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Cody winkler · 06-06-2016, 06:09 AM

How hot should a Chevy 454 run?

r carl · 06-06-2016, 06:54 AM

Depends on the thermostat.

HowieE · 06-06-2016, 07:12 AM

Considering the age I would suggest having the radiator cleaned and cored. The thermostat can not make up for lost capacity in the radiator.

Remember if the engine is running hotter than normal so is the trans and that is not desirable.

garry · 06-06-2016, 08:13 AM

Mine (SOB) runs 190 to 200 in heavy stop and go traffic up to 215 the 454 tends to run hot.

tevake · 06-06-2016, 09:01 AM

The engine temps in my 345. Tended to run around 205. 210+ when working hard. With the fan engaged way too much.

Went thru the coolong system. Record the radiator, new turmostate. Hoses etc.

Now runs around 192 unless working hard. The goes up to 200 but the fan running brings it right back down.

Cheers Richard

HowieE · 06-06-2016, 09:20 AM

Forgot to mention if you are running what you feel is hot is the clutch fan coming on? They are the safety but have a very big range of acceptable on temperature. The factor spec list them as coming on from 165 degrees, air across the clutch not water temperature, to over 200. All clutch fans I have ever had come on below 220 degrees, as measure with a good after market gauge not the dash board gauge. Again that is air temperature not water.

WayneG · 06-06-2016, 09:32 AM

I have been worrying about my engine temps in my 84 Excella 270 ever since I found corrosion at the ends of the radiator tubes.
When traveling, I have a tendency to overload it and now I am pulling 2000 pounds of trailer behind.
I used a data acquisition program and thermocouples to monitor my last trip home on I90 Springfield exit heading westbound to NY
The attached graph tells me I am doing OK with the water temp steady just below 200.
One note, the dash water temp gauges are not accurate. Mine reads 20 deg higher than what I read on the thermocouple probe and the ECT readout of the TBI computer.
My fan clutch kicks in way to often on hills and even flats when the outdoor temps are 80 or higher, that fan sucks up horsepower.
Note my temps inside the cab are higher than outside, I dont run the AC.
The small glitch in the chart was a fuel stop at the Lee service plaza

Boom Sounds · 06-06-2016, 10:08 AM

My 250 runs 180 pretty much all the time. If I'm in town or going up hill the temp rises a little, the fan clutch kicks in at 200. Touch wood, it's been very reliable since in installed a new fan clutch about five years ago.

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Waipio Rim · 06-06-2016, 10:31 AM

According to owners manual for our 1984 310, normal operating temp is 190-240F.

Cody winkler · 06-06-2016, 12:39 PM

It tends to run 215-220 on the highway and in traffic it runs about 225-230, I'm think of running a lower thermostat

Jim Foster · 06-06-2016, 01:03 PM

Adding a good transmission oil cooler will help both the trans and engine temp. The transmission does a great job of adding to radiator temp.

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HowieE · 06-06-2016, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cody winkler

It tends to run 215-220 on the highway and in traffic it runs about 225-230, I'm think of running a lower thermostat

Test the thermostat before replacing it. Sounds like you need a radiator cleaning. Lowering the stat will do nothing if the capacity of the radiator is not there.

Boom Sounds · 06-06-2016, 01:55 PM

You definately do not want to run your trans too hot, otherwise you'll be in for a hefty bill

Cody winkler · 06-06-2016, 05:04 PM

Yea the transmission was really expensive blew that in Pensacola, I pretty sure it's a faulty thermostat cause it only happens on occasions and we rinsed the radiator, it was running 235 constantly so we replaced the radiator cap which helped a lot, it's very possible it could have a thermostat for up north cause that's where it spent most of life displaying de Howard's power steering system

Kota · 06-07-2016, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cody winkler

It tends to run 215-220 on the highway and in traffic it runs about 225-230, I'm think of running a lower thermostat

That can be counter intuitive. The thermostat's function is maintains a minimum operating temperature. The maximum is a function of the capacity of the system to remove heat. It actually works more efficiently at higher temperatures. The maximum operating temperature is dictated by the heat being generated by the engine and the systems capacity to remove that heat.

If it were 70 degrees air temp and the water in the system was 70 degrees no heat would be removed. If it 70 degrees air temp and the water temp is 200 degrees heat is being removed. At 240 more heat is being removed. It's a self regulating system until the capacity of the system is overwhelmed. Increasing it capacity to remove heat or making less heat is the solution. Oil and transmission coolers can help.

As engines wear they become less efficient, making more heat and less power. Radiators corrode and become less efficient at removing heat. Clutches slip and create more heat. Torque converters make a lot of heat if the engine isn't producing the torque to keep them locked up.

WayneG · 06-08-2016, 02:17 AM

This is what the inside of my 84 radiator looked like. I took it to a radiator shop and they said it was a reaction of the lead, brass and antifreeze and they did not have a flushing agent that would remove it. The best they could do was manually remove what they could. Otherwise it would need to be re-cored.

Kota · 06-08-2016, 04:10 AM

Yuk!

Using distiller water will prevent a lot of that corrosion.

Tape water has minerals that cause it to conduct electricity. The heat differential across dissimilar metals with tap water as an electrolyte cause galvanic reactions that scavenge metal from one source and deposit it on another. That's the majority of that gunk you see. It's not from the minerals in the water per se.

http://www.waterpumpu.com/news-how-t...cooling-system

Gocart · 06-14-2016, 05:25 PM

the temperature reaches 190 210, I have climbed on a second fan that reduces the heat

Boom Sounds · 08-13-2016, 01:18 PM

Are you sure your water pump/belts are fully operational?

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HowieE · 08-13-2016, 02:19 PM

It is a good idea to have the radiator roded and cored at least every 10 years. The radiator can not transfer heat if it is covered or clogged with crap.

In the old days coring did not mean replacing but rather removing the caps and passing a rod through every passage. Today it may be cheaper to just recore the thing or id it has plastic end caps replace it completely. If you replace do it with a radiator with an additional row.

220 degrees in the summer and with the AC on is not that hot. The tell tail is does it drop quickly as you go down the other side of the hill. If it drops as fast or faster than it climbs the radiator has capacity. If not it needs help.