C6 Temps on a Long drive during Summer -
 

Hey guys,

Just did a recent trip to Reno from Bay Area, CA. It's a Base C6 Vert / A6.

Outside temps went from 95-98*. My car's temps were: Coolant 210, Oil 235, Tranny (A6) 200+...

I am planning to take a trip to Vegas in Summer - temps in the Death Valley will be 120+, Vegas is about 110+. With those temps and long stretch of drive through the desserts/etc, I am worried about my car's temps.

C6 Z51s come with oil & tranny coolers...I am wondering similar parts (or better aftermarket parts) can be installed in a Base C6. What parts would I need, how labor intensive is it? I have bought a 160* Stat, not sure how much that would help.

Thanks! :lurk:

Leave the stock T stat in the car!!!!!!!

Now as for your temps, normal since the car wants to keep the motor fluids this high to boil off any water that may have condensate into the fluids, and higher desert heat is not going to cause problems as well.


Really, desert heat (A/C cranked), and highway driving will not be a problem at all. The problem comes when you are in desert heat with the A/C cranked, and you're in stop and go traffic isntead.

Here the problem is the stock Valeo 145amp alternator only puts out about 14amp when the motor is idling at the stop light.

So with the A/C causing the radiator fan to come on to draw air through it's heat exchanger in front of the radiator, the car is pulling down about 20 amps from the charging system when you sitting at the stop light, casing the battery to go into draw state since the alternator when the car is at idle can not keep up with the amperage demands instead. So once you do start to drive again, the amperage output of the alternator increases higher then the cars demand, to charge the battery back up after a while of driving again.


So if you really want to monitor anything, monitor the voltage on the DIC. A/C off, the voltage reading should in in the 14.1~14.3 range. A/C and lights on, should have a drop in voltage to about 13.5~13.9 range.

If you are finding that your ending up with lower voltage readings, then a quick primer of what to start checking.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...intenance.html


As for if you are going to be living day in and day out in the desert heat with lots of stop and go traffic driving, then the stock oem valeo alternator has to go, and replaced with a 170 amp 6 pullet billet alternator.

The reason for this is not the higher full amperage output over-all of the billet alternator, but the 6 pole alternator will put out about 45 amps at idle isntead; which stays in front of the demands of the car when your sitting at a stop light with the AC and lights on, so the battery is not going into a draw start being discharged down every stop light isntead.


As for the OEM value alternator, have tried to wrap my head around the unit several times. Part of the problem is that Gm value engineered the unit to keep the priced down, while the other part is low torque draw from the Belt system to keep the HP up at the same time. So if you don't need the A/C much, it a good unit. Hell, third button from the left on the HVAC controller allows you to shut the A/C off at will.

If you are living/dying by the A/C running or not instead, then the OEM alternator does not cut it isntead. Hence it not saving you HP belt torque loss when the alternator is always trying to charge the battery back up from it constantly going into a draw state every stop light isntead.

The worst that could happen is to be stuck in stop ,n go traffic in Vegas and run the temps up another 10-20 degrees for a bit. Keep an eye on the coolant, since that'll try to control the trans temp too.
Two simple things to do if you start to overheat as in over 240 coolant or trans.

1. Put the trans in S and use the paddles.
2. If #1 isn't enough, turn the AC off, roll the windows down and crank up the heat to 90. It's like adding an extra radiator, albeit small.

A lower Tstat will NOT help. Think of it like this...... That 160 deg thermostat opens earlier, thus your coolant does not stay in the radiator as long (it cools there) so now your thermostat is, for all purposes, open all the time. Now your coolant is constantly flowing from radiator to engine and back, never pausing long enough for the radiator to cool it. There is a reason these LS engines run over 200 degs. That is where they are the most efficient.

200* is where they have the least amount of emissions to satisfy the gov't. They produce the most power a lot closer to 180.

If your stock engine's coolant is at 200*, the T-stat has been wide open just like the 160* T-stat. There is never any "pausing" in the radiator.

We just got back from Texas and their 100 degree heat and had absolutely zero problems putting on hundreds of miles a day in our C6.

A 160* T-stat along with the fan reprogramed will help keep the average ECT's down because it starts the cooling process sooner, however once any T-stat is fully open, the air flow thru the radiator, radiator cooling capacity and ambient temps will determine you ECT's.



