almost overheating
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 110
Likes: 1
From: Auburn NH
almost overheating
last night, when driving home from work, got stuck in traffic. Not the first time but longer than normal. After about half an hour of stop and go traffic the temp gauge got right to the overheating line and I noticed the brakes got real spongy. A couple minutes later the traffic started to move again and the temp guage went down and the brakes went back to normal. Is this something I should worry about or just wait and see if it happens again. After I got home and ate I checked the radiator fluid and brake fluid and everything was fine. 94 LT1 automatic Thanks
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 15,926
Likes: 579
you can always turn your ac on to trigger the fan. Go by your digital temp.
Last edited by antfarmer2; Jun 12, 2015 at 10:15 AM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 110
Likes: 1
From: Auburn NH
Thanks, great idea, I had the ac on so I assumed the fans were on but I never actually checked.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 110
Likes: 1
From: Auburn NH
I cleaned between the radiator last year, i'll check it again. Thanks
Racer
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 277
Likes: 9
From: Clark County Nevada
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 110
Likes: 1
From: Auburn NH
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 110
Likes: 1
From: Auburn NH
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,350
Likes: 322
From: San Antonio Tx
Moisture in the brake fluid will boil and turn into a gas. I lost my brakes completely one time. And they worked good again after it cooled down. Flushed the brakes and never had a problem again.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 110
Likes: 1
From: Auburn NH
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 888
Likes: 4
From: Ridgecrest Ca
Almost doesn't count except for darts, hand grenades, small atom bombs and brain surgery.
Next time you expect to get in to traffic like that you can check the digital temp on the a/c panel. It reads in celcius but you can note it down and do the conversion later. The analog gages aren't very good. The red line on the gage is supposed to be around 250-260F. I'll bet you were no where near that hot.
Next time you expect to get in to traffic like that you can check the digital temp on the a/c panel. It reads in celcius but you can note it down and do the conversion later. The analog gages aren't very good. The red line on the gage is supposed to be around 250-260F. I'll bet you were no where near that hot.
Drifting
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,550
Likes: 324
From: Mid Ohio
My 95's gauges don't read accurately. However the digital readout and what I can measure w/an infrared temp gun do match each other. (t-stat housing, hose, and top of rad (fins)). That and the fan comes on when I see 228 on the digital. So I'm very confident in the digital in my C4.
At 228 when the fans come on my gauge is tickling 260.
Also, I had a rad leak and recently put in a thicker and all aluminum rad that cost me just under $200. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-radiator.html
btw, if your not putting the engine under a big load it can actually run on the hot side as long as you don't cool it down suddenly or run into detonation. As long as the over flow isn't spewing out and there is fluid in the system.. just drive easy and let it get down to normal temps and you'll be fine.
When brake fluid gets hot it will boil and the pedal will get soft. IMO you definitely need to flush the fluid.
At 228 when the fans come on my gauge is tickling 260.
Also, I had a rad leak and recently put in a thicker and all aluminum rad that cost me just under $200. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-radiator.html
btw, if your not putting the engine under a big load it can actually run on the hot side as long as you don't cool it down suddenly or run into detonation. As long as the over flow isn't spewing out and there is fluid in the system.. just drive easy and let it get down to normal temps and you'll be fine.
When brake fluid gets hot it will boil and the pedal will get soft. IMO you definitely need to flush the fluid.
Last edited by wydopnthrtl; Jun 13, 2015 at 10:16 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,082
Likes: 50
From: Palmdale CA
Hard to say just how Hot you got without a digital "Read" you might be just fine!
Cleaning your radiator by vacuuming, may or may not be enough! I removed my stock radiator (when I still had it) and found that A lot of small Debris, bugs, gravel, etc. had become lodged in Both the A/C coil and Radiator fins. This required the Removal of the Radiator in order to give it a good cleaning.
I later replaced the stock (leaking) Radiator with an all Aluminum Radiator, and that helped my Cooling quite a bit. Analog gauge rarely gets above 3/4 and the Digital max's out around 230° in traffic with the A/C turned off. I run Substantially cooler with the A/C turned on.
Cleaning your radiator by vacuuming, may or may not be enough! I removed my stock radiator (when I still had it) and found that A lot of small Debris, bugs, gravel, etc. had become lodged in Both the A/C coil and Radiator fins. This required the Removal of the Radiator in order to give it a good cleaning.
I later replaced the stock (leaking) Radiator with an all Aluminum Radiator, and that helped my Cooling quite a bit. Analog gauge rarely gets above 3/4 and the Digital max's out around 230° in traffic with the A/C turned off. I run Substantially cooler with the A/C turned on.