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Coolant temps down south

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CLABORN1960

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I have read several posts re: coolant temperatures and what they should be, however I have not seen one about temperatures in warm/hot climates. I am in Alabama and for the last few weeks the temperature has been in the mid 90s, and I noticed that my coolant temperature when at a standstill reaches the 240 to 250 range. It goes back down to around 200-220 when driving during these hot days. When the outside temperature is below 90 degrees, the coolant temp at idle stays around 230-240..... Is this normal??

Thanks for your feedback.......
 
Here are a couple of questions to start off with...

1) are you using the digital coolant readout, or the anaolog readout?

2) A/C on or off?

3)do a quick check of your fans... turn on the car, A/C On, open the hood... Are Both fans running?

4) those temps are too hot, I live in FL, and mine doesn't get that high, but, if a fan is broken and your A/C is on, it will get that high... write back and let us know
 
The fans come on when they should, and I am using the digital readout, I can't really tell with the analog where the temp is at, other than real hot........ The temp is like that with the A/C on or off.... when the A/C is on both fans run.......
 
the coolent temp should never really go higher than 230 degrees. The fans should come on around 227-228. Sometimes mine will spike to 230 before the fans get control of the situation. I would say your situation is to high.
 
This means you have a problem... Start off with a cooling system flush... If you need istructions, there is an easy way to do it that I can provide you.... We have had some discussion on cooling in this forum, there is a good thread called "summer cooling" read it here: http://corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14881&highlight=summer+cooling

I would try to do a flush.. when you refill, use a 80% water, 20% coolant mix... this has worked better for me. Also check under your waterpump.... there is a small hole... if there is coolant coming out of the hole, the waterpump is toast.... Another good idea is a thermostat... you can go with a 160 degree stat, which won't help your temperatures while sitting still, but if your car runs cooler while you are moving, it will take longer for the car to heat up that much at a stoplight.
 
Also you may need to clean and flush the front of the radiator. Look under the front bumper and look high all kinds of crap can get stuck up there.
 
;stupid

When i pulled the radiator on my '87, it was like a garbage dump... plastic shopping bags, dirt, grime, paper... you name it, it was stuck in there... half the battle is just keeping the thing clean on the outside... on your '93, there is an access hole on the passenger side... check it out with a flashlight
 
Okay I will do a radiator flush..... I should add that I am using the orange stuff.... Is the green stuff better??
 
I have not had good experience with the orange stuff, besides that it stays clean... I know my '93, with the green stuff, ran much cooler
 
Well no one answered the orginal question.

My 94 runs between 197 and about 205 degrees on the digital. This is in Florida when its 92 out and with the A/C blasting away.

I know my system was flushed and the radiator replaced by the last owner.

I don't know what temp therm is in it.
 
With the A/C on mine runs between 215 and 220 in stop and go traffic in 90+ degree days. With the A/C off, reads 230 until fans kick on then 220-225 in stop and go traffic. 240 is a bit high. Definitely flush the cooling system and clean out the front side of the radiator. You wouldn't believe how much trash these cars pick up.
 
Well here is my 2 cents worth, First off ,manual fan control would be a great addition, 160 degree stat, coolant flush,if ya want a great easy way to flush, email me , kgiorgi@lvcm.com, i have a flush procedure that is easy and not messy at all,When ya do refill, always remember Water has the best heat dispurtion over any antifreeze, granted if you live in a climate that is cold in the winter and you intend to drive or store the car you will need some anti freeze in the system, but if you live in a climate like i live in Las Vegas, Water is King, along with the addition of water Wetter by Red Oil products, you can find it at most dealership parts counters, I have done all of the above procedures and I Honestly run between 170-180 in the Desert heat of 110 in traffic, I do believe it did creep up above 180 once,but I have been very pleased withthe outcom, I guess the condition of the radiator comes into affect somewhat also, but I only have 26k miles on my ride so I would presume it has limited sludge build up.Hope this helps a bit , good luck and Happt motoring.:beer
 
Sorry! Excuse my poor abnormal spelling,friggin Broken fingas are a pain in tha arse,LOL.:beer
 
I live in Southern California and upon buying my 93 RRR I noticed that she ran as hot (up to 240-250) as yours in traffic on hot (100 degree) days. Obviously, this is not good. I found that the radiator had severely restricted flow. I removed it and had it rotted and had the fins straightened. After putting it back in - I installed a 180 degree stat and Doug Rippie high performance chip (which starts the fans at 195). Now I can drive through the mountains on a 100 degree day with the A/C on and I can't get it above 210 degrees (thankfully). Typically, she'll stay around 190-195 just cruisin around all day in the heat.
 
Here in west tennessee, mine runs around 215-225 when in rush hour traffic( you know - like 30 minutes to go 1/4 mile) but once you can get out front into clean air, even if still in some traffic, it usually runs around 195. Mine has the 160 thermostat, a fan switch that comes on at 200 and off at 185. Our temps have been in the mid to upper 90's. The heat index has been over 100 on many occasions. I have the green stuff in mine, but have been considering that "wetter than wet"( I think thats what its called) Since I didnt know how it would react (the computer) with the 160 thermo, I put a hypertech chip in that was designed for use with a 160 thermostat, believe it was called a thermomaster or something like that. Hope this helps. 240-250 seems really hot to me. Mine would run in the 200's all the time during the day in traffic, and 230-235 in rush hour traffic before I made the changes. I'm still not satisfied with the temps now, wanting to go cooler.
 
