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Temp gauge was reading 240-250. Replaced T/S, same problem. Replaced water pump, same problem. Only thing I havent replaced is the temp sending unit. Water is circulating, heater and a/c are working fine.
Outside temp sensor was not working and replaced it. Still not working.
Any advice?
First you need to let us know if the temperature was really 250 or if the guage was giving a wrong reading. If your radiator has a bunch of junk in the front airflow through it will be reduced and the car will not cool properly. Determine what the problem really is before replacing everything.
As suggested above, the radiator fins may well be plugged up with crap. These cars are bottom breathers and suck up everything off the road.
Get the front high enough to look up into the opening between the AC condenser and radiator. You will likely find plenty of leaves, sand, pieces of paper etc. Clean out all the big stuff by hand and then use a stream of water from the engine side toward the front of the car to get out all the dirt and sand. Do NOT push the stuff from the front of the car toward the back. That just lodges it tighter into the fins. It may help to remove the 4 bolts that hold the radiator top cover on and remove the top cover. You will need to remove the air filter and air bridge to get the top cover off.
I fabricated a water-wand for cleaning out the debris in there. The parts are nothing more than two adapters and a piece of "1/4 inch copper tubing and all from home depot. It works great for this purpose and I use it twice a year on both the C-5 and C-6
Does anyone know why the water temp. fluctuates so much with Vettes, I've owned 2-C2's., 2-C3's., 1-C4 and currently a C5Z and in every case the temp. could fluctuate from 190-240 degrees. My d/d's mostly imports, the temp. remains constant whether it's 40 or 90 degrees outdoors.
Does anyone know why the water temp. fluctuates so much with Vettes, I've owned 2-C2's., 2-C3's., 1-C4 and currently a C5Z and in very case the temp. could fluctuate from 190-240 degrees. My d/d's mostly imports, the temp. remains constant whether it's 40 or 90 degrees outdoors.
That is why you have such fluctuating temps. With the AC on it enables the primary fan which regulates the temps in the 194-198 range for typical driving. Idling in traffic on a hot summer day, you may see it go up to about 205-208 but the secondary fan kicks on and brings it back down to the 198 range. With AC off then you go to the set values before the fans kick on. Without running to verify the numbers its something like 221 for the first fan and 238 for the second but don't hold me to those numbers (I'm running on little sleep and cannot remember them) the point is you have two ranges when the fans kick on. Running the AC enables the primary for a stabilized temp operation.
Those are °F by the way.
Set your AC on and to the desired cabin temp, warm or cool and you'll see a big improvement of your temps.
Temp gauge was reading 240-250. Replaced T/S, same problem. Replaced water pump, same problem. Only thing I havent replaced is the temp sending unit. Water is circulating, heater and a/c are working fine.
Outside temp sensor was not working and replaced it. Still not working.
Any advice?
Before you continue throwing money at this, you should inspect the area between the AC condenser and radiator. Loosen the air intake duct, disconnect harness to MAP sensor, remove four bolts and lift cover off. Examine with a light between the two, if full of debris remove with compressed air and an appliance brush from home center. Only brush in vertical movements. Blast air from behind while brushing.
Area in between:
appliance brush
idea of what can come out of there flashlight for scale:
That is why you have such fluctuating temps. With the AC on it enables the primary fan which regulates the temps in the 194-198 range for typical driving. Idling in traffic on a hot summer day, you may see it go up to about 205-208 but the secondary fan kicks on and brings it back down to the 198 range. With AC off then you go to the set values before the fans kick on. Without running to verify the numbers its something like 221 for the first fan and 238 for the second but don't hold me to those numbers (I'm running on little sleep and cannot remember them) the point is you have two ranges when the fans kick on. Running the AC enables the primary for a stabilized temp operation.
Those are °F by the way.
Set your AC on and to the desired cabin temp, warm or cool and you'll see a big improvement of your temps.
Thanks for the tip, I'll try that this spring (Car in storage) Do you drive all year with the A/C on? seems like a waste of fuel though. My original point was on my dd's, whether A/C is on or off, whether idling or travelling, differences in outside temp etc., there is very little noticeable fluctuations with the temp. I suppose the rad fan is set to regulate the water temp. more finely, yet I don't hear the fan engage at all on my '08 Civic Si.
Corvette cooling system is different then that of other cars, mainly in the way it takes in fresh air.
Yes I live in FL so it's run 99.9% of the time winter or summer/top up or down. I understand your's must be in hibernation. But even when needing heat, one selects AC on the electronic systems.
Your probably correct, the difference in Corvette air intake makes sense to me. The A/C does operate on the defrost mode on the dd. You probably never use that mode in sunny Florida. Rains a lot here in Vancouver BC. lol
First you need to let us know if the temperature was really 250 or if the guage was giving a wrong reading. If your radiator has a bunch of junk in the front airflow through it will be reduced and the car will not cool properly. Determine what the problem really is before replacing everything.
Cleaned radiator. Not much debris, but enough to warrant a good spraying. Did find what appeared to be some remnants of road kill.
Did replace temp sensor and let car run without heater for 30 min and temp was normal according to temp gauge. Heater and a/c both work ok. Thanks for the advice.
I fabricated a water-wand for cleaning out the debris in there. The parts are nothing more than two adapters and a piece of "1/4 inch copper tubing and all from home depot. It works great for this purpose and I use it twice a year on both the C-5 and C-6
I'd love to see a picture of this setup. I am having the same problems as the OP.