hello, i am in need of help. i own a 1986 trans am with a carburated 305. my problem is that the car overheats all the time. there is one fan on the car and i have it rigged to stay on all the time, but i always blow fuses that way. i changed the thermostat and the radiator cap but the car still overheats and boils the coolant. the car wont go over 50mph without overheating. someone please help because im stumped.
thanks
pj

 

my 86 had this problem and I tried changing everything on it, but nothing helped. Till one day someone told me that maybe I should replace the broken air deflector from under the nose. I thought they were nuts, but I bought one and my car ran perfactly and has never overheated since. Guess it makes sense because the T/A has no openin in the nose for air to pass.
(part only costed $15 from the dealer)

 

I would think that having the fan on all of the time would keep it from overheating, but if not...
First, get that air deflector. I just bent some metal, drilled some holes, and mounted it under my radiator. Temp used to go up to 230*, now she stays below 160* all of the time (with fan on). Or you could just buy the deflector at a pontiac dealership.

Second, if that doesn't work... have your water pump checked.

Overheating of your engine has been known to crack engine heads(which are expensive)...so keep checking for radiator fluid in the oil; a melted chocolate ice cream look, and big spots of oil under your radiator cap.

If it is literally overheating... DON'T DRIVE IT. The possible damage is not worth it.

-Erik W. '86 Firebird 2.8L FI

 

Just a thought, I know you said you have your fan wired to run all the time and that should keep it cool. This may sound dumb, but is that the original motor on the fan? Your fan motor may be going bad and not operating as fast as it should. Had this problem last year and completly took me by surprise. Also you said it keeps blowing fuses>>>bad motor?
Just a thought.

 

If you're driving over 50 mph the fan won't have any effect (mine is wired into the key switch with a toggle switch for when I get the air dam fixed or stuck in a traffic jam). At least it doesn't on my 87 FB. I took my air dam off to replace it and can't find the same one. Mine has 7 parts and the dealer's has only 3 and wants $31.


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86 FB stock 305 Qjet South California emissions