As Hoxxoh stated, the 200*+ ECT's are for emissions. I believe the ECT sweet spot for power is around 190*F.

Also, the stock tune will start pulling timing once the ECT's reach 212*F.

FWIW last summer we went to Kingman AZ, temps were at 110" and my readings were
coolant 195
A-6 trans 190
oil temp 225
volts 13.9
a/c on
speeds at 80mph
In traffic went up to 210 coolant
Your numbers seem a tad high :confused2:
Hope that helps
NSF

Amsoil Fluids + Coolant Boost = No Worries

- I am planning on getting the tranny fluid & filter replaced. This would not be a full flush, but a drain & fill. Will the Amsoil be compatible with the remaining OEM fluid in the Tranny? :smash: And does this help?

- I will be flushing the radiator and refill with new fluids also. Just did the oil change before the Reno trip (5-30W Mobil1).

- Also considering the diff fluid change, since it's never been done.

- A/C is NOT cool at all - just getting outside hot air with A/C ON. What's up with that? :toetap:

Car is 2008 base vert, A6, 34,XXX only miles. Recommendations? :lurk:

Thanks!

AMSOIL Fluids are compatible with OE. However with a 10 year old car
I would do a complete fluid change for the transmission and the diff.
Sounds like the refrigerant in the AC system needs to be changed
after confirming no leaks.

I'd have your a/c checked and probably topped up. But if it's not working properly now, it could need some replacement of parts (unless something's loose and needs tightening only).

I'm with NSF, and think at the least your oil temp's just a little high, not dangerous but as said by HOX stop and go brings out the worst.

Altho many/most wouldn't recommend changing coolant "so early" w. only 34K miles, I would do it. It's 10+ year old stuff, and some of the additives are on their way out, or out already.

I'm certainly not a proponent of mixing brands of any fluids, especially trans fluid. The trans was developed and tested for wear and endurance using Dexron VI. Since the OEM fill is 13.24 quarts and a pan drop only drains 6.5 quarts, there's still more than 6 quarts of old stuff in there. The only way you'll get it all out, is to take out the TC and drain the lines to the cooler.
You're only taking a 12-1400 mile round trip, so I'd be more concerned about something going wrong right after a fluid change, than any possible problem with the current fluid.

If you know the "born on date" is before Nov '07, then do the diff fluid change after the trip. Otherwise, don't bother until 150K miles. The factory fill changed sometime in Sept/Oct to the fluid that includes the right amount of friction modifier. Dexron LS gear oil, P/N 88862624.

Unless you are doing the work yourself and understand how it needs to be done, having someone else do stuff for you, is not a good thing just before leaving town on a trip. If they screw up, even just a little bit, you'll be stuck in unfamiliar territory.

BTW, when you got your oil changed, did they grease the rear tie rod ends?

Leave your car stock..just make sure your radiator and the space between that and the ac radiator are clean...

I usually have that part of my now 122k mile c6 z51 m6 cleaned out by my corvette tech...

Every few years we find a lot of leaves and debris up there...

One time on my last corvette we found a plastic bag melted to the space between the two cooling fins etc...it’s was ridiculously difficult for my tech to get off and in hindsight I probably should have bought a new radiator..lol

Not really but it was a pain in the butt to get off...the fins..

It did impede the air flow and cooling on that car was compromised until I had it resolved...

Your car doesn’t have that issue and don’t watch the temps that closely in the summer...

Jmo

:iagree: Mixing fluids = no good.
I had just done the coolant job if that helps, only 29,000mi but it was 5 years old.
NSF

I've boiled tires on that stretch from SoCal to LV. Giant bubbles on the tires from the heat ruining them completely. Course I was flying...

Yes: have the diff fluid changed.GM came out with a new oil in 2008,you should of got a SB about it.Easy job 2.2 qts of OEM oil only!!!.Coolant is five years or xxxxxxxxxmiles.After you flush the old out add Dex-Cool and pure water to about 70/30 mix will run cooler and boil over will not happen until around 250 degrees.

Just for future reference, the SB is dated 1-9-08. The general consensus and those of inside information, is that the changeover for factory fill happened in Sept-Oct 2007.

Hum..My 08 did not have the new fluid..The dealer even put in a new clutch pack with the new stuff.:thumbs: