1984 Cooling Problems

[chevyaddict]

Hi everyone! Glad to me a member of such a great forum! Anyway, my 84 vette is having terrible cooling problems. I cannot even think about running the air conditioning. I have flushed the system but this doesn't help. I also put a new thermostat in it. I have by-passed the cooling fan because I live in sunny southern Arizona and the temps here during the summer are 100+. So, my question is has anyone had this problem and replaced the stock one row radiator with one of the aluminum aftermarket radiators? And if so, did it make a substantial difference? Also, does anyone know if someone makes a higher performance fan motor and/or a better fan to that will fit into the stock brackets and such? Or, any other suggestions would be great.

Also, by reading the forum I see some people run their vettes around 220 and 230 degrees!! This seems totally outrageous to me but is this the norm for these vettes?
Thanks!

 

[TONY TAT2]

My cooling fan dont turn on till 226 deg wich is the norm for my 85.I installed a toggle switch to the fan relay so i can turn the fan on at will if i get stuck in traffic. Also check the front of your radiator,,,a lot of crap accumatulates there,,,& clean out the area with fantastic and a garden hose.Im sure you will get some more replys on this and am sure there are a >lot< of previous posts addressing this problem,,,good luck!!!

 

[jeepie]

The main cause of these cars running hot is the radiator gets all kinds of crap on them. I would remove the radiator and clean out the space and look through the fins to make sure they are straight and not clogged. Even with a clean radiator your car will run kind of hot, which I did not like, so what I did was install a 160 stat and have my chip programmed to turn the fans on at 180 and off at 170. I have not seen my temp gauge go past half way yet, but it is just starting to get real warm here now.
Good luck.

 

[chevyaddict]

Thanks much! Actually, I have by-passed the cooling fan switch so the fan runs all the time. I am shocked that the cars run this hot. We have many other chevies as well as vettes and I get uncomfortable at 190!! Our 81 Vette runs at a nice cool 160 -170 even in the summer.

I think I am going to try Ecklers HD radiator - they say it is a 3 row and will bolt right in.

Has anyone used the new coolant additive that is supposed to reduce temps from 20 - 40 degrees? Ecklers sells it and I have seen it in some auto stores.

 

[boblx2a]

My '85 and my '86 both ran awfully hot in the summer. (and occasionally in the winter!) I have seen the gauge go to 234 before it began falling.
I installed a lower temp fan switch on the '85 and now the high temp never gets above 208. I had planned to also install a 180 degree stat but one of the housing bolts was frozen so I had to forego that. Didn't want to break off a bolt out in the driveway. But that will also be added. Until then the fans stay on a good bit of the time in the summer. The 190 degree stat sees to that. It has also dropped a mile or so off of my gas mileage. Although I am not a gas mileage "freak" I do observe it for performance issues.

I've never seen a C4 that does not run hot. But like you it makes me uncomfortable to be sitting in traffic and see 234 on my temp gauge! Since this worked so well I think I will also add that to the '86.

Good luck with it...............

 

[drcorvette]

Hot C4's

It took me a long time to get used to the electric fan and it has caused me many wrinkles!!!!
Every car I owned in the past had a fan that turned continuously when the engine started until it stopped which kept temp's fairly consistant.
But in hot summer weather 228 - 230 is not uncommon in stop and go city traffic with the C4's. On the highway that is a differant story. Temp usually steady at about 200.
Sitting in traffic and you see the temp creeping up ... you tend to get just a bit nervous. Is the fan going to come on????
One day I might just install an auxilrary (sp) fan on a toggle so I have a backup. Think this would make me feel a lot safer!!!

Gary

 

[Shadowing1985v]

hmm

I have a 85 got both my fans running all the time, and it hit 250 degrees going down the highway last week


i think my car isn't timed right,,and my TPS isn't set right sinc ei moved it in the past (big no no) i have replaced the radator..(its really easy to replace small job) and my water pump. i have a 160 stat. i fixed my over heating when i replaced the water pump. a water pump can go bad even though its not leaking.

all this time it wasn't working well so the pressure built up in it and started working the botls off of it, then it started to leak thats when i changed it.

but my car has alot of problmes.. fixing it as i go,, i think i need injectors,, i replaced the ICM and the ECM ... the icm was the reason i was doing bad on power now im able to reach 135 mph, before coudlnt' go past 110 and took forever to get it up to that

 

[Redbob]

Chevy addict:
You keep saying "fan" singular; do you only have the one fan? If so, dash out and buy the optional extra fan, and install it with a switch. Turn it on when you turn the car on in summer.
Also do the radiator clean-out; remove the radiator from the car, and you're likely to find jackrabbit parts and nests of small rodents.
I know what you're talking about; summer here in North Texas is very nearly as hot as southern Arizona, except 'way more humid.

Or as they say in New Orleans, "It's not the heat, it's the stupidity!"

 

[c4ever]

Chevyaddict,
I'm pretty sure the cross-fire in the 84 has two fans, I know my 82 does. The A/C should kick this second fan on (I think) with the L83 and it should automatically come on at about 130+(+- 5 deg.)In any case running high temps is within factory spec. With A/C in traffic, in So. FL. I'm constantly running 210+. I'm running completely stock with no manual fan switches.

Carlo