Engine temp-is 215-220 too hot?

T

ThikStik

My sleep apnea is winning
Joined
Mar 27, 2002
One of the 1st things I did after buying car was to recore radiator. A Summer day still gives in to hot side with up to 220 with ac on . I also bypassed fan resistor, it barely helped. I have been chasing high 880 range o2's and about 5 deg of KR. Soooo.... how bad does this hurt performance/is it causing this tuning issue? Also have 160 stat. I do need to buy a fan delay relay to help from cooking turbo upon engine stop. Would a new radiator or Ramchargers duel fan be best?
Thanks
 
Welp, maybe the water pump is tired... also, do you have the baffles between the the grille and radiator(these are very important.)
Also, filling in the gap between the fan shroud and radiator may help somewhat(maybe with a piece of hose split down the middle.)
also, using a stand alone trans and oil cooler may help.

Oh, running that hot definitely makes tuning more difficult.

hth
 
I do have the tar paper baffling that goes from grill area to radiator. I havent replaced water pump. On the Impala SS board, i have heard of impellors being installed wrong from Auto Zone pumps-that doesnt cool at all, and one guy lost his motor! But I dont know of where one can just marginally work. Rusty impellor maybe. Anyone?
I checked between fan housing/rad and yep, there is a big gap neareest mid to top area. Ill seal per your idea.
Thanks

PS what will high engine temps do to o2's? Not burn as much fuel, and go higher?
 
temp

I would recommend the RC dual fans. Theyre easy to install and work great. Plus......I think theyre on sale this month. Sometimes the factory fan tires after17 years of use. With RC...I havent seen over 175....even with ac on. Just my .02
Chris
 
It could just be that the radiator core is clogged up from age too. If it's original, that'd be my first guess. My GN was like that, and there's no flushing it out.
Also, a water pump impellor can wear or warp and not work as well as you'd like.
 
After rodding out, it was only a 6 deg difference. So maybe there is still some slow flowing cores. People dont really do their jobs anymore. Does anyone have decent temps with stock fan and stock radiator during Summer?
tia
 
Originally posted by ThikStik
One of the 1st things I did after buying car was to recore radiator. A Summer day still gives in to hot side with up to 220 with ac on . I also bypassed fan resistor, it barely helped. I have been chasing high 880 range o2's and about 5 deg of KR. Soooo.... how bad does this hurt performance/is it causing this tuning issue? Also have 160 stat. I do need to buy a fan delay relay to help from cooking turbo upon engine stop. Would a new radiator or Ramchargers duel fan be best?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Racing at 220 generally isn't good.

If you want to run hard at high temps., get a chip for doing that. The stock programming just doesn't allow for using one chip for real hot and cold weather.

Cruisin at 210 isn't a problem.

On a hot day, the air is thin, so your going to lose alot with just that.

If your at ~160 in normal weather, then a chip for hot days would be a valid answer.
Or yes, spending alot of money is an answer.

And there's alot of chips out there, that just are old school, and just aren't as good as they could be.
 
Oh, might make sure the fan is turning the right way too.

fwiw, my GN runs properly cool even in hot weather, and it's stock cooling, except for a trans cooler.
If the car cools down nicely at idle, then fine ,,, if not, i'd suspect the pump...or debris between the rad and condenser.
 
Bruce,
Could you say generally what you think heat would do to o2's. They are down this Summer compared to cooler days. Sounds backwards to me.
Thanks
 
So are you all saying that making the car run cooler ( Mine reaches a max of 165 even racing in 90 degree weather with the rc duel fans) for $80 dollars is not a good answer.

So it would be preferable to spend 75 for a chip and let it run at 220???

Imho cooler is better to an extent. Make sure you have a 160 t-stat, make sure the fans are being commanded on at this point ,put a R/C duel fans in and watch the difference.

By the way mine is a stock radiator also.
 
I use the RC fans, Nick Micale radiator,a 160 stat,and RMI 25.:)

I couldnt get my temps over 165 with the AC on stuck in traffic.Best of all,it looks like a factory install:D
 
Im going to dual fan it. Warpsped, Re water pump-I get higher temps when not moving so Ill rule that out. It just seem s like the stock stuff should work, to say, 175 under any conditions. $80 is a no brainer. Cheaper than some re-chips, and a good thing for engine life.
Hey Broke1 are you rolling with the beastial GN? I know tryingto get anything done in Bham is very didfficult.
Thanks for info
 
Not yet:(Within the next month itll be out of the shop:D

I put the RC fans on my stocker and decided they fit so nice,I bought another set for my race car.When I had in the thrasher chip with stock inj and t stat,temps would go to 200 till the fans went on then back down to around 168.I agree at $80,it is a no brainer.Be sure to pick up the p-n-p harness as well.Youll be very happy:D
 
Hi temps

I would fix the problem before trying to cover it up with the RC fans. If your radiator is faulty, I'd buy a new one. One option is the RC fans with an F body radiator, if you must have the RC fans. My TR is stock and temps don't go above 200 on the hottest of days with the A/C on. That's with the stock radiator, stock intercooler, stock fan (and resistor is not by passed). My GN was seeing 230 degrees on the highway until I removed the Front Mount Intercooler and replaced it with a stock one. Temps are at or under 200 now, just like my TR. It also has a stock radiator and stock fan (resistor has the jumper wire, though).
 
GNRick, that helps to know (200) is a realistic #. I put fan /shroud closer to rad by removing the ac hose brackets and putting fan shroud first against mounting tabs. Prob will not really help. But dont know why it (fan) was designed so far from radiator at top area.
Thanks
 
temps

I,too am running hot. 200-225. Haven't done anything yet as I just got my scanmaster hooked up and discovered this. What difference does a 160 thermostat make? As I see it once the thermostat opens it stays open so why would a 160 make it run cooler? I'm going to look at this thing tomorrow and see if I can do some of the afformentioned ideas to cool it down. Tommy
 
I think my thermostat is a 190, so 200 degrees for my car is about right. I don't know if a 160 thermostat will bring down 225 degrees. I would doubt it, but what do I know? When my GN was running 230 degrees, the oil pressure dropped to around 30 psi on the highway, I guess because the heat caused it to thin out. So you guys might want to keep an eye on your oil pressure at those temps. I'm sure GM knew what they were doing when they designed (or selected) our radiators and fans, so I would try to get what you have working like they were designed to do. Maybe others with stock set ups can chime in. BTW, anybody want to buy an ATR front mount intercooler for $650? Retails for $1300. Email me if interested.
 
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