Okay here is the latest....... After reading all the posts yesterday I paid close attention to the temp on the commute home (38 miles). The outside temp was 98 degrees. I had the A/C on and the coolant temp was 210-215 during the highway drive. When I got into town the coolant temp went up to 228. I turned off the A/C and both fans continued to run. The temp hovered between 215 and 225 until I got home (stop and go traffic). The wrinkle during this trip was after I turned the A/C off (the coolant temp peaked at 228) the car stumbled (like when you have put bad gas in the tank) and jerked the last mile to my house.

The coolant temp was about 220 and I let the car idle. One fan was running and when the temp got to 227 the other fan kicked on. I drove around the block and it still did the jerking stumbling thing.......I returned to the house, turned it off. A couple of hours later, I started it and drove it and no problem with it.

This mornings commute took place with no problems. It was a cool 72 degrees outside and the coolant temp stayed at 198 until I got into the stop and go traffic where it went up to 210.

What do you all think? I will flush the radiator this weekend, and go with the green stuff..... but what is with the jerking, stumbling thing? Bad gas? or fuel too hot?
 
Sounds like the opti spark is about to die on you... did you check the waterpump for leaks???

Here is the common LT1 problem, especially bad on 92-93 when the opti-spark did not have vac. lines hooked up to it:

The opti is under and behind the waterpump... opti doesn't like getting wet... so the waterpump starts to leak, and poof.. you have a bad opti because it sucks in the leaking coolant... The opti spark controls timing, so when your engine got really hot, it didn't retard the timing like it should have, so your engine was running like it was built by ford (LOL)... My guess is you are in need of a coolant flush, new waterpump, and new opti-spark module....

I would put money on water coming out of the small hole under your water pump..... I would flush the coolant first, then replace the waterpump and opti while there is just water in the system... you don't want all that junk running through the new pump if you don't have to.... while you are putting the new pump on, you may as well change to a 160 degree stat as well, since it requires no extra work.
 
I had to jump in here just to try to help you prevent possible problems later down the road.

1st - You said you are using the "orange stuff" referring to the type coolant, THAT is the correct color, it should be the "Silicate/Phosphate Free" coolant. Use only silicate/phosphate free coolant in aluminum systems otherwise you will experiencea higher rate of corrosion, even if you change it every season. The "green stuff" from GM or other aftermarket products is not phosphate free. The extended life anti-freeze from Texaco Havaline is one that has the GM Dex-cool specs, as well as the Prestone extended life 5 year /100,000 mile antifreeze. There are probably others too, but those two happen to be what I have.

2nd - Somebody mentioned a possible leak from the input shaft on the water pump leaking and getting into the opti-spark. This is quite possible, and could over time reduce the level of the coolant. This in turn can cause increased temps. Once the coolant is low, this allows air to be introduced into the system. The reverse flow cooling systems on the Gen II engines don't like air in the systems, it hampers the flow with air/steam pockets. Check the level, and bleed the system per the owners manual. See if it helps.

3rd - If #2 above is happening, then there's a good chance that the opti-spark is retaining moisture inside the rotor cap, and optical eye components. This will cause skipping, misfiring, and/or cross firing of one, two or more cylinders. This can create higher than normal temps in the exhaust gases affecting the oxygen sensors, and the cats. This is not good, it can cause premature failure of either or both, leading to expensive replacement down the road.

4th - It goes without saying, (but I'll say it anyway) to check the front of the radiator. Actually what you will be checking is really the front of the A/C condensor, the radiator is behind this, but the priciple is the same, don't allow the airflow to become restricted. I found that the newer Corvettes are capable of retaining a large percentage of their cooling ability even when over 50% obstructed. But the less obstructed the better. Plus, it's a good idea to "reverse flush" from the back side of the radiator once or twice a year just to remove road dust and other material that is small enough to get into the fins around the radiator tubes. This not only reduces air flow, but actually acts as an insulator to reduce the heat exchange to the air.

5th - Finally, double check your cooling fans. I had one pick up a plastic bag, it was wound around the shaft between the fan motor, and the fan itself. But because it was dirty from road grime, it wasn't apparent until I noticed the fan speed was slower than the other fan. It actually was partially melted from the frictional heat of fan rotation. That motor eventually burned out and I had to replace it.
Good luck, and I hope this provides some insite for you to use and solve your problems.
vettepilot

PS: Temps during the summer months here in lower AL are often at or above 100 deg, my 93 with the factory 180 deg thermostat was usually 195 deg on open roads, up to 210 sitting in traffic if the fans were kicking on with the A/C. When my cooling fan died the temps wer OK driving, but were jumping up to the 240 range after only 5 minutes sitting in traffic.
 
vettepilot said:
I had to jump in here just to try to help you prevent possible problems later down the road.

1st - You said you are using the "orange stuff" referring to the type coolant, THAT is the correct color, it should be the "Silicate/Phosphate Free" coolant. Use only silicate/phosphate free coolant in aluminum systems otherwise you will experiencea higher rate of corrosion, even if you change it every season. The "green stuff" from GM or other aftermarket products is not phosphate free. The extended life anti-freeze from Texaco Havaline is one that has the GM Dex-cool specs, as well as the Prestone extended life 5 year /100,000 mile antifreeze. There are probably others too, but those two happen to be what I have.


Corvettes were not factory filled with the orange Dex Cool coolant until 1996. This car is a 1993, which came from the factory with the regular green coolant
 

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