G'day fella's, I'm very new to this forum and just as new to owning my first Corvette. I recently purchaced a 89C4 - (think its a LT1) that has been converted to right hand drive. All work seems to be done fantastically although the engine seems to me like its running real hot. Between 105 - 109c thats around 220f. The guy who did the conversion thinks this is normal - I have never known an engine to run this hot (and I dont think its right).. also my city (Perth- Aus) can have some real hot days at times which also dosn't help the situation. I'd really appreciate some good direction as there aren't too many people to ask over here..

Also does it take some know-how to do a good wheel alignment on the rear end or should any good alignment centre be capable?

This seems to be an awsome site... - Absolutely Ideal!

Thanks in advance

 

The 89 Vette should have the L98 motor. Vettes do run a bit hotter by design, 220*F in traffic is nothing to worry about, but would be a bit warmer than normal for highway speeds. Check for any debris in front of the radiator. Check your alignment shops to see if any of them are familiar with the Corvettes.

This is what an LT1 would look like.

 

Mate your 89 has an L98, 92-96 have LT1

Its abit on the hot side, nothing real serious, but should be a few lower than that. My 87 used to run around 80s in summer.

Have a look between the A/C condensor and the radiator and see if its clean, you might have some junk in there.

Flush the whole cooling system out, put in some decent coolant, i recomend Valvoline GO5 or Castrol coolants, mixed about 50/50 for the Castrol and about 40% coolant will do for the Valvoline.

Anywhere that can do a wheel alignment can do your Corvette, its a straight forward job. You may need specs, so have a look here: http://www.vbandp.com/instructions/h...ruct/align.htm

As for people to ask over here, youve got to know where to find us mate, ill PM you some details soon

Congrats on the new car!!!

 

Congrats on the Vette and no worries on the Temp.

Mine is an '89 L98, it runs about 200-220F (Oil temp runs about the same) depending on traffic and the A/C. Definitely check the Radiator and the A/C for debris this will keep the car hotter than it normally would be.

 

[QUOTE=perthvette;1559318104]G'day fella's, I'm very new to this forum and just as new to owning my first Corvette. I recently purchaced a 89C4 - (think its a LT1) that has been converted to right hand drive. All work seems to be done fantastically although the engine seems to me like its running real hot. Between 105 - 109c thats around 220f. The guy who did the conversion thinks this is normal - I have never known an engine to run this hot (and I dont think its right).. also my city (Perth- Aus) can have some real hot days at times which also dosn't help the situation. I'd really appreciate some good direction as there aren't too many people to ask over here..

Also does it take some know-how to do a good wheel alignment on the rear end or should any good alignment centre be capable?

This seems to be an awsome site... - Absolutely Ideal!

Congrats on the '89, it's one of the best years. 220F isn't too bad. Check to see if you have the B4P option. If so, you have two cooling fans. The main fan comes on around 228F, the aux. fan in front of the radiator cmes on around 238F. If you have the aux. fan it's easy to change out the sensor to make it come on sooner, say 200F. I did that and it helps.

 

perthvette: Gday to you mate! I too have a 89 Vette but the steering wheel on my car is on the LHS . When I first got the car, I noticed the engine ran much hotter than I was used to seeing. I checked the thermostat and found a 195 deg F which is too hot for me. I installed a 180 deg F t'stat and this allowed the car to run much cooler on the highway. However, in city driving, the car computer turns on the main fan at 228 deg F. I installed a manual swith that allows me to bypass the computer and turn on (and turn off) the fan whenever I wish. A tuner friend has changed the ECM (computer) in my car to turn the main fan on at 198 deg F and off at 185 deg F. The manual switch is easy and cheap to install. Please note that the minimum temperature of the car engine will always be as hot as the thermostat rating (except when started and not warmed up). If you need more info on this, post your needs or send me an email.

 

Hey guys - my 85 C-4 runs at 180 degrees on the highway but idling will get up to 260, way too hot for my tastes. The systen was just flushed and a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water added and it BOILs at that temp. The fan comes on when I ground the OBD1 pins A&B but not when the motor gets hot. I ordered a kit that is supposed to make the fan come on at 185. Should get it this week. We'll see if that works.

 

Better hope so Glide, youre risking head gasket failure at that kind of coolant temp mate....

