C4 Tech/Performance L98 Corvette and LT1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine

Cooling system

Old Aug 12, 2015 | 07:20 PM
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Default Cooling system

I m working on one of my club member's 96..The fans are not coming on
until around 226.The car is also pushing water out of the tank, when hot. I'm buying a system tester tomorrow to check the cooling system. Should the fans come on sooner. My 93 comes on around 200 and stays on until around 185.
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Old Aug 12, 2015 | 07:32 PM
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My 94 factory settings are 228&238 for fans on make sure your cap is good and have all the air out. I just jack up the right rear and let it bubble out.
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Old Aug 12, 2015 | 08:35 PM
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Originally Posted by calvette 11
I m working on one of my club member's 96..The fans are not coming on
until around 226.The car is also pushing water out of the tank, when hot. I'm buying a system tester tomorrow to check the cooling system. Should the fans come on sooner. My 93 comes on around 200 and stays on until around 185.
Someone has reprogrammed your fan settings.
They didn't operate at those temps from the factory.


1996 factory fan settings:
The PCM will command low speed fans ON at
104°C (219°F) and OFF at 98°C (207°F) and, high
speed fans ON at 109°C (228°F) and OFF at 103°C (214°F)

Note: On the '96, both fans run together (either low or high).
Also, Running the A/C will cause the fans to run.



Do some searching around here, and you'll find enough posts on this subject to keep you busy for days.

If you have the proper coolant mix and pressure cap, your coolant won't "Boil" until over 260°F

Your cooling fans will run at a slower speed when they first come on, and then move to a higher speed as the temps reaches approx. 228°F (based on the reading from the digital gauge).

While sitting in stop and go traffic: 217°F - 235°F
Moving at any speed over approx. 40 mph: 190°F - 200°

Here are a few to get you started:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...lant-temp.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...s-too-hot.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ioning-on.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ating-but.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-question.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...r-heating.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-too-high.html

Last edited by RollaMo-LT4; Aug 12, 2015 at 08:39 PM.
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Old Aug 12, 2015 | 08:48 PM
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Default cooling

What would make them not come at 219.they only come on high at 228?


Originally Posted by RollaMo-LT4
Someone has reprogrammed your fan settings.
They didn't operate at those temps from the factory.


1996 factory fan settings:
The PCM will command low speed fans ON at
104°C (219°F) and OFF at 98°C (207°F) and, high
speed fans ON at 109°C (228°F) and OFF at 103°C (214°F)

Note: On the '96, both fans run together (either low or high).
Also, Running the A/C will cause the fans to run.



Do some searching around here, and you'll find enough posts on this subject to keep you busy for days.

If you have the proper coolant mix and pressure cap, your coolant won't "Boil" until over 260°F

Your cooling fans will run at a slower speed when they first come on, and then move to a higher speed as the temps reaches approx. 228°F (based on the reading from the digital gauge).

While sitting in stop and go traffic: 217°F - 235°F
Moving at any speed over approx. 40 mph: 190°F - 200°

Here are a few to get you started:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...lant-temp.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...s-too-hot.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ioning-on.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ating-but.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-question.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...r-heating.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-too-high.html
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Old Aug 13, 2015 | 12:42 AM
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The standard fan settings are 228° and 238°. That is true for all C4s.

If yours come on at different temperatures then the settings have been modified.
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Old Aug 13, 2015 | 10:36 AM
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Originally Posted by calvette 11
What would make them not come at 219.they only come on high at 228?
Most likely would be a bad fan relay for the "low speed" setting.



Originally Posted by Cliff Harris
The standard fan settings are 228° and 238°. That is true for all C4s.
No. The '96 operates differently. RollaMo-LT4 covered it pretty thoroughly.
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Old Aug 13, 2015 | 12:32 PM
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Originally Posted by calvette 11
What would make them not come at 219.they only come on high at 228?
I would suspect that the dash reading and engine readings are not the same and the ECM is turning the fan on at 219 according to the ECM temp sensor, but the dash sensor might be reading 228 degrees.
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Old Aug 13, 2015 | 01:38 PM
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Originally Posted by calvette 11
The car is also pushing water out of the tank, when hot.
Everyone else is addressing the temperature issue pretty well. But about this... it is normal for the system to push coolant from the surge tank (black tank with radiator cap) into the recovery reservoir (white container ahead of passenger front tire). That's why there are two levels on the stick, cool and hot. This pushing and pulling of coolant during heat cycles is very normal in modern engines, and helps to remove air from the system after service.
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Old Aug 13, 2015 | 02:21 PM
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Originally Posted by DGXR
Everyone else is addressing the temperature issue pretty well. But about this... it is normal for the system to push coolant from the surge tank (black tank with radiator cap) into the recovery reservoir (white container ahead of passenger front tire). That's why there are two levels on the stick, cool and hot. This pushing and pulling of coolant during heat cycles is very normal in modern engines, and helps to remove air from the system after service.
No, it's not normal for it to push coolant into the tank where it will fill up and over flow. It will push some coolant into the tank like any other car but usually not above the hot line indicator.

