Subject: Re: Low coolant temps and no heat by dan0617 on 2008/11/26 23:55:55
Quote:
biggrizzly wrote: OK - I just gave it a little test in the garage. Primary fan came on at 180. It took almost 15 minutes to get it up to 180. My garage is at about 50 degrees right now ambient temps.
I wasn't going to wait for the secondary fan to kick in, because as soon as the fan came on at 180 the temps dropped right back down.
There was a little warmth blowing from the vents but hardly detectable even when the car got up to 180 degrees.
It makes no sense to me because as I see it, the thermostat should open at 160 correct? If it opens at 160 I have full circulation of coolant? or is there another controller that allows coolant into the heater core? or am I ass backwards here?
I guess I'll just go get a 180 to see how it behaves. It can't hurt.
I hate to get too involved on these thermostat threads because everyone has different opinions but.....
Your system is fine. The 160 stat opens at 160 (plus or minus a degree or 2), but without air moving the antifreeze will all get above that and the temp will continue to climb till the fan kicks on and moves the air through the radiator and cools some of the antifreeze down. (Just what happened in your garage while idling)
Now, if you are driving down the road on a cold day then cold air is moving through the radiator and cooling down the antifreeze. Once the stat gets to 160 and opens, the antifreeze coming in is plenty cold to drop the temps. I have had a 160 stat (mine is a sbc, not an LT1) and on a cold day I can drive around all day and the temp gauge never would go above 162. Now I have a 180 stat and on a cold day my temps NEVER go above 181 unless I sit idling for a while, then the temp goes up till the fan kicks on, then it goes down.
Blade, maybe there is enough difference in an LT1 from a sbc but if the roads were dry I could go shoot you a video as long as you want (literally hours) of my temps never going above 180 with my 180 stat during normal driving, and that is with stock radiator and stock cooling fan. Stock AC condenser is still in place too.
