Coolant temp 220+

[dsrtjeeper]

I interpret "just cruising" as "just cruising". If you did some pulls and got the engine up to 250F and then you proceed to "just cruise" then the temp should drop to whatever the cooling system is made to dissipate. If it's not dropping then there remains a problem to fix.

OP said he's got a 302 not a stroker.

In post# 15 you brought up a 500hp engine. This introduced a whole new dynamic to the discussion.

The amount of time he cruised has not been identified.

222° is not overheating nor worrisome.

 

[OldZeuski]

For the sake of settling an argument, thermal efficiency is the only determining factor between whether one engine will make more heat than another doing the SAME work. The horsepower an engine makes might give some indication of its thermal efficiency but honestly there’s a lot of variables. A 500
HP engine going WOT is going to do more work than a 200 HP car and therefore, almost certainly will make more heat.

I’m just going to drain the system and restart with a distilled water bias mix.

 

[GTamas]

That being said, I ran straight water for a yea

I was always told that pure water is bad on the long run because it doesn't provide lubrication for the water pump. That's why some amount of antifreeze or some additive needs to be used to prevent wear.

 

[Terrorist 5.0]

I was always told that pure water is bad on the long run because it doesn't provide lubrication for the water pump. That's why some amount of antifreeze or some additive needs to be used to prevent wear.

That is partly true. The water pump most often is internally lubricated (like any other pulley on the accessory drive. The only part that needs outer lubrication would be the shaft seal. That seal is still sufficiently lubricated with water. Many people used to run straight hose water in the summers, and only used antifreeze in the winter.

I’m sure using antifreeze would preserve that seal for longer, but it’s tough to say if it would be a really significant difference.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I have friends with the same setup on a Holley and they barely break into the 200. Should I get a lower stat?

my HCI 302 in my Fox barely goes above 195 degrees on a hot humid day. I'm datalogging on Megasquirt. I set my contour fans to come on at 185 degrees and the temp settles out around 193-195 degrees pretty consistent. A WOT blast gets it up to maybe 196-198 but then it comes right back down. Running a 180 degree t-stat. I did have a 192 stocker in before and saw the same temps

 

[OldZeuski]

my HCI 302 in my Fox barely goes above 195 degrees on a hot humid day. I'm datalogging on Megasquirt. I set my contour fans to come on at 185 degrees and the temp settles out around 193-195 degrees pretty consistent. A WOT blast gets it up to maybe 196-198 but then it comes right back down. Running a 180 degree t-stat. I did have a 192 stocker in before and saw the same temps

And your fans aren’t always running? My fans are set to the stock temp ranges and I’m thinking I might lower them and see if it helps.

 

[Mustang5L5]

And your fans aren’t always running? My fans are set to the stock temp ranges and I’m thinking I might lower them and see if it helps.

They do but it's more of my own choosing that it's this way. Most of the time i drive with the AC on anyway, so they always run due to that.

But i have it set that anythinger over 75% TPS or 40MPH turns them off. SO on those days when i'm not running AC i can maintain temp with them off while cruising around and then they come on when i come to a stop (after a delay). So most of the time if i'm crusing around (and the AC is off) the fan is off due to my speed.

I also don't drive the car often enough to put serious wear and tear on the fan this way. Been meaning to bump it up a few degrees to see if i can activate the fan as little as possible but not something I get worked up over