 

Except the statement about the car engine minimum temperature always being as hot as the thermostat rating. That is simply NOT TRUE. People keep repeating that, but that is NOT how it works. The thermostat opens at about the rated temperature but the car coolant temperature can be as much as 30F below that fully warmed up. The thermostat simply closes below the rating. It is simply a valve that controls coolant flow. Changing to a lower rated thermostat won't change things much by itself.

 

Welcome

 

Thanks for the warm welcome fella's, The temp issue is something I will definately check out as per your recomendations but at least I can relax about the issue a touch.. I'm pretty familiar around engines and I've gotta say having my new C4 running at those temps was getting me worried - I can stop 'stopping' on the side of the road and checking that every thing is OK now... Personally I will be more comfortable having it running about 190-200f

A small hassle for me being 16 hours apart on this Forum tho, I need to go to bed and wake up to see whats happening!.. and a huge thanks for clearing up the LT1 with a photo, perfect.

 

Nice Stuff thanks mate, I have found some Ok sites over queensland way, there seems to be some good corvette activity over there. Are you seeing many C6's etc over that way?? There is a shortage of decent cars over here, I found my Vette in Seymour - Victoria, I'm well happy with it, it has been looked after very well, just gone 72 K mikes. I'll check out that site you have mentioned, regards

 

No worries mate There have been a fair amount of C6s converted to right hand drive in QLD, but ive never seen one on the road here yet. Performax International (used to be called Corvette Queensland) was the only place in the country converting them up til recently, can also be done by a mob in NSW as well now. Performax also converts the C6 to right hand drive for export to South Africa too, ive seen loads of them up there, just none on the roads.

I see the odd 1 or 2 C3s and C4s around here, but pretty rarely, i dont think too many of them are used daily like mine is.

 

'89 specs for the main fan is 226 (F), unless the a/c is on. With the a/c on, the ECM will ground the main fan relay when the high pressure switch indicates 220 psi, which is about 120 degrees at the Condensor. If the cooling system is clean and the a/c in decent shape, your coolant temps should be a few degrees cooler with the a/c on. If you want to see if everything is working right you will need a scanner (the non a/c signal is from the Engine Coolant Temp Sensor and not the Temp Sender that is used for the Display) and a Manifold Gage Set to show the High Side Pressure of the a/c system.

The Aux fan spec is 228 degrees. It should rarely if ever come on. A lot of Vettes left the factory without it and cool as well as those that came with it. The Aux fan is independently controlled by a temperature switch and operates independently of the a/c system.

At cruise - steady speed of 40 mph or higher - your coolant temps should be near the thermostat and by design, the fan should be off.

These operating temperatures are no different than anything that's built today (or in the last 20 years) with electronic fuel injection and emission controls. Most US cars don't have a Digital Temp Display and the Toyota Camry I rented in your Country didn't have one either. If you want to confirm it, hook up a scanner to a Holden or something built locally. I've got a feeling you'll find that it's about the same as your Vette.

 

That they are as a rule mate yes. Most of them only have a "C" for the cooler end, and a "H" for the hotter end of the temp gauge too, with no numbers in between.

 

The aux. fan spec on an "89 is 236-238F if you have one. Look at the codes under the center console lid and check against the RPO FAC at the top off the page.

 

I've got an 89 also.

220* is perfectly normal. 210-220 is the standard operating temp for this engine.

If you are worried about hot days (its hot down here in Florida too) then put in a lower temp thermostadt and have it reprogrammed so the fans come on sooner. (I had all this done because it gets crazy hot in the summertime here and ever bit helps)

Just make sure it doesnt go above 240-245, then you have problems.

 

Found the 185 low temp fan switch not compatible with my 180 themostat. The fan would just come on too much. I exchanged it for a 200 switch. Figured that to be a nice happy medium. Thanks to all for helping!

 

I have my fan programmed to come on at 185 and off at 177. I'm also using a 160 degree T-stat. To aid burping the air bubbles out of the cooling system, I drilled (2) 3/64th inch holes on each side of the T-stat flange.

 

Welcome downunder brother. I've got an '84 that runs consistantly at 208. In traffic it can run as high as 230. The fan comes on at that temp and cools it down to around 220. I was concerned as well untill I went to the guys on this forum. Great place to get info.