C5 Tech Corvette Tech/Performance: LS1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Tech Topics, Basic Tech, Maintenance, How to Remove & Replace
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Another dead horse

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 4, 2013 | 07:45 PM
  #1  
NotAnExpert's Avatar
NotAnExpert
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
From: Dallas Texas
St. Jude Donor '13
Default Another dead horse

Car is overheating with ac on and when in idle.

Ac off: car functions properly at idle in park, in gear but stopped, and when moving down the road.

Ac on: At speed it will get hot but it will not go much above 240. In park idling, and in drive but stopped, the temp goes to 250 and keep wants to keep climbing. If I turn my ac off the temp starts dropping.

Has anyone had this before? What were the solutions that resolved the issue?

Thanks for the help
Reply
Old Jul 4, 2013 | 07:48 PM
  #2  
pewter99's Avatar
pewter99
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime Gold
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
St. Jude 15 Year Donor
 
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 174,312
Likes: 1,216
From: Here
Pilot of Beer Force 1
Tampa Regional Coordinator
CI 4-5-6-7-8 Veteran
Organizer St. Jude Fundraiser
I believe in the Beer Fairy
Default

bad fan....your secondary fan is not working properly..you can buy the GM replacements or upgrade to the Dewitts SPAL kit
Reply
Old Jul 4, 2013 | 07:51 PM
  #3  
NotAnExpert's Avatar
NotAnExpert
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
From: Dallas Texas
St. Jude Donor '13
Default

Originally Posted by pewter99
bad fan....your secondary fan is not working properly..you can buy the GM replacements or upgrade to the Dewitts SPAL kit
Just for more understanding I ask, Which fan is suppose to kick on when the ac is on? the one on the driver or passenger side? I does look like the fans are spinning? Can they spin but still be bad? Could it be the relay? How hard is it to check and replace the relay?

Thanks for such a quick reply.
Reply
Old Jul 4, 2013 | 07:51 PM
  #4  
pewter99's Avatar
pewter99
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime Gold
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
St. Jude 15 Year Donor
 
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 174,312
Likes: 1,216
From: Here
Pilot of Beer Force 1
Tampa Regional Coordinator
CI 4-5-6-7-8 Veteran
Organizer St. Jude Fundraiser
I believe in the Beer Fairy
Default

could be worse.....look what I just went through

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-f...t-updated.html
Reply
Old Jul 4, 2013 | 07:53 PM
  #5  
pewter99's Avatar
pewter99
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime Gold
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
St. Jude 15 Year Donor
 
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 174,312
Likes: 1,216
From: Here
Pilot of Beer Force 1
Tampa Regional Coordinator
CI 4-5-6-7-8 Veteran
Organizer St. Jude Fundraiser
I believe in the Beer Fairy
Default

Originally Posted by NotAnExpert
Just for more understanding I ask, Which fan is suppose to kick on when the ac is on? the one on the driver or passenger side? I does look like the fans are spinning? Can the spin but still be bad? Could it be the relay? How hard is it to check and replace the relay?

Thanks for such a quick reply.
Passenger side should kick on when you car gets to 225 IIRC (not 100% positive on the temp) ...OR when you turn on the AC...easiest way to check is start the car and hold a flashlight on the fan and have someone turn AC on....it should kick on....

that being said it can spin but not spin fast enough to work properly...had this issue in my girlfriends car....relays are in the fuse panel near the battery I believe but my money is on the fan....
Reply
Old Jul 4, 2013 | 08:00 PM
  #6  
NotAnExpert's Avatar
NotAnExpert
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
From: Dallas Texas
St. Jude Donor '13
Default

Originally Posted by pewter99
Passenger side should kick on when you car gets to 225 IIRC (not 100% positive on the temp) ...OR when you turn on the AC...easiest way to check is start the car and hold a flashlight on the fan and have someone turn AC on....it should kick on....

that being said it can spin but not spin fast enough to work properly...had this issue in my girlfriends car....relays are in the fuse panel near the battery I believe but my money is on the fan....
I am just limited on funds right now...I spent it all on vacation plans...no refunds...so I just want to find a way to troubleshoot the issue and maybe replace the right part the first time.

