Hi, long time follower, first time poster.

The car in question is a 87 Camaro IROC-Z.

5.7 L, 350.

What do I need to remove to get to the thermostat housing so I can replace the Thermostat. Does any have pics or diagrams of where it is and what needs to be removed?

 

4 bolts on the throttle body. The throttle cable on the driver side snaps into the side of the throttle body. With it out of the way, you should have a clear shot at it.

 

Thanks but it turns out it wasn't thermostat. Still overheating.

Are both fans supposed to come on? Only one of my fans comes on and I can't ever remember seeing the other one. They are beside each other, should I fix the other fan?

 

could be a relay or something with the second fan. it's controlled by the ECM but most likely your problem is a relay or a wiring issue as far as the fan goes. and yes when the temp gets up the second fan is supposed to come on

 

My IROC-Z has a 180deg themostat and the drivers side fan runs until 35 mph then shuts off, the passenger side fan only runs with the A/C and comes on at 220 deg. These cars run HOT from the factory. Another important part is the air dam under the car. It is a MAJOR part of the cooling system.

 

get a fan switch that turns your fans on earlier, run a 170 stat amnd as another poster said, make sure your air dam is in place. another thought, how "stock" is your car? what i mean by that is has the rad evre been replaced or anything? if its the orig and never been messed with in any way and it being an 87 it may have grass, grime and road bugs on the fins and may need to be hosed out.
my 83 rad was like that and the replacement made things much cooler.

 

Yeah I just had it powerhosed... but no luck.

My mechanic recommended a rad flush, maybe that will work. i have the 195 thermo I believe, the one recommended.

 

So I took it out again today. It heats up pretty quickly now, gets to right before the red zone... eventually going in there. Also a loss of power. Any other ideas?

 

All right, so there are just a small number of thing about the cooling system.
1) you checked the theromstat, but I would change to 180 deg.
2) air dam in place??
3) Flush old coolant & replace
4) Hoses in good condition
5) Replace belt for water pump if wore.
6) Water pump??? is it orignal to car?
7) Fans (if 2-fan system) Check drivers side on when car starts, passenger side on with A/C @220 deg.
8) Radiator clean & OK??
9) No head gasket leaks???
Good Luck

 

to add a thought on what 87DJP said, the lower hose may be sucking shut. my 83 did this and i could never figure out what was going on and then i finally cought it sucked closed.

 

if it helps, the car only seems to overheat on hot days. or its just a coincidence.

 

sounds like an air flow issue. make sure the air dam is in good helth and the rad is able to flow the air.

 

GOOD CALL!!!!!!!

So the car was running a little hot today, but not too bad. It wasn't crazy hot outside.

The plastic thing in the front of the car appears to be broken. It looks broken and folding in. Can you give me more info on it?

 

also, whats the ideal temp for my car? it goes from 40-125.... it seems to plateau at 105 before eventually going into the red at 125.

 

That plastic thing is the AIR DAM and is a important part of the cooling system. Posted previous to check if it was functioning & in place.