Lately my car has been running a little warm, if I sit in traffic it will get up to 220 ( sometimes even 230), this was w/ a manual flex lite fan w/o a shroud. However, while driving down the road it will be no higher than 190. Today I hooked up a Perma Cool 2400cfm electric fan and it is doing a worse job than the manual. My brother had this fan on a 400 in his Monza and cooled it effectively, but that was with an aluminum radiator. Right now I can't really afford an aluminum radiator, and I saw high flow water pumps that say a 15-30* drop in temp. This sounds like this could help me significantly. Would this be the direction to go.

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'86 IROC
T-TOPS, TINTED WINDOWS, BRAKE LIGHT BLACKOUTS
GM GOODWRENCH 350
EDELBROCK TES HEADERS
FLOWMASTER
EDELBROCK 600CFM CARB.
KN AIRFILTER
UNDERDRIVE PULLEY
ACCEL HEI DISTRIBUTOR
2:73 GEARS

 

Oh, and another thing to add, I even have the electric and manual fan hooked up now, which doesn't seem to be helping much.

 

Try a cooler thermostat first. I run a 160* stat and with my 170* fan swith my car will NEVER heat up above 180*. (Besides, a thermostat is a hell of a lot cheaper than a waterpump so you might as well try that 1st.)

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Never trust anything that bleeds extensively for about one week out of the month, every month, and doesn't die...

91 Camaro RS
305 TBI w/700R4
14X3 Open element w/ K&N, all Ultimate TBI mods, Accel cap and rotor and coil, Taylor Spiro Pro wires, Accel Plugs,Hypertech Thermomaster Chip, 160* stat, 170* fanswitch, Edelbrock Elite Series Air Cleaner and valve covers, Dynomax Cat-Back, gutted cat, Centerline polished rims with 255/50 BFG Comp TA's all around.
On the way... Hooker Super Comp Shorty Headers and FRESH PAINT!

 

Also, run a fan shroud. It's there for a reason other than to keep your fingers out of the fan!

 

Is you radiator clean inside and out?
id try the thermostat 160 and if it works might try a 180 when winter rolls back around . Also spend the extra 3 bucks to get a robershaw high performance one, it runs about 2degres above its listed temp if cooling system is working. what is your antifreeze mix? might have to much antifr and not enough water the water cools more than the antif. a performance water pump would be kinda overkill and expensive seeing how a liftime waranty pump is only 35 40 bucks but do check to see if the weap hole is leaking
also run the shroud it directs the air to the engine and not the firewall.

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85 Camaro RS T tops 350/350, stealth intake. holley street avenger 670. ported 58cc heads. comp magnum 270H cam,Crane 1.6 roller rockers,edelbrock accu-drive, MSD 6 series ignition on HEI, K&N extream air cleaner, true dual exhaust with 18 inch glasspacks.
82 Firebird 305/250 action plus intake, accel distributer with ccs 8mm wires foam air filter.
The only "cat" i have uses the litter box

 

I already have a 160* thermostat, and I just bought a new radiator cap 13lbs. The car does have the original fan shroud on there for the electric fan, it't not that big though. I just flushed out the radiator about a week ago, when I noticed a temp problem.

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'86 IROC
T-TOPS, TINTED WINDOWS, BRAKE LIGHT BLACKOUTS
GM GOODWRENCH 350
EDELBROCK TES HEADERS
FLOWMASTER
EDELBROCK 600CFM CARB.
KN AIRFILTER
UNDERDRIVE PULLEY
ACCEL HEI DISTRIBUTOR
2:73 GEARS

 

And about the antifreeze thing, I was told that antifreeze cooled better than water, so I have mostly antifreeze in there, maybe I'll try adding some more water.

 

Water cools much better. You need a shroud off a mechanical fan third-gen. It's absolutely necessary for the fan to function correctly. Especially when you are stopped. The fan doesn't 'know' it needs to pull air from the radiator. It needs a shroud so that it will pull all the air from the radiator.


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82 camaro--original steering wheel, brake/gas pedals, seats--everything else modified
82camaro

 

Another important factor when switching fans and shrouds around is to make sure the fan is not too far in, or too far out of the shroud. I think the fan should stick back (towards the engine) about 1 inch out of the shroud. If it is in the wrong place it will not effeciently move air though the radiator.

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Z's r Best

 

Today I noticed a small leak around the thermostat housing. When I went to tighten one of the bolts I turned to tighten it but it only loosened. Does this mean it is stripped and could this cause a car to run hot.

 

Either the bolt, or the hole, is stripped. Yes, if it leaks antifreeze there then it allows a pressure loss there (both can contribute to higher temps. Whenever I change a thermostat out I put studs in the 2 thermostat water neck bolt holes in the intake manifold. Most folks won't take the time to insure that they have form-a-gasket or anti-sieze on the threads so sooner or later they break off, strip out, etc. in those aluminum manifolds. Try tapping it to the next size up (slightly larger bolt)and drill the water neck out to allow the larger bolt to go through it into the manifold. This worked on my son's Z28 (83 w/305 HO)when a bolt broke off in the manifold while trying to change out the thermostat.

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Z's r Best

 

Well I'm going back to the 190' thermo until I can afford a couple Derale units like Willie mentions in the tech article. If you put in a cooler thermo (you said 160 right?) then the coolant has to get cooler before the thermo will open up - duh. So, if you do a lot of stop and go driving, the thermo won't open at all, and the net result is higher temps than a 190 would have gotten you. So unless you get a chip or modify the fan switch(es) as well, I'd say put the stock thermo back in. Good luck.

 

Why would the coolant have to get cooler, once it reaches 160* w/ the 160* thermo. it will open up.