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Considering buying a 93-96 C4 coupe. Have read alot about them, including the cooling system but get the feeling they easily overheat. There doesn't seem to be much of a way air can flow through the radiator or through the engine compartment. I live in hot Texas. Sure would like some opinions on this or any troublesome things about these beautiful cars. Thanks.
Buy the latest year C4, with low miles, you can find and in the best condition. I have a '96 automatic coupe with under 60,000 miles on it and luv it. As long as your radiator system is functional, and the cooling fans activate properly, you should be fine. There are C4 owners here that can help you with some mods for the cooling system, when driving in a hot climate. Stay away from a dark exterior paint, as you know, dark paint will fry bacon & eggs on Texas Summer days.
Considering buying a 93-96 C4 coupe. Have read alot about them, including the cooling system but get the feeling they easily overheat. There doesn't seem to be much of a way air can flow through the radiator or through the engine compartment. I live in hot Texas. Sure would like some opinions on this or any troublesome things about these beautiful cars. Thanks.
They don't overheat unless there is a problem. They are designed to run in the 200 to 230 degree range, which is fine. IMO, the mistake the engineers made was the design of the analog temp gauge. On the gauge 220 or 230 makes the needle point about 3/4 of the way to overheating, which makes people nervous. On my '09 220 points straight up (halfway), so glancing at the gauge "feels" like everything is fine, which it is. Of course, plenty of people disagree.
I bought a 96 LT1 in 2001 from an Acura dealer. The car had a leaking water pump that I soon discovered. Once the pump was taken care of the car ran great. I drove the car to Bowling Green and back a trip of almost 700 miles one way. No problems what so ever. I loved that car and would have no reservations buying another one. It was comfortable and a fun car to drive. It started out as a weekend driver and after a little ole lady totaled my wife's Dodge Caravan at a stop sign I started driving it everyday.
Artic white 96 LT1 coupe with chrome 17x9.5 A-molds
At Beech Bend Dragway.
Properly maintained, the cooling system works just fine. I'm in lower Alabama and don't have overheating problems. Above 40 mph air flow through the radiator is sufficient to cool the engine without the fans. At a traffic light the fans will come on when needed. In the summer I always have the A/C on so both fans are running. I stay in the 190s all the time.
As stated above, the cooling system in the C4 is very adequate. They are designed to run hotter for emissions purposes. However, ots very important to ensure there are no leaves or debris in front of the radiator, as it can easily collect there and in between the radiator and the condenser is another spot that leaves and such like to build up and cause airflow issues.
Ensure you have good coolant, a good water pump, thermostat, drive belt, and hoses, a properly working cooling fan, and you should be fine. I've owned several C4's ranging from 84 to 94 and never had any overheating issues.
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