Hello:

I recently purchased a stock '97 coupe M6 and normally run 190 deg. on the highway (70 deg. day). Off highway temps, however, vary between 197deg. and 210-215 deg. I'm not sure if both fans are operating during these readings but was curious if this is normal as I'm new to this automobile and I cannot find anything in the o-manual regarding std. temps.

Thanks,
Fraitguy

 

That sounds about normal to me. If its bothering you that much change your tstat to a 160 that will drop the temp. :D

 

:banghead: Mine does the same thing! I've been thinkin about several options. Change the t-stat, add water wetter to coolant, checking the fans. Let me know what you find out. Thanks :seeya :chevy

 

Stock, I was running about the same as you 196/198 on the freeway and low 200's in stop and go slow traffic. I installed a 180 thurmostat and it only dropped my temperature to 190/192 on the freeway. Not much bang for the buck. Soooooooo, I installed a 160 and I now am thinking that I am running a bit on the cool side 172/176 freeway, 182/186 at moderate speeds, and agian 200 in stop and go slow. One thing you can do manually to lower your temperature is to turn on your air conditioning. It turns on your fan. I was in stop and go slow the other day looking at 198 and hit the air and watched it drop to 192 before traffic started to move. If I had it to do over, I would go for the 170 thurmostat, which lowers your temperature about 14 degrees. I'm getting a 20 degree drop with a 160. IMHO slightly cooler is better! :D

 

I recently just added the 160 to mine with the water weter and use the hypertech HPP3 for fan control and my temp is always right aroung 176. :flag

 

Your temps are fine. Going to a cooler thermostat sounds good, but the car may not get hot enough to drive off moisture and other contaminants. If you intend to keep the car, I wouldn't go lower that a 170/178 stat. Just be sure that you let your car get "hot" once in awhile. :yesnod: :D

 

Whats going to a 160 tstat have to do with someone that intends on keeping their car? :confused:

 

Contrary to popular belief, a 160* thermostat, replacing a 190* stock thermostat, will NOT drop the temp. :nonod: unless the air is cold (30-40) and you are driving the car very gently, which most of us find very difficult to do.

Under most driving conditions, especially in stop and go traffic or city driving, the 160 thermo will open at approx 160, while the stock thermostat will open at 190, but under these conditions your regular coolant temps should be running between 190 and 220. Under these conditions the lower opening thermostat is fundementally useless.

Believe it or not the GM engineers are not a bunch of idoits. There are very good reasons that the LS1 and LS6 engines come with the approx 190 degree thermo. First the engine runs better and more fuel efficient in the 190-220 range, and in very cold weather and light load driving the 190* thermo keeps the coolant temp above the 190 mark. The thermostat is also matched to the ability of the radiator to extract heat from the coolant. In order to run coolant temperatures in the 175 -185 degree range you will need a much larger radiator. I have one of these very large radiators in my 2000 FRC and on the hottest of days during very hard track driving, my coolant temperatures stay in the 195- 200 degree range. Also on a cold winter day my coolant temperatures stay in the 190-195 degree range.

So, If you guys want consistant low coolant temperatures summer or winter, lite or hard driving, get a large racing radiator. You'll always be in that ideal range for the Corvette engine of 190-200. Stay :cool:

 

So what your saying is that the cars temp gauge is lying when it says the car is at 176* due to a 160* tstat and when my car runs better at the track because the temp of the engine is cooler thats just a fluke also? :skep:

 

I guess you didn't understand that there are some conditions (cold air and lite driving) that will produce lower coolant temps with a 160 vs a 190 thermostat, but for the way most of us drive (with enthusiam) and conditions (warm air and in traffic), a 160 vs 190 thermo will NOT change the normal coolant temperatures which will be in the 190 to 220 range. If you are seeing 176 operating temperatures, then you have found the correct conditions for that to happen, which is cool air temps and lite throttle operation. So, YOU ARE RIGHT. Try driving in the city on a warm to hot day and your temps will be is the 190-220 range, regardless of the opening temp of your thermostat.

"Track" to me is a road course of 1.5 to 3.5 miles in length, and driving such a road course at speed in cold or hot conditions will produce coolant temps in the 220 -250 range which far exceed the 190* opening temp of the stock thermostat, or a 160* thermo. The reason for this is that the stock radiator can not remove sufficient heat to keep the temperature any lower, so a 160* thermostat in these hot and hard driving conditions is totally useless for keeping the coolant at a lower temperature. The only way to lower the coolant temperature under these conditions is to install a large racing radiator, then under certain cool air temp and easy street driving conditions the 160 thermo should produce cooler coolant temps.

Under 90% of normal driving conditions, the coolant temperature is fundementally a result of two factors, the heat put into the coolant from the engine and the heat extracted from the coolant by the radiator, and NOT the opening temp of the thermostat.

If by "track" you mean a drag strip, then by keeping the engine as cool as possible before your run, and programing your fans to come on at very low temperatures, a 160 thermo should keep your coolant cooler (which equates to more HP) for the 1/4 mile run, but an a hot summer day I bet your coolant temp is above 200 after the run. On a road course "track" a 160 thermo is useless.

Jim Helm, 200 FRC

 

:thumbs:

 

Thanks for the info!!!!!!!!!! I think I will try the water wetter..... just to help transfer the heat..... Thanks again :seeya :chevy :thumbs: