always ran too hot in my opinion and needs to be cooler.
Im looking at BE cool and some others. What have you all had good luck with and whats the best way to go? The be cool setup is like $1500 with the fans.
I'm running a stock (replacement) radiator, a stewarts water pump, 180 stat and fourth gen fans and shroud on a head and cammed 383. It actually ran TOO cool for a while and I had to adjust the painless fan control unit.
...the takeaway is that the stock radiator, a good working pump (I'd replace an original if you're having issues) and stock fans should be more than enough if they're working right. The 4th gen fans DO run a little stronger, and the shroud helps direct airflow, but you can always do that later if you feel you want to. I would go through your set up and make sure it's working, and replace what isn't, or what you're not sure of. ...also make sure you have a good gauge and are getting accurate info!
Thanks for the reply. I was looking at 3 pass radiators but seems like it wouldnt make much of a difference.
This was my first car and still have it, want to do it up right. The water pump you mentioned i was actually looking at.
Your computer chip (memcal) can also be reprogrammed so the fan comes on sooner.
I've set a lot of guys to 200f on 185f off with a 180-195 t stat. Seems to work well.
Ok was looking up water pumps this evening. On summit I type in my vehicle. 87 IROC-Z 305 TPI. The results come up.
Results show both counter clockwise and clockwise rotation which one is it?
I can't recall if 87 had serpentine setup. If it does it's reverse rotation. Other wise clockwise rotation without the serpentine wrapped around the flat pulley of the water pump.
I wanted a stewert water pump, called them today and the guy starts arguing with me that its not an 87 its an 86. He said 87 was serpintine, I said maybe it was transition year then, because this is a V belt
I said it has the remote coil and center bolt valve covers. Its an 87. Kept arguing i got the part number for the 86 ill check its mount configuration tonight
I'm running a stock (replacement) radiator, a stewarts water pump, 180 stat and fourth gen fans and shroud on a head and cammed 383. It actually ran TOO cool for a while and I had to adjust the painless fan control unit.
...the takeaway is that the stock radiator, a good working pump (I'd replace an original if you're having issues) and stock fans should be more than enough if they're working right. The 4th gen fans DO run a little stronger, and the shroud helps direct airflow, but you can always do that later if you feel you want to. I would go through your set up and make sure it's working, and replace what isn't, or what you're not sure of. ...also make sure you have a good gauge and are getting accurate info!
Yours must be serpentine belt. Stewerts shows counterclockwise for serpentine but doesnt list it for mine as it is a Vbelt
If there's one thing I learned in working on cars as an enthusiast over the last 30 years, its use factory fluids and parts for the low/no service parts where you can. Cooling system is one of those. I found out several years ago that factory coolant has special additives that lubricate and otherwise treat the factory gear so that it lasts a long time. This is likely straight from the GM engineering teams. I do not think Prestone etc reverse engineers this stuff, they just make their version. In my opinion, nothing has lasted as long as factory parts and factory fluids. My only exception is oils. Synthetic is better, period. I find a way to make that work. I am getting my new project refreshed and I planning on dumping $100 bucks on genuine factory green coolant. It's a lot, but I believe in it.
If there's one thing I learned in working on cars as an enthusiast over the last 30 years, its use factory fluids and parts for the low/no service parts where you can. Cooling system is one of those. I found out several years ago that factory coolant has special additives that lubricate and otherwise treat the factory gear so that it lasts a long time. This is likely straight from the GM engineering teams. I do not think Prestone etc reverse engineers this stuff, they just make their version. In my opinion, nothing has lasted as long as factory parts and factory fluids. My only exception is oils. Synthetic is better, period. I find a way to make that work. I am getting my new project refreshed and I planning on dumping $100 bucks on genuine factory green coolant. It's a lot, but I believe in it.
