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Tempature

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nickjgj

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Here we go again I am trying to find out what the operating tempature should be for an 87 with a 180* thermostat in it and an ambient tempature about 76 degrees mine gets up to 250* with the air on I know the owners manual says 255 is overheating so I shut it down at 250. But what should it run at? I am still trying to figure out what is wrong I just got the car and it has been sitting for the last 5 years I changed the thermostat and flushed the radiator also blew out the radiator fins with compressed air this car is turning into a real project can't wait to drive it.
 
What does the coolant water look like now after the flush? Is it rusty? Any air leaks in the cooling system? Run the engine. Pull the radiator cap and look to see if you have bubbles in the coolant water? You don't need to have the engine warm for this. Bubbles are caused mostly by a head gasket leak. Sitting for 5 years? An accumulation of rust or lime on the inside surfaces of the water jacket will interfere with heat transfer. What do the propeller blades look like in the water pump? They also could be etched away by sitting. The head gasket water openings could close from sitting.... back to lime accumulation. Is the fan belt tight enough? Research a few of these cooling situtations.
 
I hate to assume things, so I'll ask: Are you absolutely certain both cooling fans are running when it overheats?
If not, check the coolant temperature switch; those go frequently.
I personally would suggest putting the fans on manual control if you live in a hot climate, e.g., Houston, Hotlanta, Dallas, etc.
 
New pressure cap? Is thermostat defective?(wouldn't be the first time). Condition of hoses? Collapsed hose could be a possibility.


Carlo
 
hmm

if the car has been sitting for a long period of time
then i bet the water pump is sticking


a water pump that works just a little will hold back water
i found that out my self

your engine shouldn't heat up to 250 degrees

it should never go past 240


and all these guy's on here say its ok if it hits 230. but my car never heats up past 205, so i don't know what the deal is with all of this

and i have to be going like 250 mhp for like 5 minutes then slow down and it will get that hot,,,
i have nothing special on my eninge,,,

most the imte it runs from 185 to 195
but then again my fans are hooked up direct... so thats probably why
 
As regards your relatively low maximum water temperatures: note your geographical location, compare it to that of some other psoters.
There's a direct 1:1 relationship between ambient air temp and engine top water temp.
 
Temp

My 84 doesn't get any hotter than 195. It got to 230 not too long ago and I shut it down...turned out to be a bad relay which didn't let the fan turn on.
My 99 doesn't get any hotter than 195 also, so 250 is way out of range, imho.
--Drew:w
 
I don't care what vehicle it is...

...it should run within 10 degrees of your thermostat, especially in an air temp of only 76 degrees!
What will happen to you in the summer heat! :eek

Something is definitely wrong and it needs to be fixed ASAP.
I don't have a C4, so I could only suggest checking the cheap fixes first (sometimes you luck out!) before delving into the more expensive diagnostics.
Silver

Good luck, I battled a run-hot-summer problem for several years before finally curing it, but I don't think my fix will relate to your vette.
 
yeah

finally others here say the same thing as me

i don't know what the deal with all these people saying there vetts hit 230 degrees

are u people have something wrong with your vett
if it hits that hot, jeeze

even when its 110 out side
sitting still mine never reaches past 195
 
I have one other suggestion, you may need to remove the radiator to really check it for blocked fins. My car came from an area close to the beach in Long Island and my car would run right up to about 230 even at cooler outside temps. I took it apart to clean the radiator and found very little paper and stuff in the shroud, and the radiator looked clean, but when I pulled the radiator out and looked through it was at least 60 percent blocked up with beach sand. Compressed air and even water did not remove the sand, I ended up pushing most of it out with a thin piece of metal. I should have just replaced the radiator but thought they were real expensive, but they are not too bad. I also had my chip reprogrammed to have both the fans come on at 180 and off at 170 and installed a 160 thermostat.
The result is my temp gauge now does not even make it to half way (there are no numbers on 1991 gauge) even in 90 degree outside temps with the air on. So if your car has been run where there is sand I would pull the radiator and make sure all the fins are clear and straight.
Good luck.
 
What a good point!

I'd have never thought sand could be a culprit!
What a "beach" that must have been! :L
Sil
 
Hot vette

Hi guys (and Ladies)
Just wanted to post a thank you for the info.
One thing though I have only 1 fan on mine and it runs constantly.
also I flushed it again and it is so far staying under 230 but it still gets me nervous especially with a 180 stat in it I have a suspicion that the raidtor may be partially blocked I am going to try and power flush it and see what happens I also added some stuff called water wetter to the radiator all this coolant is getting expensive.

Thanks again

Nick G
 
230 still sounds high

:eek: I'll keep a shark lookout to make sure I don't offend anyone with my language! :D
Sil
 
Yes it was a real beach, but that is what winter is for...
 
Try this.......

I have just recently been dealing with hot problems. First I put superflush in there for 200 miles. Then drained, had to install a second fan, take the radiator out, spend four hours with high pressure water, compressed air (back and forth) to clean the debris out of my radiator. (Same for condensor). I already had a 160 thermostat in it so that helped. Then I filled with one can of the pro-blend 40 below and water, wired up both my fans and now the car runs cool (except for when the a/c is on and idling). I feel now that my problem is too much pressure in the a/c system or just a bad a/c clutch and/or compressor. But car runs at a nice cool 185 idling or driving without a/c and it has been consistantly 107 degrees here!!! Try all that - should help.... :t
 
im saying guy's

a bad water pump can hold back water
 
I have been listening!

I looked at all the crapola that has to be removed to replace the water pump and I think (for myself) I will just wait until I need to do that. However, I do appreciate you alerting me to that because I would have never thought that the waterpump could contribute to an overheating problem if the bearings were good! :BOW
 
It's clearly stated in chapter 8, subsection 145-6, paragraph 12, line 376, index 72 of the Hayne's manual.

couldn't resist. sorry. :D
 

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