Ok, so my car doesn't have one. I just got it back from inspection today (after not being on the road for a LONG time). I had been driving it home, stopped at pep boys and the gas station. It was stop and go on the way home from the gas station. I also happened to have the e-brake on. I only drove 10 minutes home, and when I got home, the brakes were smelling funny, and the coolant resovior was spewing collant all over the place and boiling like crazy. Two things, do you think I could have seriously damaged my brakes with the e-brake on for only 10 minutes, I only went 35mph? And does it sound like an air dam will solve the overheating problem? The mechanic I took it to for the inspection im going back to tomorrow, and he assured me that the t-stat was ok. So, does this sound like an airdam problem? Thanks for the help.

 

No. The air dam will only help at or above 35mph. The stop and go traffic would only give a problem if the fan is not working properly. You might want to check your radiator, fan, water pump, and the space between the radiator and a/c condenser(a lot of garbage can build up in there).

Steve

 

The lack of an air dam will hurt cooling at anything above 25-30 MPH, when the fans are turned off by the ECM.

You really should get a replacement air dam, and check your rear pads. Aslo check the rotors for signs of overheating and warpage.

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Later,
Vader
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"What a Day..."
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Definitely not an air dam problem, in fact, I've lowered my T/A 2 inches so there's literally no room for the air dam underneath and I've had absolutely no problems with overheating whatsoever.
Most likely an issue with the fan or water pump, however the original thermostats in these cars were around 220 as opposed to the relatively standard 180 degree thermos. The reason for this being that in the midst of the emissions race, the brainiac GM engineers decided that one way to ensure more complete combustion, thus lower emissions was to run the engine at a higher standard operating temp. It worked to a certain point, but the sacrifice was making the engine even more prone to overheating; in combo with the fact that these vehicle's design isn't that conducive to cooling to start with, it's a bad idea.

Point being 1)verify that the fan and water pump are working properly, and 2)replace the original thermo with a 180 or at least a 190 degree unit and your car should be able to idle in traffic with the best of them providing that the engine isn't too wild.

The e-brake is another issue altogether. Vader's right on with that one.

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1985 Trans Am - rough and ready
1976 Corvette Stingray - not so rough, but always ready

 

Ok, i think i made a mistake. I got confused. I am thinking that what i thought was an air dam really wasnt. I was talking about the plastic piece that sits between the radiator and the fan. It channels the flow of air, because right now it seems as if air isn't going through the radiator, and it is just spinning. Btw, my fan is ALWAYS on as there is no computer in my car, and it definatly works, and so does the water pump. Could this cause a problem? Also, I am thinking there could be crap in my radiator and may need it flushed. Might that also be a prob? THanks again for the help!

 

Ahhhhhhh, you are talking about the fan shroud... well it will help with cooling, but its probably all the extra energy you were using to fight the e-brake. And not having an air dam will cause problems, contrary to the person who thinks there is a 220 degree thermostat, which doesnt exist.

As for the brakes, you will just have to check them out. I'd have to assume they are drums, in which case there is probably some damage. If they are discs, those are easy enough to see with the wheels on and all, if they arent blue you should be fine. Ive done this myself before (car doesnt have an e-brake light, and way more than enough power to overpower the e-brake) and didnt hurt anything. And I drove faster and more distance than you did.

 

Drove it again today without the e-brake on, and it still overheated. It only overheats when going slow or idle. Any other suggestions? does the fan shroud sound like the problem here? The water pump is fine, the radiator is not clogged, and i DO have an air dam. (sorry im really new and don't know that much, im trying to learn) Thank you so much for all your help.

 

Sounds to me like his fan or fan relay isn't working. Park the car and turn on the AC and verify that your radiator fan is working. If it isn't, you'll have to check the voltage at the plug on the fan and check the relay too, but for the life of me I can't remember where it is.... Anyone?

Before I did the ECM swap last summer I just rigged up a switch to a relay (never run a switch directly to the fan... not good) and when I sat in traffic and the temp started to rise I could just kick it on.

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Kevin Irving
85 Trans Am WS-6, 305 TPI, custom burned '86 PROM with '87 "165"ECM, Accel Supercoil & 8.8 Wires, Rapidfire #2 @ .055", MSD 6AL, 1.6:1 Roller tipped rockers, Homemade AFPR, K&N cone, no airbox, Aluminum Driveshaft, Wonderbar, TB Coolant Bypass, Ported Plenum, Descreened MAF, Syclone Fuel Pump, JET Airfoil, Mobil 1 synth in all but transmission.

15.556 @ 86.65mph, Nov 10, 2000.... I know it sucks.. but it will get better!

http://www.geocities.com/transam85tpi/

Member - The Tidewater Trans Am Club, Norfolk VA http://www.geocities.com/ttacva/

 

I definatly have a fan. It is a manual fan and is connected to the engine, so doesn't spin fast while the car is idiling. There is no shroud over it and is 4 inches away from the radiator.

 

If this is a mechanical fan, the kind that bolts to the water pump, you probably need a fan clutch. Its job is to decouple the fan from its drive when the coolant is cool, then hook it up when the coolant temp reaches a point where it needs cooling. There's a thermostat and some fluid in there that make this work, but when they get old, the fluid leaks out and it will no longer hook up.

DON'T get the centrifugal kind to replace it, make sure it's the thermostatic kind (like the stock one is). The right one will have a little coiled thermostat visible on the front side of it.

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

 

I think you Guys are missing the Obvious.

He has No Fan shroud, and an Belt driven Fan. Thats a recipie for overheating at Idle, right there. Air will not be drawn thorught the radiator without a Shroud.


Do yourself a favor, and Go to the junkyard and pull the electric fan setup out of a later model 3rdgen. Either the single or Dual fan setup.


It was one of the best things I could have done for reliability and driveabilty.



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60 Ranchero - Project ( Money Hole )
85 Sport Coupe LG4 - Daily Driver
Reader's ride -> My Ride

Just another Hot Rod kid, or thats what they all tell me.
Livin' the Stereotype

 

Bort is right,
mechanical fans are usually too far away from the radiator to do any good without the shroud.