Don't understand how your experience equals "IF a Tstat is Always open, it won't keep the coolant in the radiator LONG ENOUGH to dissipate (or radiate) the Heat".

A radiator's ability to shed heat load is proportional to the temperature difference between the fluid entering it and the air flowing through it, among other things, one of those being the temperature of the fluid when it exits the radiator since as the fluid is cooled early in its flow through the radiator there is less temperature differential to pull heat from the fluid in the later part of the coolant's passage through the radiator. Rapid coolant flow through the radiator should aid in the radiator's effectiveness.

I suspect the quality of your initial "high quality" stat wasn't nearly as good as you think it was.

 

Yeah that isn't how heat exchange works. The guy above me pretty much nailed it.

If you have a continuous flow of liquid through a heat exchanger (radiator) the only difference you will see between more or less residence time of the fluid is the differential temperature between inlet and outlet temp. Say the coolant goes in at 200, comes out at 180. If you increase residence time by slowing down flow you might see it come in and 200, come out at 175. The total amount of cooling would be the same between the two. Possibly higher on the higher flow system.

On the same note that Chuck CoW post above is full of completely false information. The only thing a 160 Tstat will do for you is lower your minimum temp. It is not going to make any difference in cooling capacity especially when you should be targeting 180-200 degree coolant temps anyway. If you want lower temps than that you will need much more radiator and fan than you can fit in a C5.

 

Yep

 

I work on cooling systems all the time.. From Vettes to Hyundias to 60's muscle cars..ETC
And this IS how it works..
IF the coolant is flowing thru the radiator at too fast of a rate. I.E. Faster than
the original engineers designed, It will the air doesn't have enough TIME to
cool the coolant while it's in the radiator.
Why the heck is there even a thermostat anyway then????????

This why straight racecars that DON"T run a Tstat, Run coolant Restrictors.
To cut the flow of coolant down long enough to cool it in the radiators..
A stat is just not there for your wife to get heat on a cold morning......................

 

You've been a forum member for 5 years and made your 1 post and it's to say that Chuck CoW doesn't know what he's talking about I spent several hours with Chuck tuning our car and KNOW that he KNOWS what he is talking about...

You CAN take a 160 stat-reprogram the fans and get the desired sweet spot temps... ours normally stays right at 187-190 stock radiator, stock fans...

 

the 'impeller' found in most auto water pumps, designed to function with system HEAD (resistance) that includes a t-stat...deletion of t-stat often causes pump operation to 'go off the curve', impeller 'cavitates' and flow rate drops substantially...
I can see where cavitation, regardless of what TEMP stat you have IF stuck open could cause a Overheating issue...

NOT saying just because you run a 195/180/160 stat is right or wrong for your specific application (too many variables) but, I believe if ANY of those stats stick OPEN you could overheat or overcool... because the STAT isn't doing part of what is supposed to do...one part of it is to assist in regulating temps, along with the coolant, radiator, fans/air flow, reservoir cap, and water pump... any of these fail and you have a problem houston...and, houston has plenty of problems anyway...

 

Typical corvette forum response. That is why I usually post on tech forums. I work with heat exchangers and pumps the size of your house and car. The theory is the same. Not everyone truly has an engineering type mind. That is ok. Don't discredit someone because they don't have 40k posts on a particular forum. I'm not trying to start a passing match. It's just physics. Once the stat is open it's open. If I have my fan temps set to target 190-210 operating range the stat is staying open and my fans are controlling to see temps. The temperature at which the stat opens only serves to regulate the minimum engine temp. True, a 160 opens before a 187. I'm not targeting temps under 187 so I don't care. The orifice of both Tstats at full open is the same and they provide the same flow. One will help you keep your coolant and oil warm enough in the cold months. The other will not. That's the only difference.


A stat stuck open should not cause cavitation due to lack of head pressure. If it did, the pump would cavitate every time to start went full open. Removing it altogether is a different story. That would be application dependent. Overcooling would definitely happen if the ambient air was cold enough. The same thing that happens with a 160 T stat is what you would get. Coolant temps in the 158-180 range at best depending upon ambient temp, airflow across the radiator, and the amount of heat your engine produces.

 

I TRY to NOT look down a straw with both eyes...It's hard at times to sift through the quagmire of information on the forum/net... I'm NOT an engineer, but I do usually "get it" sometimes it takes a while for all the information to get sorted out and them hope you are making the right choices... I appreciate those that took the time to get an education and share their expertise. I know it is probably frustrating to have to explain, what seems simple to some, but, seems complex to others... I know it's NOT rocket science but it is still more complicated than it appears to be. Thanks for your patience and reply.

 

Hi!
May some one share the photo? I did not observe it.

 

Most of these old C-5s and yes they are old now have the ORG. radiator in them so that makes a 2000 C-5 radiator 19 years old ETC. so the first thing I would do is replace the old half way stopped up radiator .. Then do all the other stuff so if one does the other things to fix the over heating you still have a old radiator in the thing . The cooling system in a corvette is a complete system not just a thermostat . Not that hard to replace and are cheap . Living in south TX. we know heat..

 

Where are these plate located ? I am a bit confused as to what to unloosen and try to remove air that may be trapped. Is there a picture that someone could send me as to what I am looking for? Thanks

 

Where are these bolts on the plates located ? I have no idea where the plates are. Obviously there are two one on passenger side and one on drivers side If anyone has a picture/diagram I would love to see it Thanks ran hot also and changed thermostat and it ran hotter quicker I would love to know if it was an air issue and need to see how to properly get air out of the system

 

Did you use the proper refill procedure?
Recommended procedure removing any air after changing coolant:
1. Close drain valve after old fluid is out.
2. Fill via the surge tank (50:50)
3. Start engine and idle for 1 minute before closing surge tank.
4. Install surge tank cap.
5. Cycle from idle for 30 seconds, to 3000 rpm for 30 seconds, and continue this until coolant temp is 210 F (99 C).
6. Turn off engine, take off surge cap, restart engine, idle for 1 minute.
7. Add coolant till 1/2 inch above cold full mark, then put the cap back on.
8. Cycle from idle to 3000 rpm just like step 5 until it reaches the same temp.
9. Turn off engine, add coolant till 1/2 inch above cold full mark, put cap back on.

The pipe they are talking about is this one...