how hot is too hot - chevy V8?

MrHman

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The 305 in my 86 chevy has been hitting 210 and I was wondering if that's too hot. It is right? All my friends in heeps are saying its ok, but the jeeps run at 210.
The 305 in our boat usually runs arounf 150-160 and the 350 buick in my 72 skylark runs around 180-190

Should I be worrying that it gets to 210 or is that ok?
looked in the owners manual and all it said is if it gets past its normal range then it's over heating. doesn't say what the temp range should be.
 
fool (fuel) injected ~180-190 depending on what computer wants.

Carb ~ 200-220 depending on thermostat/radiator combo

at least in my limited experience (70's model camaros and 60-70's firebird/TA's)
 
I am probably not the most qualified to answer your question but the 454 in my Suburban runs roughly 165-170 when it is a 100* outside. It freaked me out at first. From what I have been able to ascertain that is normal for the 454.
 
You can put a lower thermostat in a non-computer carbed engine without affecting performance too much. If you run a thermostat in a computer controlled car that is less than what the computer is looking for it will mess up the mixture. I should have stated that it was my experience with some of the chevys that I have owned that the carbs were more comfy up around 200-210, and the fuel injected around 180-190. It really depends on the computer though.

If there is no computer you can almost run whatever thermo you want without messing it up too bad. But most engines have a comfort zone.

Is 210 too hot, not neccessaraly. depends on all things considered. If it were a Jeep I'd say not a problem. If it were my old Camaro, not a problem (I had a 210 Thermo in it).

What thermostat does the engine call for? That will give you a better answer than a bunch of web wheelers.

B
 
It's all on what thermostat your using and the size of the radiator. Your engine can 'release' hot coolant via the thermostat but if its not cooler coming back from the radiator your gonna see a rise.

Also how old is your radiator ? If someone has dumped in radiator fix junk that can clog it up and cause issues..

Are you running an auto? That puts more/extra heat into the cooling system.

How is your fan AND shroud ?
 
Some other things to consider is if there's any leaking from the system to bring in air. Check the radiator for green color staining where the fins meet the top and bottom. And if the thermo is opening good. They have tendancy to get stuck. Make sure all the air is purged from the system. My favorite way to do that is to put the vehicle on as sharp of incline you can get with a lifted idle and open the cap for it to purge. Be sure to bleed from the bleeder on the thermostat neck if it has one? I know most Fords have one. Routing your intake to bring in cold air helps a tad and also louvers to let the hot air around the motor escape has provened to help tremendously.
I've been stumped before and never figured a system out but 210 is a tad hot for extended periods. 220 is too hot in my opinion. The cooler you can get things to run, the longer you can expect them to live.
 
Sounds a tad hot but not overkill. My carb'd 307 has a 195 thermostat as the spec in my Blazer. Yeah my boat's 305 runs about 160 but that's an open cooling system, not comparable. Check the normal stuff, radiator cap, airflow blockage on the radiator, etc.
 
Also, what type of gauge are you using. If it's factory you know that it isn't reading correctly.
 
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