Running Hot
 

Hi all,
Seems the car dosnt want to run when it gets over 210 deg, the first time it happened it started sputtering and poping like the ignition was cutting out and then it just whent dead this was when I got off the freeway from a 30 mile ride, on the freeway it runs at 180 deg and just gets hot when i hit the surface streets. After towing the car home i noticed the battery terminal was loose, could this cause the ignition to not work well at idle? I'm runing a Digital E-Curve Pro-Billet Distributor with no box, now it also feels like its flooding when this happens, could it be due to not getting enough spark at this time, and could the ignition really fail at just 210 deg?
Also what temperature should i get nervous at, 210 dosnt seem that hot, i have a Ron Divis radiator in it and thought this would be the least of my worries. As for now I'm only good for a short trip around town and this is no way to enjoy a fresh built car.

My jeeps thermostat doesn't even open until 205 degrees. My buds camaro (2000) came stock with a 215 thermostat so, it's just getting warmed up.

I would check your gauge, something doesn't sound right.



Rich

With a carb it's a different ball game. Around 210 is when mine starts getting a hesitation but doesn't die. The fuel injected cars can run much hotter without any drivability issues. The cooling fan in my vette came on at 235. While it won't hurt your motor carbuerators just don't like the heat.

I wonder if a insulated cab spacer would help out a bit.

Need to get her cooling better around town.

A phenolic spacer would help with the carb. As for the coolant temp, from what you're saying, you need more fan/better shroud. What are you using for a fan now?

Hey Scott
I'm running a Ron Davis Radiator with a 160 thermostat, this is the fan relay and thermostat kit im running, I copied it from there website.

Two (2) 40 amp weather resistant relays
One (1) Stainless steel fan switch (On 185 / Off 165)
Two (2) In-line fuse holders w/ 30 Amp fuse
Detailed instructions included

It isn't the radiator, it's the fan if it's heating up in traffic or low speeds. What fan(s) are you running?

Jody

Hi Jody,
I'm running Ron Davis, Im also wondering if I have the timing to advanced, I dont have a timing lite so one of the guys at the shop set it at 36 deg total advance.

I had a similar problem with my car. As mine turned out, my alternator wasn't rated to produce enough amps at low rpm. With the big fuel pump and ignition running, the fan kicking-on was just enough to overdraw the system. It ultimately killed the battery and left me stranded a few times before changed alternators. The combo of low alternator rpm and slow wind speed caused my car to get hot and the additional juice needed for the fan dropped the spark needed for the ignition. So it was overheated and stuttering as you describe.

Overheating and stuttering because of the alternator? I know this seems like a stretch but that ended up being my problem. I re-wired the whole car several times trying to chase that down. Lesson learned. It might not be your situation but it's worth mentioning.