85 Engine Cooling Question?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 201
Likes: 0
From: Te Kauwhata New Zealand
85 Engine Cooling Question?
Hi All,
This might be a dumb questions, but I would like to get some information, and maybe understand this more fully.
I have a number of Toyota cars, and a few over the past few years, and all of them I have to say the temperature gauge stays pretty much in the same place either driving or still (in town, lights etc).
However when I drive my 85 Vette it goes from the 89-91C while driving right up to 108C, which is when the fans come on.
Is this the sign of a faulty thermostat, poor coolant circulation, in-efficient radiator, or just normal for this type of vehicle???
So I'm interested, and what could I do to improve it?
I am thinking of going to a couple of shows over (our) Summer and there is a slow drive through the town. I have heard that some of the other cars (Hot Rods and Customs) have over-heated. Don't want that happening to me.
Look forward to your comments.
Kevin.
This might be a dumb questions, but I would like to get some information, and maybe understand this more fully.
I have a number of Toyota cars, and a few over the past few years, and all of them I have to say the temperature gauge stays pretty much in the same place either driving or still (in town, lights etc).
However when I drive my 85 Vette it goes from the 89-91C while driving right up to 108C, which is when the fans come on.
Is this the sign of a faulty thermostat, poor coolant circulation, in-efficient radiator, or just normal for this type of vehicle???
So I'm interested, and what could I do to improve it?
I am thinking of going to a couple of shows over (our) Summer and there is a slow drive through the town. I have heard that some of the other cars (Hot Rods and Customs) have over-heated. Don't want that happening to me.
Look forward to your comments.
Kevin.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,556
Likes: 12
Stock the main fan doesn't turn on until 228F (109 C ) which is the normal operating temp for these engine.
Expect to see temps much higher ( 115 C / 240F ) while idling in traffic and a quick drop once you get moving
and have airflow through the radiator
Last edited by vetteoz; Dec 7, 2012 at 07:54 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,796
Likes: 14
From: Nampa Idaho
Perfectly normal
Stock the main fan doesn't turn on until 228F (109 C ) which is the normal operating temp for these engine.
Expect to see temps much higher ( 115 C / 240F ) while idling in traffic and a quick drop once you get moving
and have airflow through the radiator
Stock the main fan doesn't turn on until 228F (109 C ) which is the normal operating temp for these engine.
Expect to see temps much higher ( 115 C / 240F ) while idling in traffic and a quick drop once you get moving
and have airflow through the radiator
Who in the hell uses Celcius temp readings anymore!
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 11,889
Likes: 8
From: Whitefish Falls Ontario
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,745
Likes: 275
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Here in Australia we went metric in the early 70's
was a real head *%$& going imperial to metric but its peachy now
standard my 85 would operate 110-120 c (220-250f or there about in the summer with a/c) 95c-105c winter.
Check if you have the booster fan in front of the a/c condenser that activates via a sensor switch between plugs 6 and 8 at 115 deg c . the ecm will turn on the radiator cooling fan at around 105-110 unless you have a reprogrammed chip or manual controller via water temp. Should have a 195 f thermostat standard around 94 deg c Don't forget the space between a/c condenser and radiator likes to fill with leaves so check its clean and fit a mesh screen to stop the vette cleaning leaves from the road.
Last edited by gerardvg; Dec 7, 2012 at 10:27 PM. Reason: more info
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 201
Likes: 0
From: Te Kauwhata New Zealand
Thanks for the points.
I will take the car down to the local garage on Tuesday and put it over the pit and check for leaves. Didn't see any there when I had it up on blocks awhile ago, but in saying that I did not look between the radiator and A/C condenser.
And likewise NZ changed to Metric in the late 60's (think it was 67) but not too much of a problem back then, I was still in my early days at school (6), so was taught them as normal.
Regards and thanks to all for your responces.
US will catch up with the rest of the world one day. (Only kidding, I have a good mate in Idaho Falls area that I give heaps to all the time. Will be up that way July next year for your northern summer.)
I will take the car down to the local garage on Tuesday and put it over the pit and check for leaves. Didn't see any there when I had it up on blocks awhile ago, but in saying that I did not look between the radiator and A/C condenser.
And likewise NZ changed to Metric in the late 60's (think it was 67) but not too much of a problem back then, I was still in my early days at school (6), so was taught them as normal.
Regards and thanks to all for your responces.
US will catch up with the rest of the world one day. (Only kidding, I have a good mate in Idaho Falls area that I give heaps to all the time. Will be up that way July next year for your northern summer.)
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,556
Likes: 12
Better question would be who uses Fahrenheit any more?
To overseas owners ;
when posting on this forum ,please convert to imperial numbers to help out the last holdouts
of non metric measurements in the world
or direct them here
http://www.onlineconversion.com/temperature.htm
FWIW ,
all the bolts in our cars are metric except for the carry over bolts on the engine block and GM saw the wisdom
way back then for a Met / Imp changeover switch for the gauges
To overseas owners ;
when posting on this forum ,please convert to imperial numbers to help out the last holdouts
of non metric measurements in the world
or direct them here
http://www.onlineconversion.com/temperature.htm
FWIW ,
all the bolts in our cars are metric except for the carry over bolts on the engine block and GM saw the wisdom
way back then for a Met / Imp changeover switch for the gauges
Last edited by vetteoz; Dec 7, 2012 at 11:05 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,745
Likes: 275
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Better question would be who uses Fahrenheit any more?
To overseas owners ;
when posting on this forum ,please convert to imperial numbers to help out the last holdouts
of non metric measurements in the world
or direct them here
http://www.onlineconversion.com/temperature.htm
FWIW ,
all the bolts in our cars are metric except for the carry over bolts on the engine block and GM saw the wisdom
way back then for a Met / Imp changeover switch for the gauges
To overseas owners ;
when posting on this forum ,please convert to imperial numbers to help out the last holdouts
of non metric measurements in the world
or direct them here
http://www.onlineconversion.com/temperature.htm
FWIW ,
all the bolts in our cars are metric except for the carry over bolts on the engine block and GM saw the wisdom
way back then for a Met / Imp changeover switch for the gauges
For some unknown reason be it i was taught at school imperial first then they changed to metric half way thru schooling, it was a real head f%&k.
I like celsius, kmh, but hate the metric pressure i can only really get my head around psi for compression, oil pressure and tire pressure etc.
You guys in the US should try converting your mph into kmh as you drive with older cars that had the mph only, we used to stick small labels where 60,70,80,90,100 and 110 to cope and not get booked
We get booked in Australia for doing as little as 3kmh over the limit, loose license and car if more than 25km over .... they are small numbers in the mph range.
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Race Director
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 11,759
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From: Rolla Missouri
2021 C4 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist
St. Jude Donor '10 thru '25
Probably a good idea to take note of where people are posting from.
As noted, we in the USA are about the only ones still using Fahrenheit.
At least with the abundance of online conversion calculators, it's easy enough to understand the temp they are asking about.
I would have no clue what 109°C was without a converter.
As noted, we in the USA are about the only ones still using Fahrenheit.
At least with the abundance of online conversion calculators, it's easy enough to understand the temp they are asking about.
I would have no clue what 109°C was without a converter.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,213
Likes: 694
From: Clifton Park, NY ............Clearwater, FL ... 85 Original Owner
My car rarely gets over 210 now just by doing this
