thermostat

[89blkvet]

Good morning to all.........I have an 89 very cool vette but it actually runs a little hotter than I would like (220), I would like to put in a lower thermostat and I am wondering if anyone out there has replaced there's and if so, how difficult is it and what needs to be removed to get to it?? Thanks for all the info. And what about wiring the main coolinf fan to run at all times when the enigine is on??

 

[vader86]

I wouldnt wire the fan to be on all the time, you just wear out the motor and at high speeds the fan doesnt help it. Id just wire in a fan switch.

I have a 160 in my 86, remove the intake and TB and remember to burp the system afterwards.

 

[sleepyhead]

What's meant by "burp the system"? (Here's to learning something new today!)

 

[vader86]

burping the system means that you leave the cap off the radiator and let the car get up to thermostat temperature, it opens and any air inside the engine comes out thru the radiator cap

then you fill it up to the top and youre done

 

[89blkvet]

when you say "wire in a fan switch" do you mean a manual one?? and why does my car have 2 fans?? Forgive me if these are lame questions, but I have only had my vette for 3 months. thanks

 

[sleepyhead]

burping the system means that you leave the cap off the radiator and let the car get up to thermostat temperature, it opens and any air inside the engine comes out thru the radiator cap

then you fill it up to the top and youre done

Ah, that makes sense. I guess I just never heard the terminology for it. Thanks for the education!

 

[vader86]

You can wire in one of these fan switches from MidAmerica or Ecklers to make the main fan come on earlier.

You have a 2nd fan in front of the radiator to assist in cooling when the temperature is like 10F over the main fan temperature which is supposed to be 228F.

What you also should do is remove the radiator shroud and clean that little space between the condenser and radiator, it will be full of trash.

The change to a lower stat does help, despite what some people may say. My temperatures were lower with just the 160, by 10-15 degrees at cruise. However, if you stay in town/traffic theyll still get high, so you do want the main fan to come on earlier and this can be done with the switch.

 

[JonM]

Save your money...you don't need the wiring from Mid or Ecklers...Just find your fan rely and run a wire from the green/white striped wire to ground with a toggle switch mounted between the relay and the ground...mount the toggle under the drivers side dash near the hood release.

 

[c4ever]

If you've just had the car a few months I would do a radiator flush and refill with a 70/30 mix for summer driving. You can go back to a 50/50 for winter. Increasing water to antifreeze mix will yield the greatest results IMHO.

Carlo

 

[89blkvet]

the toggle switch sounds like a great idea. I will do that. As well I will more than likely changed the thermostat to a 160 or 180. So it sounds like if the engine runs below 228, the fan on the outside of the radiator will not come on. Thanks to ALL for the valuable input.

 

[caddy]

I have a 94, what exactly should the operating temp be? Or better yet at what temp is it considered starting to "overheat"?
thanks

 

[vader86]

In my opinion, anything over 225F is over heating, especially for AL heads. If it continues to climb to 230-235F then some stuff needs done.

 

[Eagle85C4]

My 85 was running 195-210°..so I decided to replace the thermostat...the one in there was a 180°...I replaced it with a stock 195° stat and guess what...it still runs 195-210. The thermostat only opens at it's set temp to allow for additional cooling from circulating coolant through the radiator. It does not matter what thermostat you run...the engine will still run at design temps. The fans running a bit sooner will help cooling a bit, but the engine will still strive to run at DESIGN temps....

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

in my 89 it ran 215* stock,changed to 160* and had a chip burned(was doing that anyway) so i had the fans on at 180*and of at 160*,the car never got over 190*.by doing this your changing the DESIGN temperature.later,Todd.

 

[Vettelt193]

Eagle, sounds like your cooling system has some problems... A 180 degree stat should make your car run around 185-190, and of course as only as cool as 180.

Everyone also talks about how a lower T-Stat won't make your car run cooler in stop and go traffic... this is only partially true. If you come up to a stoplight with a coolant temp of 185 degrees, instead of 195, you are running 10 degrees cooler from the start, so your car should run a little cooler all the time, unless you are in really slow backed up traffic.

 

[Eagle85C4]

Nope no problem...new stat, new high flow pump...new heavy duty OEM radiator. Complete flush with 50/50 mix of the green stuff....and all new hoses including the oil cooler hoses...completely stock system.