So I have began to overheat slightly.

Im constantly paranoid with my engine heat.

It has been going at 220 with the heat on all the way up, which seems high to me. But if the heat is off it will continue to climb and climb.



Now the previous owner said that he thought the air dam was broken, I believe that is the plastic piece under the bumper that shoves air up into he radiator? Correct me if im wrong.

Now I found this little piece. http://www.moderndaymuscle.com/inc/sdetail/163/793

Would that be what I needed?

The second thing I have considered is water pump, even though there is no leaking or anything. Just kinda over heats, also the amount of coolant seems good.

Thanks guys.

 

First, that's not "overheating".

Second, the factory gauge isn't "accurate". Mostly it's just eye candy. About all it's good for is, telling the operator that it's all of a sudden different from what it's "always been"; if the car drives around just fine for however many years and then it SUDDENLY changes, it means something might have just broke.

Third, if it's the gauge, the gauge itself isn't the source of the inaccuracy; the sending unit usually is. Just change that out. It's right between the #1 & #3 spark plugs, costs MAYBE $10, and takes about 30 seconds to change if you're as slow as me (I doubt that... about everybody is faster) not counting draining & refilling the coolant.

Fourth, if it REALLY IS getting above that temp, and doesn't cool down when moving, and you DON'T have the air dam, then it's CRITICAL that you get one in there. You're right, it's a sort of plastic blade about 4-5" tall that goes right below the rad; its purpose is to create a high-pressure area in front of the rad to force air to go through it, and a low-pressure zone right behind it (JUST as important as the high-pressure zone, IF NOT MORE SO) to give the air a place to go after it passes through.

 

Thanks a lot, have only had the car for about a month and it all just seems the same. Just cautious with the heat. I will probably try and change the sending unit.

 

If you're quick about making the sender swap, have the new unit ready to go and in one hand while you pull the installed unit out with the other hand, you can do it without losing much coolant. One more thing, if the engine gets hot driving around town, the dam may not be the main cause. The dam has more of an effect as speed increases. How is the coolant? If it's dirty and rusty, you may have a restricted radiator core. If the coolant is older than 3 years, it's due for a flush anyway. Also, the space between the AC condenser and the radiator collects alot of junk and could be 1/2 way plugged which will severely reduce the system's cooling capacity. You would never know that this area is full of crud since you cant see it. Have to pull the radiator back away from the condenser.