It's mounted on the left side of of the radiator. About 6 inches in front of the radiator..

 

What is the GVW rating of the cooler????

Sounds like you need at least this Long/Dana 28,000 GVW cooler which is installed on my 2008 Chrysler 300:


Or

40,000 GVW Long Tru Cool max:

http://www.trucool.com/products/tru-cool-max

 

you haven't said if you have the lip extension fitted under the front.
do you have the fan shroud fitted with correct thermo clutch assembly and fan blade spaced properly into the shroud?
do you have the foam / rubber seals around and across the top the fan shroud?

post some pics of your setup.

 

I don't know what it. Darn it.

 

Yes to all of the above. Can't figure it out. A running hot 383. Who knows. It's just probably putting out more power than I thought. I've gotta get it dynoed.

 

If you have everything in place like the front air dam, rad cooling fans, high flow water pump, correct timing, etc., then your aluminium radiator is too small for the heat generated by that 383 or you have a blockage somewhere in the cooling system. But do change out that 160* thermostat for a 180*. You don't want your oil temp too cool i.e. less than 180*.

 

John,

I can totally understand on how your C5 was perfect and you got used to that.

But just consider this....and I am not trying to make excuses or say that you cannot achieve what you are wanting is not possible.

But. Comparing your C5 to this engine not quite the same. Aluminum engine block , heads and plastic intake manifold and design have a lot to do with it as you know. Because if you stop and think about it....could it be possible that when GM was designing the LS engine. That they chose a location in the engine that would give them a place for the temperature sender to be installed to show the coolant temperature that they wanted US to see...that would not allow us all to freak out if it got to... lets say...210 degrees F all the time??? But YET...in actuality...the coolant temps are higher...and they are just tricking us so we do not constantly take the car in for service when nothing is actually wrong with it.

Because as you know GM moved the temperature senders around on the small blocks.

DUB

 

I read through this thread and ended with the same question! It is titled 160 thermostat and then changes to transmission cooling.
I think the OP is chasing problems that do not exist and possibly creating one in the process. Engines running 210-220 on a 90 degree day are fine. No problem at all.
As far as Transmission cooling goes, the ultimate method is the cool/warm method. This involves running the fluid to the air type cooler first, then back through the radiator, and return to the transmission. Air type coolers can actually over cool the fluid (without a bypass) and cause shift problems and damage to the transmission. The cooler inside the radiator was created to do two things....1. warm up the fluid in cold climates, and 2. reduce fluid temperature under heavy loads. Instead of coolers I like to think of them as maintainers. Transmissions like the fluid to be the same temperature all the time, even if that temperature is 230 degrees. Constant temperatures mean constant viscosity and that allows the transmission to shift as designed.
The cool/warm method works the best because the air type removes any excessive heat and the radiator warms it back up so the transmission runs the same all the time. One aftermarket transmission company reported this method reduced their warranty repairs from 10% to almost zero.

 

No,, You ment to say, just probably putting out more HEAT than you thought,, , , All great advice given,, and none of us want to "wast money " ,, so, don't waste your money on dyno, that won't help you get your eng temps down, ,,, unless you realize , your tune is way off, and producing heat,,,, oh well, it's not overheating, , ,get out and enjoy the money you spent on your favorite hobby, ,

 

This is true.

The thermostat is not there to set the upper limit on temperature, it is there to set the LOWER limit on temperature. The thermostat prevents coolant flow to the radiator until the cooling system reaches the lower limit. Thermostat is there to speed up the warm up time and get the fluids up to a minimum operating temp as fast as possible to improve drivability and get the oil up to proper temp to lube the moving parts and drive off any oil contaminants that will need to be vaporized and removed by the PCV system. We want the engine to warm up faster to live longer and run right. Getting to warm faster is better here.

Once a t-stat opens at the minimum set point, the temperature regulating function is handled by other parts of the cooling system. Its work is done.

 

See Dewitt's example above regarding transmission coolers ( and why "maintaining", i.e.constant, temperature is required. These coolers usually have a plate type TS to "maintain" the fluid temperature to ensure proper shifting. Too high or too low a temperature will affect shifting by his example.

The TS sets the operating temperature of the coolant, not just for warm-up, in conjunction with the radiator so it remains near constant for the TS rating because that is what TS's do whether its in a car, your home, oven, freezer, refrigerator etc. They all require a TS to control temperature at a pre-determined set point in conjunction with heat exchanger(s) and pump(s). Without a thermostat, you CANNOT control the temperature of the fluid unless the ambient air/liquid removing the heat remains constant which is impossible for automobilies i.e. ambient air temperature is constantly changing, hence, the requirement for a TS. If the TS is removed, your coolant temperature will be all over the place. In sub-zero temps, the car will never warm up. In hotter temperatures, the car will eventually overheat. Try it!

 

whats your rear end gearing and what speeds are you driving. I have a 327 4spd with 3.70 gears and 165* thermostat. it will stay low on the gauge as long as I'm not doing above 75mph on the highway, then it goes to 195 ish but will stay there, it doesn't overheat, it just runs right near 200*. If I'm in the traffic idling at the beach its also up at 200* due to no airflow. Before I put in the electric fan it would get above 210* above 75 mph and would overheat at the beach, I had to pay attention. Now I can keep up with the mini vans at 80 mph and not worry. Are you just wanting to stay below 200* on the highway or are you seeing that on the side streets/ regular driving

 

I guess that I shouldn't even worry about it. After everything ivI' heard from you guys, it's sounds like it's running normal.
thanks
John.

 

I am having some heating problems too. on a cool day the temp is 200, which is halfway on the gauge. 160 thermostat all rubber seals are in place, open the headlights and the gauge drops to quarter mark. 150. How do I get the car to run this cool in summer.?

 

Do you at least have the small factory chin lip ( spoiler ) installed,, also, do your eng. temps increase when you are stopped? How hot is it getting?

 

can you post a picture of the radiator and support in order to see if you are missing seals?
do you have the stock front spoiler/air dam installed?

 

Yes I have a spoiler installed and the temp will increase when stopped. In hot weather it could go as high as 205 to 210. It also has a 15 psi cap.

 

In 75° temperature with a trans cooler. The temp runs at 170°. The engine coolent runs at 170° . And that's with a 160° thermostat.. as soon as the temp reaches 85-90°, the trans temp goes up to 180°. Now. I've installed a toggle switch on the dash located below the steering column. I can then turn the fan on manually. Which in turn will keep the trans oil at a constant 180°. The engine oil will run at 190°, with the 160° thermostat.