F Body Radiator

Justin85

Member
Joined
May 23, 2012
Hey just a question for anyone running a Fbody Rad, What do you find as a normal temp on a really hot day with the AC running?
 
Im running the Fbody rad with twin fans and 160 thermostat and yesterday it was 90 and the car never got above 180
 
Mine gets up to 190+ even on 70 degree days! Sometimes it'll go to 205 if I do a lot of stop and go driving. What temp does the idiot light come on?
 
My 94 z28 is a supercharged 383 automatic. Temps have never gone above 200 via scan master. Granted it has a 160 tstat with #1 fan on at 170 and #2 at 190. I would think it your seeing 200 than something isn't right somewhere. What temps do your fans come on? I noticed after going bored and stroked it heated up a lot faster, but the stock setup keeps it cool just fine.
 
Never above 180 even on the hottest days. I have F-body rad with dual spal fans.


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Stock fan and fbody rad. SLIC i normally see 185-190* temps. I have a 180 or 185 thermostat however. Haven't used AC yet.

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Mine is all stock, not sure when fan comes on. Today I watched it climb to 190 while driving down the expressway. It was probably 70 out and I was doing the speed limit plus. When I parked it went up to 197. I'm waiting for my mechanic friend to get caught up with his work so he can do a spring cleaning on my T. Does anyone know what temp the idiot light comes on? Without the scanmaster, I would have no idea how hot I'm running.
 
Mine is all stock, not sure when fan comes on. Today I watched it climb to 190 while driving down the expressway. It was probably 70 out and I was doing the speed limit plus. When I parked it went up to 197. I'm waiting for my mechanic friend to get caught up with his work so he can do a spring cleaning on my T. Does anyone know what temp the idiot light comes on? Without the scanmaster, I would have no idea how hot I'm running.


RE-READ POST # 5

you need to know when your fans come on .. and make sure hi/low both work
 
Jump out the resistor so low is now high. There's no performance gain from spinning your fan slower.

If you have an original radiator and run hot in the interstate it's because the bottom 3/4's of the flues are clogged up.
 
Mine is all stock, not sure when fan comes on. Today I watched it climb to 190 while driving down the expressway. It was probably 70 out and I was doing the speed limit plus. When I parked it went up to 197. I'm waiting for my mechanic friend to get caught up with his work so he can do a spring cleaning on my T. Does anyone know what temp the idiot light comes on? Without the scanmaster, I would have no idea how hot I'm running.
By all stock if you mean it's the original radiator, like Earl said, it's all done. Probably weeping coolant too.
 
I know both fans work just don't know when they come on. I've seen them running. What is considered HOT? Talked with a guy today who drives a 90's Jeep. He said his six banger runs best at 200 degrees. Also, I don't see any wet stuff leaking from the radiator. No puddles on the garage floor. What is the advantage of putting in a 160 thermostat? I've read things about how great they are and some say to never put in a 160.
 
New cars from the factory are all about mileage and reliability. An hot engine will get better mileage and emissions than one running consistently cooler. The first gen prius had a little thermos can that stored hot coolant, on startup it would inject the hot coolant into the motor to help it heat up faster. The added weight, complexity, and expense of this design was outweighed by its gain in mileage and emissions.

A cooler motor can make power more safely than a hot one. A cooler engine is less likely to detonate under a heavy load and you'll have a more dense charge of air going in from less heat soak.

Plus after a few hard runs you have more head room if you start out at 160 than 180 or 190.
 
When my original radiator was leaking, the pin holes were so small the weep age evaporated. There were no visible leaks. Every once in a while I would get a faint whiff of coolant. The reason we try to keep the engine cooler is to help keep charge cooler to quell detonation and gain some power.
 
Thanks guys! When my friend gets to my car, I'm going to have him start from one end and just go through the whole thing. If I get it back before fall I'll be happy. I wish I could do the work myself but being 64 yrs old and totaled, my body won't let me spend hours under the hood or under a car.
 
I run a f body radiator and dual spal fans. On a hot day with the a/c on, my temp will keep creeping up. I do have a front mount intercooler contributing.
 
Mine is all stock, not sure when fan comes on. Today I watched it climb to 190 while driving down the expressway. It was probably 70 out and I was doing the speed limit plus. When I parked it went up to 197. I'm waiting for my mechanic friend to get caught up with his work so he can do a spring cleaning on my T. Does anyone know what temp the idiot light comes on? Without the scanmaster, I would have no idea how hot I'm running.
Lose the stock fan, upgrade to dual fans-besure you upgrade the wiring as well. Besure the factory shrouding is inplace between the core support and header panel/grill. Run 160 t stat and besure you have a modern chip that turns the fans on at 178.
 
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