Radiator Stuff.....
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 815
Likes: 192
From: Massillon, OH
Radiator Stuff.....
Took the Vette out last week when it was nice and after I parked it I saw a pretty big puddle of dexcool dripping in front of the front drivers side wheel. Didnt want to even address it at the time, so I washed it, polished it, and threw her back in the garage so I could deal with it come spring.
Well, I couldnt wait until spring......Took off the air intake and radiator shroud today and started her up to see where the leak was coming from. It got up to about 185ish and the thermostat opened, showing a hairline crack right above the upper radiator hose where coolant was escaping. I let it get totally cold, prepped the area, and used plastic epoxy to seal it (not going to spend $200.00 and my time to fix something that can hopefully be fixed by a $6.00 intervention.) It is no longer leaking...But, when I started it up and let it idle, the fans would not turn on unless I turned the AC on. Should the fans have turned on before 225 degrees or am I just crazy? The leak soaked up alot of coolant so before I started it I refilled the overflow tank and accidentally put too much in. Going to check it in the morning to see what the level is at but my main questions are:
1) At what temp should the fans kick on?
2) I shouldnt have to bleed the system, correct? (Coolant looks good, not rusty or anything else that would indicate a need for a flush.)
3)I have never seen my LS1 go over 220 degrees. Was I just not paying attention previously?
As always, thanks for any input/help ahead of time.
Well, I couldnt wait until spring......Took off the air intake and radiator shroud today and started her up to see where the leak was coming from. It got up to about 185ish and the thermostat opened, showing a hairline crack right above the upper radiator hose where coolant was escaping. I let it get totally cold, prepped the area, and used plastic epoxy to seal it (not going to spend $200.00 and my time to fix something that can hopefully be fixed by a $6.00 intervention.) It is no longer leaking...But, when I started it up and let it idle, the fans would not turn on unless I turned the AC on. Should the fans have turned on before 225 degrees or am I just crazy? The leak soaked up alot of coolant so before I started it I refilled the overflow tank and accidentally put too much in. Going to check it in the morning to see what the level is at but my main questions are:
1) At what temp should the fans kick on?
2) I shouldnt have to bleed the system, correct? (Coolant looks good, not rusty or anything else that would indicate a need for a flush.)
3)I have never seen my LS1 go over 220 degrees. Was I just not paying attention previously?
As always, thanks for any input/help ahead of time.
Race Director
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 14,136
Likes: 2,984
From: Iowa
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
From another thread:
Factory temp settings are low speed on at 226 degrees and off at 219 degrees. High speed on at 235 degrees and revert to low speed at 226 degrees. As stated both fans run at low speed and high speed and fans are commanded off by the PCM when the vehicle speed exceeds 35mph.
You can force low speed operation at 185 degrees by turning on the AC. High speed operation with AC on is still 235 degrees.
You can force low speed operation at 185 degrees by turning on the AC. High speed operation with AC on is still 235 degrees.
