my car never over heated, i have a 170 stat and hyperteh fan switch , but after i put on the new intake and runners it overheats to like 230* in stop and go driving! i dont know what my timing is at, i think it is stock, but can that effect engine temp?

also, what should i set it at with my mods? 8*? 10*? 12*?

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1988 GTA Trans Am 350tpi: 42k miles,3:27 BW rear, aftermarket t-tops
Hotchkis: subframe connectors & strut tower brace
Flowmaster: 3inch exhaust& dual chamber muffler
Accel: 8.8mm wires, cap&rotor, u-groove spark plugs
Edelbrock: 52mmTB, intake & runners
K&N: filtercharger
TPIS: 170* stat, afpr, mat relocation kit
March: performance crank and alternator pulleys
Hypertech: 176* fan switch
Other mods: ported plenum, gutted cat, tb coolant bypass, flux capasitor

 

Yes, timing can affect engine temp dramatically. Usually if it's retarded, it will result in inefficient operation, because the peak temperature in teh cylinder occurs too late for the enrgy released to be transformed into useful work, so instead the heat goes out the tailpipe and into the coolant.

Your timing should be set as far advanced as possible without causing spark knock. Check your knock count with a scanner, keep advancing it a little at a time until you see knocks, then back it off. Don't trust the timing mark as they are never accurate. IMHO a timing light is a waste of time on our motors because the timing mark isn't metallically connected to the engine, it's stuck out on the end a blob of the same spooge as what the trans mount is made out of.

You might want to get a new knock sensor: they fail in the direction of being too sensitive, which will make the ECM back off the timing when it shouldn't. Nothing else I see in your list should affect it. You might want to consider a new O2 sensor though, just on general principles, if it's old. And make sure your flux capacitor is biased correctly!



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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."

 

thanks for the info, o2 sensor is new.,
and the car did pass the new NYS dyno inspection.

[This message has been edited by ron rizzotti (edited January 12, 2001).]