Weird Cooling issues
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,447
Likes: 1
From: Katy TX
Weird Cooling issues
I just cleaned out my radiator and condensor and I have a 160* T-stat but I'm having some weird cooling issues. With the A/C off, in stop & go traffic, I'm experiencing 196*-199* temps. With the A/C off on the highway, I'm seeing 188*-192* temps. On the highway with the AC on, im seeing temps between 201* 205*. The cooling issue surfaces with the A/C on in stop & go traffic, where I see temps of 232*-236*. I can be sitting in traffic with the AC off and temps at 198*, but as soon as I turn the AC on, the temp rise up moderately to over 230*. Then when I turn the AC off, the temps very slowly/gradually drops to 207-212*. Why is my car overheating with the AC on in stop & go traffic??
Last edited by All_Motor_C5LS6; Aug 17, 2010 at 09:38 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
I just cleaned out my radiator and condensor and I have a 160* T-stat but I'm having some weird cooling issues. With the A/C off, in stop & go traffic, I'm experiencing 196*-199* temps. With the A/C off on the highway, I'm seeing 188*-192* temps. On the highway with the AC on, I'm seeing temps between 201* 205*. The cooling issue surfaces with the A/C on in stop & go traffic, where I see temps of 232*-236*. I can be sitting in traffic with the AC off and temps at 198*, but as soon as I turn the AC on, the temp rise up moderately to over 230*. Then when I turn the AC off, the temps very slowly/gradually drops to 207-212*. Why is my car overheating with the AC on in stop & go traffic??
which is it? 196*-198* temps or 207-212*. Some times you find yourself in stop and go traffic and you are stopped on a concrete roadway, sometimes you are on blacktop.... in TX. the temp can be dramatic.. sometimes Black top can yield 140F. with your car sitting on top of that, there is little to no heat transfer. and you will see your temps creep up. Same difference occur in tire noise.. concrete yields a much higher decibel reading than the quieter Black top. Right now Texas is very HOT.. you are going to get hot temps.. the C5 cooling system is not as well designed for these extreme temps... You also said you have a 160 stat which has nothing to do with how hot your car will get but only how cold it will get... you never once mentioned what you changed the fan on and off temps too. how much lower than the stock settings have you set the high and low speed fans? We need good data to help diagnose the problem. If in fact, there is a problem. Happy to try to help
Bill aka ET
Last edited by Evil-Twin; Aug 17, 2010 at 10:10 AM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,447
Likes: 1
From: Katy TX
You need to get your story straight first. see above.
which is it? 196*-198* temps or 207-212*. Some times you find yourself in stop and go traffic and you are stopped on a concrete roadway, sometimes you are on blacktop.... in TX. the temp can be dramatic.. sometimes Black top can yield 140F. with your car sitting on top of that, there is little to no heat transfer. and you will see your temps creep up. Same difference occur in tire noise.. concrete yields a much higher decibel reading than the quieter Black top. Right now Texas is very HOT.. you are going to get hot temps.. the C5 cooling system is not as well designed for these extreme temps... You also said you have a 160 stat which has nothing to do with how hot your car will get but only how cold it will get... you never once mentioned what you changed the fan on and off temps too. how much lower than the stock settings have you set the high and low speed fans? We need good data to help diagnose the problem. If in fact, there is a problem. Happy to try to help
Bill aka ET
which is it? 196*-198* temps or 207-212*. Some times you find yourself in stop and go traffic and you are stopped on a concrete roadway, sometimes you are on blacktop.... in TX. the temp can be dramatic.. sometimes Black top can yield 140F. with your car sitting on top of that, there is little to no heat transfer. and you will see your temps creep up. Same difference occur in tire noise.. concrete yields a much higher decibel reading than the quieter Black top. Right now Texas is very HOT.. you are going to get hot temps.. the C5 cooling system is not as well designed for these extreme temps... You also said you have a 160 stat which has nothing to do with how hot your car will get but only how cold it will get... you never once mentioned what you changed the fan on and off temps too. how much lower than the stock settings have you set the high and low speed fans? We need good data to help diagnose the problem. If in fact, there is a problem. Happy to try to help
Bill aka ET
Last edited by All_Motor_C5LS6; Aug 17, 2010 at 11:09 AM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,447
Likes: 1
From: Katy TX
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
Overheating is when you pop the pressure cap on the system and STEAM is shooting out from under the hood. Your temps are still within the NORMAL operating temps for this engine (albeit a little on the high side at times).
