Dirtroadcamaro

Have an 86 camaro swapped out the 305 tpi for a carved 355 202 heads 530 lift cam performer rpm intake can't keep it cool have brand new 180 thermostat bigger all aluminum radiator Iam just running the electric fan that was in it stock that runs all the time when the motor is running has a brand new water pump timing is at 34 degrees temp acts like it wants to hold at 190 but slowly keeps creeping up Iam running out of ideas only thing I can think todo next is just buy dual electic fans/ radiator set up for the car any other ideas would be appreciated

Ozz1967

iTrader: (4)

My 84 T/A is carbed with the factory CCQjet carb. I run the single electric fan and have no issues keeping the motor cool unless I'm running the A/C. That's when mine creeps up.

1. Is your air dam intact? Even if the fans aren't working right, over 35mph, this will keep your car cool.
2. Did you properly burp the radiator?
3. Is the coolant circulating properly when the thermostat opens?
4. Have you checked the temp at the water neck/thermostat housing with an infrared temp gun to be absolutely sure you're actually getting too hot? Our thermostats are notoriously off.
5. The fan shouldn't be running all the time while the motor is running, that's unnecessary and damaging to the fan motor.


Finally, please use punctuation, even if your're on the phone. I had a really hard time following your statements.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Advance the timing.

Eff whatever "number" you think you have it set at. Advance it until it starts to ping with light acceleration in high gear, then back it off until it quits. Won't be "right" necessarily (although it might... no way to know until you try); but it will give you a pretty fair idea of how far off your "number" is, from WHAT THE ENGINE WANTS.

Having it too far retarded forces combustion to still be occurring too late in the power stroke for the engine to turn the heat generated by the burning fuel into useful work, and instead, all that unused heat ends up going into the only places left for it to go: the exhaust and the cooling system. A HIGHLY inefficient mode of operation.

The CORRECT way to "set the timing", just like EVERY OTHER tuning adjustment, is to LISTEN TO THE ENGINE. Let IT tell you what it wants, instead of arbitrarily picking some random "number" and then hallucinating that your "mark" and "tab" have any connection to reality. THE ENGINE will run at its best, and coolest, when the spark occurs at the point during the cycle when the maximum possible portion of the heat of combustion is used usefully and therefore the minimum is wasted into the exhaust and cooling system. Adopt the mentality of FINDING that point for the spark timing instead of ... what you've done up to now, which is GUARANTEED to be wrong.

The key to getting it right is so simple, that it's EEEEEEEZZZZY to outsmart yourself looking for something more complicated. All ya gotta do is to remember, "If it RUNS good, it IS good". Doesn't matter what "number" your "light" gives you. THE ENGINE does not carry around a "light", whup it out and look at a "mark" with it, compare it to some "book" or "spec" or whatever it is you think you're doing, and decide based on what number it sees on the "tab" compared to your thinking, how it's going to run. Just doesn't work like that. All that THE ENGINE cares about, is the point the spark occurs, compared to the ideal. THE ENGINE will tell you when it's happy, which is, when that agreement is achieved, NOT when you read some "number" with your "light". LISTEN TO IT instead of dictating to it something it doesn't like.

Most likely you can improve your gas mileage, throttle response, idle vacuum, running temp, and probably even the "sound" the engine makes, without spending another dime, just by LISTENING TO THE ENGINE and giving it what it asks for.