engine temp at idle

My 79 is running at about 200-210 while driving. At an
idle in stop and go traffic the temp will slowly start to creep well past the 220 mark.
I don't believe it is running lean and i changed out the coolant and put in a 50/50 mixture.
I'm thinking of changing out the thermostat.
For what it's worth, I'm running a holley street avenger 670 cfm with a K&N filter.
.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Thermo is an excellent place to start.

What did the inside of your rad look like when you recently replaced the coolant ?

Was it corroded. ?

Mark, If a new thermostat doesn't fix the problem. I would take out the radiator and have it pressure tested also check your timing,the lower radiator hose should have a spring in it to prevent from collapsing at high speed. Hope this helps ya....

Roy

|UPDATED|7/14/2003 12:34:51 PM|/UPDATED|

it seems to be very clean actually.
I've only had the car since April so I'm not real familiar with it or vettes in geneal (yet).
.
I can only think it is the thermostat or possibly the timing, but i've almost ruled out timing at this point. It seems that the coolant is just not circulating well at idle.
.
I talked to the previous owner and he said it always ran around 218 and didn't have the creep problem. It had been sitting for quite a while before i purchased it from him.

200-210 sounds pretty reasonable to me. If you're heating up in traffic I would bet that you should be looking at your fan.

Most of the GM engines were designed to run a 195 thermostat so 200-210 sounds about normal to me. Also, bear in mind that the temp gauges were famous for being innacurate.

Check your fan clutch. It should be "stiff" when the engine is hot. They are cheap and easy to replace, about $30.00 at AutoZone.

Up to 220 is in the normal operating temperature range, Don't worry about it until you get to about 230, that's when the oil starts to break down.

i will check the fan. after spending some time around here it sounds like temperature is a common topic/concern. since i've only had the car since may of this year i am still learning the little nuances of it and vettes in particular. my next purchase will be a set of mufflers (Flowmaster?) followed by a set of tires. it seems like there will always be something.....thanks

Marko....

Trust me.... there will always be "something"....

It might be worth looking into Walker Dyno-Max mufflers. They flow as good as a straight pipe and are reasonably priced. I think I got mine a couple of years ago at Advance Auto Parts for the $30.00/ each range. Not quite the status of Flowmaster, but they work and sound great.

For more muffler info, especially Dynomax see the thread "Super Turbo Mufflers" in the Fuel System & Exhaust forum.

Best of luck!

|UPDATED|7/24/2003 8:18:35 PM|/UPDATED|