overheating

[LoEne]

I have a 97 firebird that overheats constantly. I have had it in to the shop 5 times now. It seems to cool when I'm moving but when I get stopped in traffic it overheats. Once in awhile it will cool down but not often. Also was wondering what the normal temp is for my car. Please help, the shop mechanic has no idea what he is doing. Just about all that can be replaced has been done already. He didn't touch the radiator or the waterpump.

 

[fullrearview]

the fans in your car dont turn on untill 215f for the primary fan and something like 227f for the secondary. the radiator and pump is fine if it cools down when moving. i would get a 160f thermostat and go to madz28.com and get a tune from ion. he is very, very good and you will like the power and mpg you get.
they are programed that high for emissons and it really sucks, both for durabilty and hp/trq. im also assuming that its not a gm shop that knows modern gm cars?

 

[LoEne]

overheat

It doesn't cool down when moving. Some times it does and other times it overheats. The temp shoots up high when I'm stopped at a light. You will have to explain the rest of the answer to me, I'm a little slow I guess. What is madz28.com? What was the other recommendation you gave me to have better gas millage? You got it right on the shop, not GM, it's a Suzuki place, go figure!

 

[87 GP]

There are so many things that could be contributing to your problem. You don't say how many miles are on the car, or what specifically has been changed so far.
Some things to check are:
radiator- clear fins and clean on the inside. Has it been repaired and maybe some lines closed off? Did someone add "stop-leak" to it and possibly clog up the passages?
Thermostat- either stuck or too high a temp?
Ignition timing
Are all air dams and shrouds in place and not broken?
Blown Head Gasket/ Cracked Head or block? - did the car overheat real bad to the point that it stalled? Did someone dump cold water over it when it did?
Clogged catalytic convertor/and/or exhaust sytem?
Are the fans working? At the right time?
Proper coolant mixture? Not straight coolant or plain water?
Oil clean and full?
Transmision operating OK and lines and cooler clear?
Air in cooling system?
All hoses OK? not swollen or collapsed?

Try to find the real cause before going into reprogramming. Remember the car didn't overheat when new with the original settings. Trying to cover up the causes w/o repairing them may only lead to a bigger repair bill later.