Coolant temp question..
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 9,464
Likes: 1
From: Modesto CA
Coolant temp question..
Well..it's getting hot here. Today it was 110º with probably NO humidity. (Like..40% or something) and I was driving my car around with the A/C on full blast and the coolant temp was hovering around 210º...even on the freeway doing 65mph, it only got down to 185º. Is this normal? My setup is as follows: (other than stock 87 "B4P" Dual Fans)
1 bottle of Water Wetter
Brand new radiator (cleaned out the cavity GOOD)
160º High Flow Thermostat
191º/181º Aux Fan Switch wired in to control the main fan aswell.
Is 215º(normal stop&go traffic)/185º(freeway) a good temp for a 110º day? It was funny, cuz tonight, at 1am, it was 80º outside, and on the freeway my car was 165º, and in stop&go traffic it was 175º-190º. I usually base my cars coolant temp on the outside temp + 100º. (It's usually pretty accurate too!)
1 bottle of Water Wetter
Brand new radiator (cleaned out the cavity GOOD)
160º High Flow Thermostat
191º/181º Aux Fan Switch wired in to control the main fan aswell.
Is 215º(normal stop&go traffic)/185º(freeway) a good temp for a 110º day? It was funny, cuz tonight, at 1am, it was 80º outside, and on the freeway my car was 165º, and in stop&go traffic it was 175º-190º. I usually base my cars coolant temp on the outside temp + 100º. (It's usually pretty accurate too!)
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 5,419
Likes: 0
From: Are you the bug or are you the windshield.....
Re: Coolant temp question.. (TIMSPEED)
That is really good..... Wish I could get mine that low....... At 102, my temps in traffic are about 222 - 230 while stopped, but down to 207 while moving..... That is with a 195 degree thermostat......
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Re: Coolant temp question.. (TIMSPEED)
Your temps are normal. A 160 thermostat DOES NOT force your engine to run at 160. It could if the radiator were bigger, but GM intended for the engine to operate at 195 (early C4's) or 180 (later C4's) and they installed a radiator to just allow this. It would help your temperature if you had a higher flow water pump, I installed a Stewart in my 87 (with a 195 stat) and now with mid 90 temps, my engine at a stop light (with the fan forced on with a manual switch) runs 200 F and cools down to 195 when I get underway. Your 160 stat is doing the EXACT same thing that the factory stat would do, and that is stay wide open!!!
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
Likes: 304
From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: Coolant temp question.. (TIMSPEED)
With my 160 stat temp usually goes to about 175 crusin on a hot day. Copla nights ago while in Hoboken, NJ for 1/2hr in 90+ temps my coolant went to over 200deg with the A/C on.
So I learned that the hot air from the A/C condensor has a major effect on coolant temp since it's in front of the radiator.
Of course I have both fans wired to come on at 165deg.
So I learned that the hot air from the A/C condensor has a major effect on coolant temp since it's in front of the radiator.
Of course I have both fans wired to come on at 165deg.