I tried running durablend in mine years ago when I was in high school. After putting it in my pressure dropped significantly. Talked with a guy after he said my car wasnt intended to run synthetic or blends from the factory. I put the old 5w-30 conventional back into it and had 30+ psi at idle. With durablend it was 12 and wouldnt come above 20 when on highway.
Viscosity is viscosity. 5W-30 synth should flow the same as 5W-30 dino-juice. The advantage of synth is far superior protective lubrication. I think its called oil-shear. I bought my jug of Mobil 1 high mileage and will be throwing it in. In the early days of synth, it used to shrink seals and the powertrains would spring leaks. What I have learned is that todays synth addresses this and this does not happen. So far so good on some older cars I have already done this on.
Viscosity is viscosity. 5W-30 synth should flow the same as 5W-30 dino-juice. The advantage of synth is far superior protective lubrication. I think its called oil-shear. I bought my jug of Mobil 1 high mileage and will be throwing it in. In the early days of synth, it used to shrink seals and the powertrains would spring leaks. What I have learned is that todays synth addresses this and this does not happen. So far so good on some older cars I have already done this on.
I would agree but the guy I talked with at the time said the reason I was having issues was due to the oil pump not being designed for synthetic back in 87. Hard to argue with because after I went back issues went away.
Thought I'd update as to where im at with all this. Have some parts in the cart and figured I would update.
after doing research and talking with all of you heres is my selections:
Stock A/C Delco high volume water pump
180 degree high flow JET thermostat
taylor plug wires
A/C delco transmission pan (old one had drain plug installed, and pan gasket leaking anyway)
A/C delco transmission filter and gasket kit
gaskets for water pump and thermostat
Stock A/C delco radiator which im still back and forth on.
Reason im replacing this stuff is its the original to the car its been sitting awhile and figured its a good idea too.
Thoughts?
I started going through the car tonight and found a note I wrote down of some issues from when it was parked.
Looks like the secondary cooling fan was operating intermittent, meaning sometimes it would come right on and other times it wouldnt.
Also had down that It was having charging issues with system once car was warmed up and running for awhile, would dip down in the red often.
I now remember those two issues. It had failed emissions in 2003 due to the fuel pump going out. Car was cutting out all the way home that day, I remember. Went back to school and switched career paths, etc etc long story short I now moved into a house with a big enough garage to properly perform work on the car.
Funny how finding a note brings you down memory lane lol
The coolant looks good in the radiator bright green. Was wondering if I should bring the current radiator to a shop and have it boiled out? Only thing is it is it worth it on a 30 year old radiator?
Also opinion of brake lines and hoses? Should I replace all those as well? Car still has original rear brake shoes as well as wheel cylinder and master cylinder.
Just want to get the car going in the best and safest possible way without causing mistakes and regret
I think I paid $110 about 4 years ago for a new one from a local radiator shop (I could not get a Murray from O'Reilly to fit correctly without modifying the car). Depending on how much they charge to clean, new might be worth it.
If it's metal tanks then maybe. Mine came with a craptastic plastic-tank aftermarket version that promptly broke off one of the hose necks. Check out what I got:
Oh, and FWIW, last night I replaced the existing dino-juice oil in my "new-to-me" car with 10W30 Mobil 1. My oil pressure jumped about 15 psi. It was way low before. I will report in on how everything goes.
One other thing about these factory gauges, assuming you are using the factory oil pressure gauge, IIRC from the old days, these things are notoriously inaccurate. They function more like an idiot light rather than a calibrated gauge. My point being is that although it looks like your psi is moving all over the place, the reality is, it may be moving just slightly.
If it's metal tanks then maybe. Mine came with a craptastic plastic-tank aftermarket version that promptly broke off one of the hose necks. Check out what I got:
Problem: My two auto trans cooler line ports were not threaded correctly. I ended up having to retap them (bottom tap needed) and then tighten the crap out of the connectors. Not at all happy with something that should be easy to ensure is correct. I hope I got a fluke. Probably not.
