Well I searced and my temps seem to be just fine from what I'm reading correct? Mine hits 219-225F till the first fan kicks on then drops to 217 then goes off. This cycle repeats itself if I just let it sit there idling. Now iin stop and go traffic it will sometimes hit 234 untill the secondary fan comes on and when that happens it drops back down again. If I'm on the highway doing about 75/80 the temps will be at the189-193F range so I guess this is normal correct? It seems to me this is a tad bit higher then some of you guys hitting 205-215 on stock settings in stop and go traffic so what gives? Also why do you need a 160 thermo when you reprogram the fans? Why can't you just program the fans to come on sooner with the stock thermostat? Thanks in advance.

 

All of your temperatures are, as you figured out, normal.

The issue of 160 degree thermostats has been beat to death on this forum. I'm on the side that says "waste of money .... you can put in a 10 (or 5 ... or 50) degree thermostat and the coolant temperature will rise to the fan turn on point when stopped in traffic .... which is 226 degrees on a stock Corvette"

Others argue that somehow "magically" a 160 degree thermostat makes the car run cooler .... you can figure out who the idiots are in this arguement ..........

You can re-program the fans to come on sooner ...... I don't see the point (hot engines and cool intake air make the most power), but be aware that the "two" fans are not what you think.

FAN1 is BOTH fans turned on and powered in serial mode, so each gets 6 volts of power and runs in LOW speed mode. FAN2 is BOTH fans powered in parallel, so each gets 12 volts of power and runs in HIGH speed mode.

Last, the Corvette engine is well protected against overheating ..... the PCM is programmed for (look it up in your Owner's Manual under ENGINE) "Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode" ....... you can drain ALL of the coolant out of the engine and still be able to drive it.

 

I know you can't stick a 160 thermo in there and voila your temp go dow like you said. Why would you need one if you can just reprogram your fans though? Why do you have to have a 160 and reprogram? Ohh I experienced the coolant thing yesterday it reduces engine power drastically.

 

If you want to set the fans to run lower than ~190*, you need a lower temp Tstat, or the fans will never shut off, even when moving. The two components will fight each other...the stock Tstat will close off coolant flow to keep the coolant warm enough, while the fans are still trying to cool it down.

That is the one and only reason a lower temp Tstat should be installed.


I have a 160 stat, and my fans are programmed to keep coolant temps between 180-195* at all times.

 

You don't need a 160 degree thermostat .... it does nothing to help (and in your winter temps would make the engine run WAY too cold) keep engine temps down on a hot day. One of those "myths" that some people buy into and no matter how much you try and help them understand how a thermostat works .... they think it is like setting the thermostat on their home A/C system ... "well if I set it for 160 ... that's what the engine runs at" .....

Reprogram your fans if you want .... here's the description of the "stock" fan programming from the service manual .....

The low speed cooling fan is commanded on when the coolant temperature reaches 108°C (226°F). It is turned off if the coolant temperature lowers to 104°C (219°F). The high speed cooling fan is commanded on when the coolant temperature reaches 113°C (235°F). It is turned off if the coolant temperature lowers to 108°C (226°F). When the A/C is on and the coolant temperature reaches 85°C (185°F), the low speed cooling fan will be turned on at vehicle speeds less than 56 kPh (35 mph).

The manual uses the "singular" for the fans .... the two fans (as I posted above) work together in either LOW or HIGH speed mode.

 

Very nice guys thank you for the info much appreciated and learned something new again.

 

A number of years ago I used a HyperTech III programmer to decrease the fan turn on temps on my 97. I left the stock thermo and had the fans set to come on when coolant temps hit 200 degrees. Around town and on a dyno coolant temps stayed at 200 and on the highway they would drop down to 190. However, on the track coolant temp would reach 230 when running at WOT for 20 minutes or more. This was due to insufficient cooling capacity not a thermo problem.

Bill

 

Every summer time on this Forum it never fails. The temps over 90 degrees and guess what the most popular posts and threads are?? Come on take a guess.. Anyone?

 

I've always felt that the 160 degree stat is a waste of time and money. However Evil Twin says he runs a 160 degree stat in the summer.

 

My fans are programmed so both come on low at 178 and high at 187,and I have a Ron Davis radiator. The coolant warms up quickly in cold weather and provides lots of heat from the heater. It runs right at thermostat temperature--about 194--in all weather,including uphill in 90-100 heat. I suggest starting with reprogramming and a bottle of WaterWetter.

 

I have a 170* thermostat
Fan one on at 178*
Fan one off at 170*

Fan 2 on at 190*
fan 2 off at 180*

Fan 1 enabled speed 30 MPH
Fan 1 disabled spped 35 MPH

Cruising on the highway, I hang around
City driving pops it up in the 200's in traffic

 

If your coolant temps are exceeding the fan2 turn-on point, your radiator definitely needs some attention.

 

Hi,

Had the same question and this really helps.

One question I have is on flushing the cooling system as I just purchased a 2000 with 80K and was wondering if it is time to service the cooling system. Also, regarding waterwetter I have ran this in motorcycles for years with very good results never have tried it in a car.

 

My 2000 had about the same miles when I got it. The inside of the system looked almost new. Most likely nothing to really worry abour, but the recomended service interval is 60 months or 150,000 miles which ever comes first. So, being a 2000 your there, may as well do it to make sure it was done.

From what I gather water wetter is not as effective in a 50/50 mix, the more water you have the more it will help. So, guys who track a lot and run a lot more water like the stuff, the guys who run the standard mix do not see an improvement.

 

those temps sound about the same as mine... but I just found out that my radiator is half clogged with grass and debris. If you look up under the front of the car there is a recessed area going up to the radiator. Evidentally it is not uncommon for the radiator to get clogged up. I was told I need to remove the radiator and blow the coils clean with air.

 

Why is your FAN1 enabled at 30 MPH ???? Shouldn't that be 0 (zero) ???? You WANT FAN1 to run if you are stopped with the engine running .... the Corvette has virtually no "natural" air flow through the engine compartment when the car is stopped. You need the cooling fans running if you are stopped and idling for anything more than a few seconds.

 

Whether using water or air to clean out your radiator .... DO NOT USE HIGH PRESSURE.

The cooling "fins" on your radiator bend easily, and you don't want to bend them and affect the air flow through the radiator. A gentle spray of water or a gentle flow of air should be all it takes to clean the radiator.

 

Thanks for the heads up... makes sense that it could bend easy. I was wondering... is there any way that it can be cleaned without taking the radiator out? Anyone know?

 

Also, most of us that are running a 160 stat, are folks that are not running a stock engine, and not a stock programmed computer. When you start adding heads/cam , superchargers etc etc... almost every experienced expert tuner will tell you a 160 stat is needed to keep the engine cooler (and fans on earlier also) to avoid the computer retarding timing and removing power.

On an otherwise stock motor, a 160 stat is not really worth the trouble of installing it (not that its that hard). The car was built and tuned very well by GM to run the way it does. Regardless I always check every couple of months to make sure my radiator is not full of debris since these cars act like vacums and suck lots of junk up

Remember also, ambient temp plays a big role in who hot the car will run. Obviously in NM you are going to see 90+ temps alot, hence you'll tend to run hotter more often... where as myself sitting here in the windy city... hot is considered 80

 

If the thermostat issue has been beat to death, why are we still beating it? Must be one of those Zombie issues