How hot??

[Robert]

At what temperature will the fan kick on in a 1984 Vette??

I finally had mine out yesterday after all the suspension piddling and I was driving it slow around the barn lot and it got up to 225 and the fan had not kicked on yet.

Scared me a little. I read in the Haynes that an 86 will come at 226, but I was afraid to let it go any higher.

Robert

 

[taegdh]

That's just about right. Remember, with antifreeze and a good radiator cap, the boiling point is up to about 230 to 240.


You can buy switches to activate it manually or a lower temperature switch sensor and that'll do the trick if you're concerned.

 

[Robert]

I got to looking at the temp switch on the side of the block. It is broken. The wire will fit onto it, but the switch has a piece of plastic broken off. I better get a new one.


Robert

 

[vader86]

Main fan should come on at about 228F.

These temperatures will not hurt the car. Regular oil doesnt break down until 250, and I wouldnt let coolant get to 250 either.

 

[vetteboy86]

I dont really care for oil getting that hot, nor do i like my coolant up around 220. Yes I know that is the way GM engineers designed it, however I know how engineers our because I am studying to be one. So I put a cooler thermostat in and have the fans coming on at 175. The car does run cool in cool weather, but not to the point that it doesn't get up to operating temp. Last night the temp was about 55, and was out for a half hour. The oil temp was 188, and the coolant was around 170 or so. I dont drive it hard at these temps however. In the heat of summer it runs hot, but not too hot.


Good luck
Craig

 

[Edmond]

You could also try some Water Wetter to lower the temps quicker when you get moving. I use 2 bottles in my car and I don't see anything over 198 on the hottest days of the summer. My fans come on at 199.

 

[Vettefan87]

A cheaper way to get your temps down is just lean out the mixture of antifreeze. instead of running 50 50 run like 60 40.


Justin

 

[vetteboy86]

I think that is the main principal behind the water wetter. After all you add more liquid that isn't coolant.


Craig

 

[Robert]

I did dome snooping and found that the fan switch on the right side of the block is broken. I cannot be sure if there is a good connection there.


New switch will be installed this afternoon.

 

[brimis]

Sounds about right, 225 or so. The hottest my vette ran was 236. It was a hot summer night at the track. After 2 or 3 runs I noticed the temperature was getting high so I parked the car and sat out a few races. The temperature rarely reaches the 200 mark in my vette. It's an 84 and I drive it easy on the streets and hard at the track.

 

[Robert]

This morning I found out how hot.


I installed a new fan switch and started it up. 219....225......230......231 it kicked on!

whew