How can I test to know if the fan is spinning fast enough? How can I test if it might be a relay? Do the relays just pull out or are they held on by something?

Thanks again
Reply
Old Jul 4, 2013 | 08:02 PM
  #7  
NotAnExpert's Avatar
NotAnExpert
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
From: Dallas Texas
St. Jude Donor '13
Default

Also When the car is cold and first turned on with ac off, should both fans be on? When cold and ac on should both fans be on? Are the fans variable speed? So they spin faster when the engine gets hotter?

Forgive my ignorance and thank for the help
Reply
Old Jul 4, 2013 | 08:05 PM
  #8  
pewter99's Avatar
pewter99
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime Gold
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
St. Jude 15 Year Donor
 
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 174,312
Likes: 1,216
From: Here
Pilot of Beer Force 1
Tampa Regional Coordinator
CI 4-5-6-7-8 Veteran
Organizer St. Jude Fundraiser
I believe in the Beer Fairy
Default

Originally Posted by NotAnExpert

How can I test to know if the fan is spinning fast enough? How can I test if it might be a relay? Do the relays just pull out or are they held on by something?

Thanks again
you can't...no way you can see that...relays are plug and play

Originally Posted by NotAnExpert
Also When the car is cold and first turned on with ac off, should both fans be on? When cold and ac on should both fans be on? Are the fans variable speed? So they spin faster when the engine gets hotter?

Forgive my ignorance and thank for the help
the only fan running when cold is driver side...once AC is turned on 2nd fan comes on no matter what ....AFAIK they are not variable



where the hell is 8vette7 when I need him to post?
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every Model vs Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-6

Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-8

5 Reasons Bad Drivers Crash & 5 Ways to Avoid a Costly Mistake!

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

7 Bolt-On Upgrades From Extreme Online Store to Level Up Your C6 Corvette

 Pouria Savadkouei
Old Jul 4, 2013 | 08:12 PM
  #9  
martysauto's Avatar
martysauto
Drifting
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,719
Likes: 4
From: cinnaminson n.j.
St. Jude Donor '14
Default

Make sure your front air deflector is not damaged or missing. Also make sure all the shrouding that directs airflow thru the rad is ok. Since c5's don't have a grille , these things are important. The cooling fans are for idle, ac operation and low speed operation. On many vehicles they are actually programmed to go off at highway speeds.
You may want to remove the cover over the radiator and make sure there isn't debris between the condenser and rad. I assume you checked your coolant level. If everything checks out, replace the thermostat.
Reply
Old Jul 4, 2013 | 08:45 PM
  #10  
pewter99's Avatar
pewter99
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime Gold
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
St. Jude 15 Year Donor
 
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 174,312
Likes: 1,216
From: Here
Pilot of Beer Force 1
Tampa Regional Coordinator
CI 4-5-6-7-8 Veteran
Organizer St. Jude Fundraiser
I believe in the Beer Fairy
Default

as I said
Reply
Old Jul 5, 2013 | 06:53 AM
  #11  
pewter99's Avatar
pewter99
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime Gold
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
St. Jude 15 Year Donor
 
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 174,312
Likes: 1,216
From: Here
Pilot of Beer Force 1
Tampa Regional Coordinator
CI 4-5-6-7-8 Veteran
Organizer St. Jude Fundraiser
I believe in the Beer Fairy
Default

Originally Posted by 8VETTE7
He was typing..... He's a slow typer......... Also talking on the phone to member with Column Lock problems....



Just read you activity to relocate the intercooler for the Maggie. Interesting. I have the same setup with Maggie, Intercooler as they recommend installing it, Dewitts radiator and his Fan package.

