I was on the freeway in the Phoenix area this afternoon and all traffic came to a stop and go for 10-15 minutes. I must have been going 3-5 miles max. I noticed my water temp gage starting to go up. It got to 230-234 deg. As soon as I started up again and was going 70-75 the temp came down to 194 deg.

Is this normal?? Outside temp this afternoon is about 75 deg.

What's going to happen in the middle of summer when the temp is 115 deg???

 

Assuming your car is stock, it sounds normal. Get your fans programmed to turn on sooner.
Also check to see if they are coming on at low speed and high speed fan settings.
Also check out all the crud infront of the radiator.

 

Fans programmed? I never knew there was a setting. Where and how would that be done?

 

It's pretty normal because only one fan is working and the car breathes through the bottom of the radiator. The 85 degree metro Phoenix temperatures today equate to well over 100 degree asphalt temperatures. Those temperatures look scary, but the motor was engineered to endure those temperatures.
You have a few choices of tuners in the metro Phoenix area to re-set the fans to come on sooner. I believe you can turn on the a/c to get the second fan to come on. You can turn on the heat to circulate more coolant through the system, but the real issue is air flow.
You should check to make sure there is no debris blocking your radiator as well. As long as the temperatures dropped back down when the car was moving, it's indicative of a "normal" cooling system.

The same thing will happen, so a lower setting of the fans is a good idea.

(Darn...someone is always a faster typist that me)

 

So do I need to go to the dealer to reset the fans or can I do it manually?

 

If you want to do it yourself, you need a handheld programmer like Predator or Hypertech. Or you can go all out and get the tuner software like HP tuners, and LS1edit etc.
Im not sure if they can do it at the dealer with a TechII, or how much this would cost.

 

Being a "bottom breather" means these cars suck like a Hoover. You could easily have a plastic grocery bag or some other trash blocking the intake.

I was driving in stop and go traffic on Tuesday at 4:00 on I10, and I saw my temps go up to around 227. When I was able to start moving again - it dropped down into the high 190's (what I would consider normal).

As far as adjusting the fans - places like Xtreme Motorsports in Tempe or Arizona Power & Sound also in Tempe should be able to make the adjustments for you easily and without the hassle of a dealership, not to mention the expense. Both of these vendors are Supporting Vendors and Tuners, and both will take good care of you. Mention that you heard their names on the Corvette Forum.

 

Actually, both fans are either off or on. When they are on they have either a low or high speed setting. If your AC is off, the fans stay off until 226 F. With no fans on and no airflow in stop and go traffic, your temps will get up to 226 even in very cool temps. At 226, the fans come on low, and if it is cool out, the temps will stabilize. If it is warm, or you have done mods to significantly increase HP (stroker or supercharger,) the temps will keep increasing. High speed fans will come on at 235. Unless something is wrong with your cooling system, even in an AZ summer, your temps should go down at this point. The fans switch back to low at 226 and then off at 209. If your AC is on, below 30mph, where you no longer get airflow, the fans come on low, as long as your cooling system has warmed above 165 F. So running your AC in moderate temps can make your car run cooler, as it doesn't wait for the the coolant to get to 226 to turn on the fans.
The temps you see are normal, and the engine is designed to run at those temps. If you can't stand to see the coolant that hot, then the suggestions above for resetting your temps are good. Don't take it to a dealer. Very few dealers will do anything to the computer, other than flash an updated program on your PCM.

 

wow...this was very educational. Thanks everone for responding...

 

I've got a Hypertech, and in the summertime I re-program my fans to turn on sooner. Very nice piece of equipment!

 

Your temps are about right for stop and go traffic. Wouldn't be worried about it at all.