Aside from when the fans come on, the temps seem to be in the normal window. First item I would check or replace is the radiator cap and make sure it is the correct pressure for the car. I believe 15 pounds is the correct pressure cap.
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Old Aug 13, 2015 | 03:28 PM
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Originally Posted by pcolt94
No, it's not normal for it to push coolant into the tank where it will fill up and over flow. It will push some coolant into the tank like any other car but usually not above the hot line indicator.

Aside from when the fans come on, the temps seem to be in the normal window. First item I would check or replace is the radiator cap and make sure it is the correct pressure for the car.


As I mentioned in my reply above:
If you have the proper coolant mix and pressure cap, your coolant won't "Boil" until over 260°F
Of course if the pressure cap isn't operating correctly, the coolant will boil over at a much lower temp.
Plain water will boil at 212°F at sea level.
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Old Aug 13, 2015 | 06:05 PM
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Default cooling

hot vette

Originally Posted by RollaMo-LT4

It is not boiling ,just pushing out.
I blew out to tank lines with air.I discounnected at the tank.I pushed water out of the tank on me. I also connected my scanner to the car the reading were only one degree off. It showed it was coming on at 227

I need to know this should the fans come low speed 212 or 227?

Thanks everyone

96 corvette

.
As I mentioned in my reply above:


Of course if the pressure cap isn't operating correctly, the coolant will boil over at a much lower temp.
Plain water will boil at 212°F at sea level.
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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 12:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Tom400CFI
No. The '96 operates differently. RollaMo-LT4 covered it pretty thoroughly.
OK. My understanding is that both fans turn on in slow mode at 228° and go to fast mode at 238°. Is that not the case?

I recently found out that there is a city in Missouri called Rolla, so Rolla, MO. I thought his name was something like "rolling more" or similar to that...
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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 12:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Cliff Harris
OK. My understanding is that both fans turn on in slow mode at 228° and go to fast mode at 238°. Is that not the case?

I recently found out that there is a city in Missouri called Rolla, so Rolla, MO. I thought his name was something like "rolling more" or similar to that...
IDK the exact temps on the '96, but you're right that the fans have two speeds, unlike earlier models.

I thought the same thing about "Rolla mo"
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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 02:27 PM
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Originally Posted by pcolt94
No, it's not normal for it to push coolant into the tank where it will fill up and over flow.
I didn't see anything about the OPs system overflowing


Originally Posted by pcolt94
It will push some coolant into the tank like any other car but usually not above the hot line indicator.
That's exactly what I was talking about, and the reason why I mentioned the hot and cool marks on the dipstick in the recovery reservoir.

Sometimes I feel like I am not speaking English
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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by DGXR
I didn't see anything about the OPs system overflowing

I took his initial comment as the overflow tank because he said "The car is also pushing water out of the tank, when hot".
Why mention coolant pushes out of the surge tank when its hot because that a given and what should happen (just not excessively).
I may viewed it in my own way.......or is it me.


Sometimes I feel like I am not speaking English
Your not alone. Things get repeated, happens to me to.
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 06:59 PM
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If the coolant is going into the overflow tank and its getting hot at lower temps it is the top had the same problem a $7 fix
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 08:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Cliff Harris

I recently found out that there is a city in Missouri called Rolla, so Rolla, MO. I thought his name was something like "rolling more" or similar to that...
Originally Posted by Tom400CFI

I thought the same thing about "Rolla mo"
You guys finally figured it out?
Yes, I live in Rolla, MO and have a '96 LT4 Corvette

So, RollaMo-LT4


And the temps I posted above for the '96 came right out of the '96 FSM
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