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The cooling system is very important to your engine's health. All Camaro/Firebird engines are water cooled. Water (coolant), flows through the engine via the water pump. The thermostat controls the flow of coolant through the motor. When the coolant temperature reaches the operating temperature of the thermostat, the coolant will flow through the motor and then to the radiator, which is then cooled via air flowing over the radiator (aka "heat exchanger"), and then flows back into the motor. You always want to have the proper temperature thermostat for your particular vehicle in your particular state. You NEVER want to remove your thermostat. Removing your thermostat causes longer warm up times (not good for colder climates), poor fuel economy, and also causes the coolant to flow too fast through the system reducing the systems efficiency. Fans (mechanical on most 1985 and older vehicles, electrical on most 1986 and newer vehicles) draw air through the radiator. It is important to ensure that you have unobstructed airflow through your radiator for your cooling system to work properly. It is not uncommon to find leaves, plastic bags and other debris between your A/C condensor and radiator, which reduces airflow and increases engine temperatures. The air deflector (lower plastic valence under the radiator support) also plays an important role in the cooling system. Missing, damaged, or even curb/road rashed deflectors cause poor airflow into the radiator, as their purpose is to direct airflow into the radiator. Most cars also have baffling between the bumper cover and radiator to also direct airflow into the radiator.

Your cooling system should have a mix of 50/50 water/antifreeze. Newer motors require GM Dexcool to avoid corrosion. If you have a leak in your cooling system, you should have it fixed immediately. Adding water (instead of antifreeze), dilutes the ideal 50/50 mixture, and reduces the cooling system's protection against rust and also reducing lubrication to the water pump and hose conditioning. It also causes environmental issues with antifreeze leaking into the ground.

You should also never bypass your heater. The heater not only gives you heat in the winter, but it also increases the cooling capacity of the motor, as the heater core and hoses add coolant volume, which is engineered into the entire cooling system.