i have a dumb ? what exact temp should my 85 gs 12a run normally

mine is at around 200 to 210, WTF?

 

I dont have an independant gauge on my SA, but stock is typically 3/8 on the sweep of the stock gauge. I asked this question on the Haltech forum for my FC, consensus view was 188 to 200 is normal, 210 shouldnt hurt it, but if the car is stock or close you could probably do better.

 

I'm running an Autometer gauge and an e-fan. I have it set to keep the temp around 180. Your's is running hotter than I would feel comfortable with. As hot as it gets in your area, and this being cooler season, I would be going through the entire cooling system before summer comes.

 

I always try to keep it at or bellow 184 during normal operation and bellow 190 when I am driving it hard.

 

whew thats reasuring. see my stock temp gauge worked fine until i hooked up the after market one. so i couldnt get an acual temp

 

ive already gone through the cooling system with a complete clean and flush, new tstat new rad cap, ive also installed a scirocio fan from flexalite, all new fuids and yes i bleed the cooling system completely. what could i have missed, the car runs terific at these temps but its building an awful lot of cooling system preasure

 

The water pump and belt tension on the wp pulley. Are you sure the interior of the rad is clean and not plugging due to corrosion, are all the fins straight, is the undertray installed? Also, when is the temp rising, is it rising when sitting at idle, in stop and go traffic, during sprited driving or all the time? Since you have an e-fan, can you adjust the thermostat for when it comes on? If not, spend 25 bucks at the parts store and install an adjustable one.

 

You could try a product like "Water Wetter" to help bring the temps down. During the summer both of my vehicles run it.

Good luck,
Kevin

 

the water pump is fairly new, the rad is clean as can be expected, fins are straight. the under tray though is loose toward the fire wall and hangs down about an inch or so from where it should be, the car will warm up to 190, at 1700 rpm. the fan kicks in around 185, if i really baby her, the temp will stay at 190-195 for about 30 miles then starts climbing to 200-210. when driving sportingly she will climb much faster to the 200-210 area but never goes much more than 210. oh, the stock fan is installed aswell cause i didnt feel comfortable with the size of the scorocio alone, although it moves a good volume of air.

 

One possible cause of overheating that is frequently overlooked is ignition timing. If the timing is too far advanced, then it will cause the car to run hotter. If it is too far retarded, then it can make your exhaust manifold/header glow a pretty shade of cherry red...

 

i did put something like "water wetter" it was like "cool blue" or something like that but, it didnt do anything as far as i could tell. i think i have a mech. or air flow malfunction.

 

i havent check the timing yet ill try that in themorn and see if i get some result, i guess ill tighten up on that bottom plate as well.

 

Take the car to a radiator speciality shop and have them put a runner down the inside of the core to check for blockage. Highway driving should be yielding a much cooler temp. Especially since the temps are cooler this time of the year and that at freeway speeds there is plenty of ram air to cool the radiator. You should be able to disable the fan at freeway speeds and still run within specs.
What degree T-stat did you get?
Also if the radiator ship has a infrared reader they will check various areas of the radiator for temp consistency.

 

There you go again Doc.... Taking the shortest route to the solution, rather than the scenic route like the rest of us.

That's why we call him the Doc (and you thought it had to do with his screen name, lol)....

 

Runing 2 fans may be part of your problem also. They could be interfering with each other. Another off the wall idea, if the electric fan is wired backwards, it will turn the fan blades backwards. Don't ask me how I know this one, lol.

As a test, remove the stock fan and turn the thermostat setting down on the electric one. If that doesn't take care of it, follow doc's instructions. Our radiators are old and many of them are no where near the efficiency level they used to be.