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Jun 2, 2010 | 03:20 PM

justin_heat05

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From: Kentucky

Need help badly.....

My 98 vet has always ran about 230 with a/c off. Well my radiator cracked a little bit as i pulled out a little hard. I bought a new 3 core alluminum radiator with aftermarket fans for a 95 model corvette. New one being an inch or two smaller in dimensions but had the same hook ups. Just doing a little remounting work, fits fine.

i hooked up my fans to the original wires and the fans never would kick on. So i hooked up a temporary switch inside to turn them on manually until i figured out what was wrong.

And now, with both fans running all the time on a 3core radiator and new thermostat, my car gets hotter and hotter and doesn't stop. So i shut it off.
The new radiator has a sensor on the right side below the radiator hose? I figure this is just for the older model?

whats the problem?

Jun 2, 2010 | 04:25 PM

dougbfresh

Le Mans Master

Joined: Nov 2005

Posts: 6,993

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Sounds like a MESS, get the correct rad and fans.

Jun 2, 2010 | 04:31 PM

memphis_vette

Melting Slicks

Joined: Apr 2008

Posts: 2,118

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From: Redding CA

you should have bought the correct radiator for your car. but check your thermostat see if it is sticking.

Jun 2, 2010 | 04:32 PM

socalman

Safety Car

Joined: Jun 2009

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From: OC Calif

St. Jude Donor '10

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougbfresh

Sounds like a MESS, get the correct rad and fans.

McGuiver is always hard to diagnose

Jun 2, 2010 | 04:56 PM

killain

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Joined: Aug 1999

Posts: 11,115

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From: SE Pennsylvania

St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26

Oldtimer

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

Have you made certain you have all the air out of the system?

I'm inclined to agree that you should have gotten the correct replacement parts for your car and not just something that sorta almost fits. But you should be able to at least keep the temp in control just ideling if the fans are running and you have the correct pressure cap keeping pressure on the system and the thermostat is operating along with the water pump.

230 degrees with the A/C off seems to me to be a little high, My 2003 with the A/C on and sitting in traffic and the outside temperture is above 80 degrees and my temps are only 210. but why would you replace a 98 Corvette radiator with a 96 model radiator ? Right off you have no idea what the 96 radiator is capable of. Why not just contact 'Tom Dewitts' company and get a Heavy duty alumium radiator made for a 98 LS1 and that along should fix you high heat probel, but also what happened to your electric fans that were on your 98? I'd put the stock fan assembly back on. Hook it up to the regular wiring harness and check for any codes that have been set. They should explain what is the problem with the fans operation.

Last edited by killain; Jun 2, 2010 at 04:59 PM.

Jun 2, 2010 | 05:25 PM

killain

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Joined: Aug 1999

Posts: 11,115

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From: SE Pennsylvania

St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26

Oldtimer

Quote:

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7

OP said the radiator was "an inch or two smaller. Very unlikely the original fans and shroud would mount closely enough to the 95 model radiator to draw air through the radiator suffuiciently to cool it. I'd be more concerned that the fans are wired so they are drawing air through rather than spinning in the wrong direction trying to push air from the engine compartment. with fan blades not designed to be pushers. As far as codes, except for P1258, there will be no difference whether he has the correct fans connected or no fans at all.

Last time I looked through the codes there was no subsystem for the fans or radiator that contained any codes............

Yeah you got a good point there. I was trying to advise him to 1. Get the right radiator from Dewitts, and 2. reinstall the original fans. If there wasn't anything wrong with the stock fan assembly then it should work fine. But that's assuming that all the temperture sensors are working and the system has been bleed of all the air. I really don't think the thermostate is bad, but he could always install a 160 or 180 degree thermostate and that would also help in getting the temperture down. I'm assuming he's using fresh DexCool and clean drinkable water mix ?

Jun 3, 2010 | 12:28 AM

justin_heat05

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From: Kentucky

Quote:

Originally Posted by killain

this radiator was half the price of the dewitts one. Its all alluminum and a 3core. At the time i had to buy a compressor, accumulator, and radiator to be drivable in hot weather at one time, so price was a major factor. And a radiator is a radiator as long as it hooks up right.....Same exact hookups just dimensions an inch or two different..........I think i may have a water pump problem.........it has been bled and the fans are blowing the right direction.