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
My story is already straight. Once I turn the AC off if I'm stopped and at idle, it goes from 236 to 212 and sometimes from 230 to 207. Now, once I start moving it drops to 196* until I stop again where is goes up to 198* where it stays in the 196*-198* range, until I turn the AC back on.. This was this morning in 78-83* morning weather. I'm sure this afternoon when it's 100*, it's going to be much worse. My low speed fans come on at 160* and I don't know what temps the high speed fans come on.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,283
Likes: 16
From: Katy Tx
AllMotor - I'd first check to see that the high speed fan is actually on in those conditions - they can fail. I agree with others that the on-off speeds need to be set right for the system to work properly - I do think those temps are higher than I'd like 'em and I live in the same area. There is a good shop nearby that can check it out - pm me for the name.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,618
Likes: 5
From: Overland Park KS
Your temps fluctuating 30 degrees between driving on the highway and sitting in stop and go traffic is probably due to one of your two fans has failed.
I had that issue for a couple months, temps would climb to about 240 degrees and then as soon as i got going again, they would drop down to around 205-210. If both fans fail you will see temps higher than 240.
Check your fans (be very careful), if one is not working, inspect the fuses in the engine bay fuse panel.
I had that issue for a couple months, temps would climb to about 240 degrees and then as soon as i got going again, they would drop down to around 205-210. If both fans fail you will see temps higher than 240.
Check your fans (be very careful), if one is not working, inspect the fuses in the engine bay fuse panel.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,447
Likes: 1
From: Katy TX
Your temps fluctuating 30 degrees between driving on the highway and sitting in stop and go traffic is probably due to one of your two fans has failed.
I had that issue for a couple months, temps would climb to about 240 degrees and then as soon as i got going again, they would drop down to around 205-210. If both fans fail you will see temps higher than 240.
Check your fans (be very careful), if one is not working, inspect the fuses in the engine bay fuse panel.
I had that issue for a couple months, temps would climb to about 240 degrees and then as soon as i got going again, they would drop down to around 205-210. If both fans fail you will see temps higher than 240.
Check your fans (be very careful), if one is not working, inspect the fuses in the engine bay fuse panel.
Evil-Twin, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I'd like to apologize for not being as detailed as you wanted. Thanks for your help too!
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,447
Likes: 1
From: Katy TX
Your temps fluctuating 30 degrees between driving on the highway and sitting in stop and go traffic is probably due to one of your two fans has failed.
I had that issue for a couple months, temps would climb to about 240 degrees and then as soon as i got going again, they would drop down to around 205-210. If both fans fail you will see temps higher than 240.
Check your fans (be very careful), if one is not working, inspect the fuses in the engine bay fuse panel.
I had that issue for a couple months, temps would climb to about 240 degrees and then as soon as i got going again, they would drop down to around 205-210. If both fans fail you will see temps higher than 240.
Check your fans (be very careful), if one is not working, inspect the fuses in the engine bay fuse panel.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,447
Likes: 1
From: Katy TX
Thanks dougbfresh! I think you are right and I'm just paranoid, however, I'm going to try one last thing this evening, and thats burping the system throughly. I had a coolant flush last month and there might be some air in the coolant system.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
There is no way to really BURP it-if it's been a month since the fluid change it's as good as it's going to get.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,447
Likes: 1
From: Katy TX
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
That would be my guess.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,447
Likes: 1
From: Katy TX