Stats

[jcummings250]

As I was reading through the very productive thread http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38502 , I noticed an opportunity to learn a little something. I didn't want to interrupt that thread, so I started this one... When referring to different thermostats, say "160 stat", does that mean that the thermostat is designed to kick a fan on at 160 degrees. Where you could maybe get a 180, which would kick the fan on at 180??

Thanks for the insight!

 

[EricVonHa]

The Thermostat degree rating refers to the temperature at which the thermostat will open thereby letting coolant flow from the engine block to the radiator. The thermostat is closed prior to that pre-set temperature in order to cause the motor (and oil) to warm up quickly. Somewhere, sometime ago, some internal combustion engine "engineer" (<-- wonder where that term came from? ) determined that efficient combustion occurred when the motor was held fairly far below the boiling point. I'm not aware of gasoline powered cars that have thermostats above 210 degrees but maybe there are some. Most factory issued cars will have thermostats that range from 180-200 degrees. Adding a performance thermostat to lower the opening point of the cooling system will allow the car to run cooler while cruising down the road, but in traffic the fan will still turn on at it's pre-set temp setting. When changing to a lower temp thermostat it should probably be used in conjunction with a modified ECM program for your fans (your car is LT1 based).

On the LT1's there are two separate temperature sensors. I'm not sure which one gives feedback to the ECM. However, one is located directly on the lower face of the waterpump and the other is on the passenger side head between the dipstick and the firewall. The one in the waterpump definitely controls the interior temperature gage.. I've had that one fail and the temperatrue read to infinity.. but the car didn't overheat!

Also, in the LT1 cars the actual turn-on of the fans is ECM controlled. You'd have to get an aftermarket chip in order to get the fans to turn on sooner. In earlier L98 equipped Vettes there was a dry contact switch in the driver's side head that controlled one of the fans. Hope this helps!

 

[jcummings250]

It sure does! Thanks Eric. There's alot to learn, but being an "engineer" myself, I've always thought I really should learn more about "engines".