00'Vette

My Oil temp gets up to around 220 degrees or so when I'm in stop and go traffic. My water temp gets to about 210 maybe 215 in stop and go traffic.

On one or two ocasions I have seen the oil temp get to 230 and my water temp get to 225 or so. This is really scarry to me.

I'm working on changing to the LS1 coolant lines and upgrading my radiator and T-stat.


What do you guys think????

Outsider

I would check your oil and coolant levels, and maybe flush the system. I have just put Royal Purple oil in my engine and it not only made it run cooler, but also quieter and smoother. the throttle response is up too.

00'Vette

Okay.........but whats normal for engine temps? I have heard that these cars were designed to run hot. But how hot are they designed to run.

What kind of temps are all your cars running at?

fdxpilot

The information below applies to an 04, the temps on an 00 are a little different, but not much:

"Factory fan setting for an 04 are as follows:
The low speed cooling fans are commanded on when the coolant temperature reaches 108°C (226°F). They are turned off if the coolant temperature lowers to 104°C (219°F). The high speed cooling fans are commanded on when the coolant temperature reaches 113°C (235°F). they are turned off if the coolant temperature lowers to 108°C (226°F). When the A/C is on and the coolant temperature reaches 85°C (185°F), the low speed cooling fans will be turned on at vehicle speeds less than 56 kPh (35 mph)."

As oil temps typically run at or little above the coolant temp, your car sounds normal for a stock C5. That's one reason we run synthetic oil, the higher operating temps.

briann510

This last weekend while driving in high altitude (4500-6000 feet upgrade in twisties to Virginia city from Reno) outside temps were 85-90 degrees and my oil temp was around 240 driving pretty hard 5-6K rpms and water temps 225-230. Of course the ac was on all this time also. I didnt like the water temp getting to 230 which surprised me it also didnt drop when I slowed down and idling and driving 10-15mph down a street as I thought the fans would have been on high with that high of temp and ac on. Once I got back on the downgrade back to 4500 the temps dropped back down to 194 and stayed there even on the flat stretches going 85 mph.

Tigershark3

Sounds about like mine. 190 water temp on the hwy but in town it goes up quick.

rws.1

Sounds absolutely normal.....

Wicked Weasel

If you want to upgrade for better cooling check out the Dewitts with Oil Cooler.

00'Vette

That makes me feel a bit better.

Still, that kind of temp seems high..........whether or not its supposed to be like that.

I'm going to upgrade my radiator and t-stat just for good measure.

mfrejek

Why upgrade the radiator if there is nothing wrong with it? I'm not sure how familiar you are with fuel injected small block operating temperatures for the last 20 years, but the days of the small block that runs 180-190 degress on the street are over. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

timemender

I tend to worry more about the auto trans temp than the engine oil/coolant, especially at the temps you are reporting.

Service life of an automatic transmission greatly diminishes the higher the temperature.

00'Vette

Well, the cooler the temps the better it is on the motor. Period!

Heat damages engines! I race my car mostly and occasionally drive it to work. I want to ensure the temps stay around 190-200 all the time.

Why would the aftermarket offer upgraded radiators and thermostats if there wasn't a need for them?

VetteDrmr

Sorry, doesn't work that way. Engines are designed to run at a given temperature. Colder than that temperature and friction (and wear) goes up.

You said your engine was only getting hot sitting in traffic. The fans won't come on until the temps get over 226 (IIRC). BTW, a "upgraded" (colder?) t'stat won't help at all in this case: the stock t'stat has been fully open for some time before the coolant got to 226.

If by racing you mean drag racing, then an upgraded radiator is a waste of money. Ditto for autocross. If you are tracking your car (20 minutes at high revs and WOT), that's when you need an upgraded radiator.

BTW, even for autocross I put in an external oil cooler, since I was seeing oil temps pushing 290+. Now I've got those temps under control, BUT I have a 180 degree oil t'stat, plus a cover I put over the cooler when I'm not racing, all to keep the oil temps above 190 (which is the design point for the LSx engines).

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

fdxpilot

Well, the phrase "There's a sucker born every minute" comes to mind. A lower temp thermostat only determines the minimum temp of a warmed up cooling system, i.e. with a 180 deg stat, once warmed up, your system will not drop below about 180. The max temp is determined by radiator capacity and fan settings. There is a need for upgraded radiators, but only when doing something out of the ordinary, like road racing or hi HP applications, like strokers or supercharging. Then, the added cooling capacity is needed. The stock radiator is entirely adequate for the stock car, under almost any condition. Feel free to cool your engine down as far as you want (it's your car,) but the LS1 was designed to run best (with clearances to match) at 190-210 deg. While cooler intake air is good, running a cold engine is not.

00'Vette

Where are you getting your information from. That don't make sense!

I'm not saying your wrong, just asking where your getting this from.

And to your ***** head comment.......... F*CK you!

You don't sound like you know what your talking about anyway. The F-body guys put T-stats on there car's all the time.

If your going to be a ***** and give smart *** comments, go post them in another thread. I don't need your help.


EDIT: I did some more research and asked some of my friends over at LS1tech. Now that I read it, your information makes sense.

I'm not too big to admit when I'm wrong.

I just got pissed at your unecessary comment. I apologize for blowing up!

fdxpilot

Well, if you think about it, it makes sense. At highway speed, you have plenty of cooling airflow. System temps will be at a minimum. With a stock T-stat, when the temp gets down to 190, the stat starts closing, system heats up, and finally stabilizes around 190. Same thing with a 160 stat. The system cools down to 160 (if outside temp and airflow allow it to go that low) the stat starts to close and system stabilizes around 160, hence t-stats determine min temp.

Now you are at a stop, or in slow traffic. Due to lack of airflow (no fans on yet) the system heats up, whether it starts at 160 or 180. When it gets to 226, the fans come on low speed. If the outside temp is low enough, they stabilize there. If it's hot out, or you have mods to your car that increase heat production (Hi HP or SC), the low fans are not enough. Temps keep increasing, At 235, the fans go to High Speed. On a stock car, anywhere short of Death Valley, temps stabilize there or go down until 226, where the fans switch back to low. On a modified car, if temps keep increasing with the fans at high speed, you have exceeded the stock radiator's capacity. Hence, fan settings and radiator capacity determine max temps.

I did not call you names, nor use any disguised profanity.. I just said that anyone who thinks a low temp stat will cure overheating problems is a sucker. Lot's of things are sold for our cars that are near worthless. The fact that they exist doesn't mean they work. As a for instance, GMS Mafs seem to help f-bodies. Here, the experience with them seems to run about 10 to 1 against them, causing problems and losing HP. I came from a string of F-bodies, and know that some of their tricks work on vettes, and some don't.

Since you don't seem to want any opinions or help that contradict your own preciously held beliefs, I'm outta here

GreekPT

Hey FDXPilot......what's the saying.....'never argue with an idiot, sometimes the others won't be able to tell you apart."

00 Vette - I see 300 degree oil temps on the track and that is really SCARRY to me. Actually it's spelled SCARY, but I digress. Mr Pilot knows well of what he speaks. I suggest you go take Autoshop 1A again and then come back and thank him for his accurate input.

Now, where's my dang Dewitts?

00'Vette

Yeah.......he wa correct! I already admit that.

Either way, calling me sucker was an instigation on his part. Whatever..........

I'll just go to LS1tech. I don't like it over here that much anyway.

FrostyZ28

Holy crap, grow some thicker skin.

BobbyG

I have an 04 Z06 and the temps listed above are what I run at...

Consider yourself normal....