vettefan84

i know i.m late here but how much cost to tune cooling fans? I.m.planing to change the therm and i know i have to tune fans how much is it?

Dcollins3208

Vettefan, most tuning shops would use hp tuners or something similar to do this. Your car would essentially cost them 2 credits, or $100, to be able to program your car assuming they do not buy in bulk... Factor in markup and you're looking at a few hundred to only change fan settings. Your best bet would probably be to find a local member with Hp tuners that might help you out

vettefan84

Thanks a lot for answering me dcollins yes i was thinking about that to find somebody with this tool and save some money,,,although if is that the price is no so expensive 100$ sounds good...thanks one more time

Evil-Twin

No one ever talks about the negatives of running your car at 160F. on a cold night where ambient temps are 20F... running an LSX with a 160 stat on a 20F night will insure runing the engine at 160 F and coolant at 180.... drive a long distance , highway miles.. and you will put a few nails in the coffin of that LSX. 160 F coolant and 180 F oil are way outside the operating temperatures of the design... running a 160 stat in cold weather is a killer... tuners never tell you that though.... Like I've said a hundred times on this forum.. " EVERYTHING " is a trade off

If a 160 stat was beneficial 24/7 365... we would have put one in the car....

tuners get paid for giving you more HP.. they do that in part by advancing the timing... that's is done by lowering the operating temperature. we bult the LS1 as the first 200,000 mile bench marked V8 engine in the world. WE did tha by running the engine design hotter, not colder.

Everything is a trade off... want a little more power.. go cold but it will cost you in engine life.

vettefan84

Thanks evil ...good to know that yes i know ls engine was created to run hot..i was so scare first time i saw my vette at 225 ° ...and when temp took 235 fans started to work i was almost at heart attack...my last car before my c5 was a 2001 camaro and never saw that temp before ...of course vette are different they run hot...a friend of mine vette owner also told me that is more than normal a vette over 220 degrees....i think i.m gonna keep my stock thermostat 180° thanks one more time,,regards

3boystoys

Best idea

Evil-Twin

Someone in this thread ( Rebel 1 ) used my name and said I have A 160 stat in my car... but he failed to say that I take it out in the fall and install the stock stat for the winter, and return the fans to stock settings..( its in the Link )then in the spring re-install the 160....and adjust the fans settings.
I haven't switched stats in about 3 years because the stock stat and fan settings do the job and I don't need more advance. Even though it takes me less then 5 minutes to swap out stats, little coolant lost. I have better things to do with that 5 minutes.

Rebel 1

I didn't fail to say anything. Fact remains E-T says he used a 160 stat.
I posted the LINK. People can read it for themselves.
This is what E-T wrote. I don't see anything about "return the fans to stock settings".:

Default Re: Thermostat Change (G-lock)
First thing you do with a new stat is to test it.. pot of water, a meat thermometer and the stat.. Note when the stat starts to open... many people buy 170 stats and find that they dont open until they reach 190.... the Hypertech stats made in germany seem to be the best,,,if it says 170 its usually a 170... I went through two 160 stats that opened at 190..before I got a hypertech that opened at 160... always test a stat.. I think some suppliers...repackage their 190s into 170 and 160 boxes...there have been just too many stats problems posted here over the last three years to trust in what the box says...

I change my stat twice a year,...I lose less than a pint of coolant... it takes less than five minutes....the actual stat transfer takes a few second.. that is the only time the coolant leaks...
I just changed to my 160 stat today... its a piece of cake..
with a cold engine, have the new stat ready sitting on the battery with some silicone grease to keep the "O" ring in place...have some anti seize compound ready also..
1) slide the radiator hose clamp up the hose about 6 inches..then remove the hose and stuff it under the radiator overflow hose... ( about an inch in diameter..) pull it up higher than the radiator.. and no coolant will leak out
2) remove the lower housing bolt completely... Note that with a cold engine the stat valve will be close and you will not lose any coolant.. apply a little anti seize to the thread
3) there is no pressure in the cooling system at this point..
here comes the trick.....with a little pressure on the housing ( pressing it to the engine with one hand.... remove the upper housing bolt....with a small amount of pressure you will keep the stat tight to the water pump... Now grab the new stat... with one motion remove the old stat and put the new one in place.. using the same pressure.. ( maybe 20 pounds of force ) the only time you lose any coolant is in the stat exchange..
4) now take the bolt with the anti seize on it and put it in the lower housing hole and tighten it slightly.. this will hold the housing in place.. you may lose a little coolant here..
5) put some anti seize on the other bolt and put it in the upper hole.. tighten both bolts to 89 inch pounds... put the radiator hose back on and slide the clamp back...
6) replace the lost coolant
7) start engine, check for leaks.. let it run up to temp... this is a good time to set your fan....
Im running a 160 stat, and have the fans set at 175...
after the stat opens.. you may see a drop in the coolant level, this is were you add more..


