SBC 350 overheating problem, please help!!!
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From: near longview, texas
SBC 350 overheating problem, please help!!! My brother's 88 IROC Camaro with a carbed 350 is overheating like hell, I think it got so hot the other day when we opened the hood Satan came out and said Damn that's hot!, Ok jokes aside, He bought a new 180 degree stat, new water pump, new hoses, and new radiator, ran water through to see if anything dirty came out and all seemed clean, filled it up with Coolant and water and made sure all pulleys were lined up correctly. He drove around for about 10-15 minutes and ran out of gas because his gauge is not working right now, put gas in it, drove around some more, and then it started getting hot, really hot, close to 230 or so, and then it threw a belt(which we thought we had that problem fixed, but the other belt was also turning the water pump as well, but just started getting hotter so he killed it and it is cooling down as I type. He doesn't have a heater core installed, he has a bypass going form the intake back to the radiator that he just bought a new line and fitting for as well. It seems like everything is setup correctly. What else could this be? Anyone got an answer or even a guess as to what may be causing the problem?
I see your in texas lol, as in driving it around?? is the car getting up to cruising speeds?? Does it have an elec fan is it comeing on?? Ive found my V6 3rd gen one to not like to sit still.. like yours all new parts on a new longblock and if its drove 20 miles or so and i catch 2 or 3 lites in a row on a hot day its all over 230 an 240 
I dont like it but not much but all i can do is pray i can get up to 50 and cruise and shell come back to 160. ive had to pull over a few times when its hit 250. Ive been meaning to get a temp gun out and really check it instead of trusting a sender burried in cast iron near manifolds... because its never boiled over. i dunno.. just a lil beater i built though hahaha my heart doesnt sink when i see 240..
I dont like it but not much but all i can do is pray i can get up to 50 and cruise and shell come back to 160. ive had to pull over a few times when its hit 250. Ive been meaning to get a temp gun out and really check it instead of trusting a sender burried in cast iron near manifolds... because its never boiled over. i dunno.. just a lil beater i built though hahaha my heart doesnt sink when i see 240.. Thread Starter
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From: near longview, texas
coolant looks clean and oil is fine, no leaks on outside of engine anywhere, which I know there still could possibly be an internal leak but just don't know, and also It has the old school non clutch style fan driven by the pulley, but he does have a fan that he has wired up in front of radiator that the relay went bad on so it isn't kicking on , but he is gunna put it to a manual switch inside the car to use when he is at slow speeds and stop lights. He doesn't have the correct fan shroub for the car, would that be making it overheat?
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From: near longview, texas
and by the air damn, do u mean the spoiler type thing below the bumper that is kinda part of the side skirts in the front?, and even so it gets very hot even at idle .
OK, i am kina a third gen god. The air dam he is referring to persuades air into the radiator from underneath, it is black and flat, runs straight down from the radiator. One thing i have noticed is you said you "threw a belt" It is a 88, factory serpantine system, put it back on or see if you are running the stock water pump in the wrong direction. Also yes, the shroud you need is froom 82-85 for the old school fan setup. Why did he ditch the electric fan setup? Sounds like your bros car is rigged to the teeth. He needs to have al the correct parts before hoping it will cool right. I have used a 180 stat before with luck, a 160 will still over heat so atleast you are on the right track. You can srop you t-stat in boiling water to make sure it pops open, that way you just know it works. Hope you have that wrong style fan spinning in the right direction.
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From: near longview, texas
ok, let me assure you that none of the system except for the radiator is original on that car, the rest is your typical setup from anything that has the old school carbed 350 in it. He has been thinking of trying a serpentine system with reverse water pump, but wants to get the parts on the cheap if he does, he just wants it to cool well enough so he can drive it back and forth to work, that is all he is asking.
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Verdad Gallardo """"he has a bypass going form the intake back to the radiator that he just bought a new line and fitting for as well."""
Can you explain this setup a lil better?? kinda lost.. Only thing that should be comeing off the intake to radiator is upper radiator hose. not sure what line and fitting you would have setup?? a pic would be great.
Can you explain this setup a lil better?? kinda lost.. Only thing that should be comeing off the intake to radiator is upper radiator hose. not sure what line and fitting you would have setup?? a pic would be great.
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From: near longview, texas
it seems like everything is ok now, he had an electric fan that he put on the outside of the radiator pushing toward the engine and now it won't get above 190 even idling on a fairly warm day like today was. He does still need a proper shroud I suppose, and his air damn is bent inward a little bit.