In the 110 AZ temps this past week without the AC running , my high
temps reached 214 sitting in traffic for about 10 minutes. Fans were running in high speed (they come on in high at 211). I guess I shouldn't complain compared to temps you were seeing before your intercooler relocate. I saved the thread as I might do the relocate when the air temps are a bit cooler here in a few months......


I think part of my problem is I sit so low ..I don't know if your car is lowered or not.....if you are seeing temps barely over 210 in traffic I wouldn't bother. I wonder if the difference between here and there is the humidity levels we have in addition to the heat.
Reply
Old Jul 5, 2013 | 02:00 PM
  #12  
NotAnExpert's Avatar
NotAnExpert
Thread Starter
Instructor
 
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
From: Dallas Texas
St. Jude Donor '13
Default

Ok so I had a second today and this is what I observed.

First I removed the rad shield and saw a little bit of grass in a small nest, but no trash bags or something serious. I could not fit my hand down there to removed the little grass nest. I replaced the air intake, removed the rad reservoir cap and started the car.

No fans were on at first start. I made sure the ac was on. I revved the engine a few times and as the temp got to 184 is suddenly started dropping back down to 171. At this point both fans were on.

The rad fluid in the reservoir never went down or overflowed by the time the temp got to 192. So I shut it down to come seek advice on what the next step should be.

If everything runs normal with ac off, could this still be a thermostat issue? Also what should I do next in my trouble shooting process here?

Thanks again all
Reply
Old Jul 5, 2013 | 04:26 PM
  #13  
Toque's Avatar
Toque
Tech Contributor
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 20,030
Likes: 289
From: Wylie TX --> Less is More, except under the hood !
Default

Try blowing out your radiator and AC condenser.
I could not believe how much crap came out of mine.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...-radiator.html


Toque
Reply
Old Jul 5, 2013 | 08:43 PM
  #14  
martysauto's Avatar
martysauto
Drifting
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,719
Likes: 4
From: cinnaminson n.j.
St. Jude Donor '14
Default

Reread the original post. His car is getting to 240+ at speed. It's more than a fan problem. If the cooling system is working properly, the deflector and shrouds in place, and plenty of coolant, you should be able to disconnect both fans and drive all day at 60-70 mph. I have cooled engines back down with fan problems by doing just that (not all day, only takes a few minutes). I'm not disagreeing that he has a fan problem. I just saying there's more going on. Sound like poor circulation as well. Fix the fans. I would also pull the thermostat and drop it in some 195 degree water. It should open fully. If your not sure try it with a new one and compare.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Another dead horse





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:08 AM.

story-0
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every Model vs Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-20 17:58:41


VIEW MORE
story-1
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

Slideshow: 10 major Corvette problems from the last 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-14 16:37:05


VIEW MORE
story-2
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!

Slideshow: 5 most and least popular Corvette model years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-08 13:25:01


VIEW MORE
story-3
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette buyer's guide

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-17 16:41:08


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)

Slideshow: 10 things C8 Corvette owners hate, but won't tell you.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-01 18:36:07


VIEW MORE
story-5
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!

Slideshow: Should you add one of these incredible Corvettes to your garage?

By Brett Foote | 2026-04-01 18:14:05


VIEW MORE
story-6
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)

Slideshow: Every Corvette Grand Sport explained

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-03-26 07:13:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!

Slideshow: Breaking down the 2027 Grand Sport, Grand Sport X, Stingray, and LS6 V8.

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-03-26 13:48:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
5 Reasons Bad Drivers Crash & 5 Ways to Avoid a Costly Mistake!

Slideshow: 5 reasons bad drivers crash sports cars & 5 ways to avoid a costly shame!

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-03-25 16:32:55


VIEW MORE
story-9
7 Bolt-On Upgrades From Extreme Online Store to Level Up Your C6 Corvette

Slideshow: Check out these easy-to-install upgrades from Extreme Online Store that reshape the look and feel of the C6 Corvette.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-03-23 17:00:27


VIEW MORE