running to hot

[acman60]

I have a 1979 and its running about 220 on the temp gauge on nominal driving condition.Is that nominal or is it running high.and how do i get it to run at a lower temp.I have the stock water pump and rad in the car.I know the car rans hot but that hot? THANKS

 

[Vette79]

If you search the forum you will find a lot of information regarding this topic. There are a lot of details that need to be provided for us to help answer this question. I'll ask a few to get started with this thread....

1. Do you have the foam seals installed that enclose the radiator to the radiator support?
2. Is your fan clutch operational?
3. Has the Temperature Sender or Guage ever been replaced?
4. What are you using for coolant? Is it a mix of diluted water and anti-freeze?
5. What is the PSI rating of your radiator cap?

My 79 ran that hot until I replaced the radiator.

 

[6880 Mike]

What's "normal driving conditions" for you? Stop and go in town or highway speeds? 220 isn't high for stop and go traffic in August. If she begins to climb above 220, you want to keep an eye on things.

Is it a slow climb to 220?

 

[GaryS]

So far, good advice. However, the #1 thing I would do in to ensure that your temp gauge is actually reading correctly. Buy or borrow an IR gun (or try to use one at a radiator shop) and "shoot" your radiator in several spots as well as the upper hose to see if the temperatures match what your gauge is saying.

 

[acman60]

Found that a i know form around the radiator and a space about 2 inchs on right and left sides.Will seal it up and let you know THANKS MARK

 

[Rodney Gold]

The only thing you have to worry about re coolant is if the car pukes water. Engine Heat makes power , you want to run as hot as possible without losing coolant and without any other heat related problems(vapour lock , carb percolation, overheated starter etc)

BUT , if you are worried , there are some fixes
1) Elec fans with a temp switch
2) Advance your timing
or
3) Use FULL manifold vac for timing , not ported (car runs cooler at steady state and stop start)
4) Richen your mixture
5) All the other radiator fixes mentioned before