hi i own a 97 camaro which i just got a few days ago. i noticed today that while driving the temp would fluctuate between the second dash on the gauge and the 210 degree (middle) mark on the gauge. i have never seen a temp gauge fluctuate that much during normal driving. just wondering if that is normal or if something is wrong what it could be? also what is a normal driving temp? thanks.

 

Depends what you mean by fluctuate. If it happens over a period of less than 10 minutes or so, then no, it is not normal. Send some more info and maybe flks can give you better advice. How fast does it fluctuate. Under what circumstances, etc.

 

my 96 z does the same thing its nothing to worry about in my opinion it will go up at a stop then go right back down

 

yea it does it in less than 10 minutes. it seems to happen on hot starts after the car has been sitting for a few minutes. it goes down after driving for a few minutes but the first few days it would go to the quarter mark and not move from there. what could cause a problem like this. i noticed the fan belt is worn out and am going to replace that, but that shouldnt cause a problem unless it actually breaks right.

 

change the belt that might help a little but its not a problem mine wont ever go over three quarters sitting there as long as it goes back down its fine if ur really worried get it looked at but i doubt there is a problem

 

If you have a LT1 Camaro, you have no fan belts. The water pump is gear driven and the fans are electric. The only belt is the serpentine belt that drives the alternator and the AC compressor.
The big swing in temp is common. On the highway the temp will rise rapidly until the thermostat opens at around 180-190 deg., and will hold there as long as the car moves at highway speed. In slow traffic the temp will rise until the primary fan or low speed fans (depending on year) kick in at around 220 deg. If the temp continues to rise the secondary fan will come on, or the fans will switch to high speed.

If a low temp thermostat is used without resetting the fans to come on sooner, the temp swing will get worse.

Very important is to get all the air out of the system by using the bleeder screws, otherwise the engine will not get cooled properly.
This site has good procedure for maintaining the cooling system.
http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#radflush