What's a normal operating temp for a mild 306?

2000xp8 said:

I voted non of the above, reason: Get an autometer mechanical temp gauge and get back to us.
The stocker is a POS.

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Same thoughts here.

Not sure it's been said or not. But OTHER than getting a real gauge you can actually read a number value <-- priority one. Check to make sure you actually have a STANDARD rotation water pump on and not the REVERSE rotation pump since you said you replaced it recently.

FYI I have that exact radiator with a slim fan (not as good as that one) and I can run 180 steady all day long with my turbo 393w. That setup could cool a BBF at idle/cruise no problems

Another good reason not to open the radiator cap is to prevent antifreeze from spewing all over your paint. And like was said before, no need to take the risk of burning yourself when there are other ways to test.

If it was fan problem then cruising 50+ mph on the highway should keep the car cool. Is the scrape guard still on the car? It actually redirects air towards the radiator.

However, if it runs hot at speed and is better at idle, then either the block is not transferring enough heat to the water (a water flow problem), or the radiator is not transferring heat to the air.
Things to check:
1. the coolant itself (clean or not, any gasket material?, is it low, are you losing coolant? Is the heater in the car still blowing hot air?) If you have found debris in the coolant, then it's possible you've blown a head gasket. If so, this crap can block coolant passages causing problems.
2. fan (is it electric? Does it come on lower than the t-stat opens? Is there a shroud that forces air through rather than around the radiator?) Signs of a poor fan are obvious when the car overheats at idle, but not at cruise.
3. Check to ensure that stock vents are still in place. Air scoops/brush guards usually help to push air through the radiator at speed. A GT without the hole that leads to the radiator is more susceptible to overheating without the front air dam/scrape guard.
4. Thermostat (is it allowing water to enter the radiator?). One obvious sign of a bad t-stat is that the upper radiator hose is still cold
5. radiator cap (since you have a pressure release, you should be able to tell if the system is pressurizing)
6. Temperature gauge (is it reliable? Test it with another sending unit or a hand-held thermal readers
7. Radiator (Has it been flushed? is it corroded? How old is it? Are too many of the fins bent?) If the radiator isn't flowing air or water well, then it loses efficiency. Generally a radiator that's too small or has become inefficient will be noticed while the engine is under load.

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck.

91StangGT5.0 said:

TokyoJoe, what all do you have done with your engine? What is your cooling system like? Do you have an opening in your grill? i.e. Cobra Grille Insert or LX bumper.


EDIT: Also do you have A/C??? I have a A/C condenser in front of my radiator.

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I don't know about Joe, but I have an A/C condenser and an intercooler in front of my radiator. I had cooling problems and decided to get a new radiator, condenser, and a badass set of electric cooling fans to fix my problem. I think my problem was the ability to draw air through at idle. I don't think that the one spal fan I had was enough. So, I got another one, and now my car is happy again!

Scrapeguard is the black plastic thing that goes straight down about 3" or so at the radiator cross member.

My cooling system is the same 3 row radiator that you have with a massive 4" intercooler with about a 4" gab between my radiator. I have an 18" slimline fan with a 5" downpipe about 1/2" in front of it with an electric water pump. Runs 180* with the fan on a 180* relay.

This is with the old one row before I upgraded to the 3 row.

I don't have it either. I doubt you really need it with your setup but it can definately help with an undersized system. I took mine off back when I still had a 347 and didn't notice any effect. Maybe the fan ran a little more but....

Here you go



Here is the space between the IC and rad.

nice turbo set-up, fatty down pipe, bet that thing sounds badass