[Modified by Evil-Twin, 8:26 PM 5/13/2004]
Evil-Twin is offline Report

Evil-Twin

Please don't post any of my quotes with out a full explanation... you made it seem" in your text " ( Evil Twin uses a 160 stat meaning :that I only use a 160 stat, ( Not everyone is going to read that link ) you resurrected an 11 year old thread and only posted an out of context sentence as If I just use a 160 stat... its people like you that **** the hell out of me.. Give this place a bad reputation...and send people down the wrong path. And you used My name to achieve it. You take a simple concept and add you own twist, and deception.

I posted how the change over works and in subsequent posts over the last 11 years, I made numerous references to my car in my geographical area...its not for everyone.. I've never used a 160 stat year round.. but you made it seem that I did., here is what you actually said

Evil-Twin

Chuck Cow is a tuner, paid to give you HP gains...not to make sure you car will see 200,000 miles... like Ive consistently said for 14 years here... the LS1 was designed to run hot to achieve the 200,000 mile bench mark... Cold will give you more hp but it will cost you in longevity.. if we ( GM Engineering could give you more HP by running colder we would have done that.. The LS1 was an outside the box design achievement... we have many member with 200K , 300 K , and 400 K without replacing anything internal... that will never happen with a 160 stat, in the winter where ambient temps can see temps in the teens. Research my ( GM design ) ( " sweet spot " ) in the design... I've posted it a dozen times over the years here.. the LS1 has a sweet spot for coolant and for oil temp , and I can tell you its not anywhere south of 190.

Rebel 1

Chuck Cow is a great tuner, usually recommends a 160 stat and has many satisfied customers. Yeah you're the engineer. If all what you say is true, then i guess you "put nails in the coffin of your LS1" with your 160 stat. I couldn't care less if my cars don't hit "200K-400K miles". (Got proof of that by the way?) I won't be around to see it. My opinion the stock 187 stat is for emissions and cold weather locales only and not for max power. I have seen nothing to dispute that.

Rob Petyo

I hate when I do this but ... I am running a 185* stat and also running low tens (10.2's), Naturally aspirated. With my 346 Ci, stock bottom motor

I would never take ANYTHING away from COW, he tuned my car in the early years and is probably ranks as one of the best on this forum that I know.. So did a few others.

I understood the LS motor runs most efficient between 181 and 183, again, I am not a mechanic, I leave these big decision up to him ...

3boystoys

Love how t-stats become a jihad. Think I'll trust the guy that helped design and TEST what different t-stats actually do. Plenty of ways to get more power without fooling with the cooling system.

Evil-Twin

The link shows that I put a cold stat in my car ONLY IN THE Summer... why? to keep it in the sweet spot.. when ambient temps can get to 95+... Tuners, are paid to give you HP.. they cheat the design because running colder will give you more HP when combined with some advance.. but as anyone who is mechanically savvy.. EVERYTHIN is a trade OFF... Ask Chuck Cow what running an LSX engine at sustained cold temps ( 20F ambient ), at highway speeds doing 75+ with wind sheer in the sub 0 F temp will do to any engine where oil temp can drop to 160F ( the LSX was NOT designed to run at these temps ). First thing that will go will be the top end with starved off lubricity..( No this wont happen over night, but you are destroying the longevity we designed into this car ) The connecting rod bearings and wrist pins coke next.. You know how I know this ??? we tested 4 engine to 200,000 miles while developing the new oil flow design and the Oil life monitor system, when Dave Hill wanted to build a 200,000 mile engine.. the first V8 ever to achieve this design focus.
There is nothing wrong with getting more HP through a colder engine, if that what you want.. but don't thing it wont cost the guy looking to keep his engine integrity intact..


I constantly say "Be careful who you listen too here"

Evil-Twin

IN this case there is No Jihad.. Jihad is a war.... in this case Rebel 1 enters the war completely unarmed... with no credentials or understanding of how things actually work.... This LSX engine is a million miles from a 265 or a 283 V8... you found in the 1960's. Many people Like this guy come here with Knowledge they gleaned from their grandfather... This C5 is not your grandfathers 1960 Buck Roadmaster.

enoniam

Tact

Vacations are being handed out.

Evil-Twin

If anyone wants to ask me my very educated opinion on operating temps, based on your personal application, you can PM me.. and Ill do my best to help you...

0Chuck CoW

I send thousands of 160 stats all over the world every year. Every state....every country.

Yes, I do slightly change the fan settings from hot to cooler climates and that works for me because I

have frequently tuned all kinda of cars in all kinda of climates and I know how they behave...

How I do it works for me. 2 Gal dex cool in a full system - rest with water.....extra safe in winter... NO PROBLEMS.

You can run the fan too little or too much.... My experience guides me every time..... It works perfectly, and if not....

A simple tune adjustment.

Nobody installs a 160 to make the car run at 160. We hope for 190-200 when hot..... never over 210 in brutal weather,

and sometimes the 170s cold at night in winter.....

If you can't fit into those scenarios..... Sell your house and go somewhere nice...

otherwise...... Millions of stats for 30 years...... all working fine.

I'd trust it.
Chuck CoW

GTJim

Had Chuck tune my car and it has a 160 degree thermostat in it. Best money I've spent to date on the car. It runs beautifully, stays cool in the hot summer weather and I even get better gas mileage if I don't hammer on it. My car is parked for the winter come November so I'm not worried about running it too cool in winter.