Engine Temp's

[Artic93]

I did a search and really came up with no diffinative answer to where our cars should run temp wise. My 93 hit 225 degrees in traffic , outside temp was high 80's and humid, and I took it home to cool off . I see where the "red line" for temp on the guage is about a 1/8 inch from the end and mine seemed too close for comfort! The car has 14K miles and has no debis on the front...where should this engine run with spirited driving and in traffic?

jason

[QB93Z]

When you say no debris on the front do you mean that you have removed the radiator shroud and the radiator and inspected the fins for blocked air flow? The answer to most cooling problems is to get good air flow through the radiator. Many owners have reported that their radiator fins were blocked with sand and grit that you probably can't see until you pull the radiator, and that a screen will not catch.

Good Luck!

[Aurora40]

I'm pretty sure the stock fans don't come on until around 225. Does your temp start to drop once the fans come on?

[cuisinartvette]

Originally Posted by Aurora40

I'm pretty sure the stock fans don't come on until around 225. Does your temp start to drop once the fans come on?

These can heat up a bit in traffic....Pull the radiator and hold it up to a strong light, Ill bet youre surprised at what you find in there. A high pressure water hose coming from behind followed by comressed air (if you have it) will work wonders.

If yo havent already done so send your chip to Haibeck and have him lower the temps where the fans come on.

[8upZR1]

I would recommend cleaning the radiator first. If you have to spend money, buy the chip first. You may be very surprised at how effective the stock cooling system can be with a clean radiator and a good chip. My ZR1 would always overheat when I got it. I cleaned the radiator and the car would run just under the hot mark with a GM chip. With a haibec chip the temp never even reaches the middle of the gauge. I was most impressed.

One thing that did not seem to make any difference on my car was a lowewr temp thermostat. I think I have a 190 or 180 in it now and I never noticed a difference from the stock piece. Goodluck with the cooling.

[Norsky4360]

A lower temp range thermostat is not going to help any when the temps rise above its opening point. All a lower temp range does it open it sooner. It has no effect on higher engine temperatures. Also I've been told by master tech level friends that too low an opening point isn't good for the engine either.

I need to check this out on "The Beast" to see if it is true or not, but if the engine temp is running high turn the A/C on. I know this may sound like a strange thing to do but on other vehicles I've owned turning on the A/C automatically turned on the radiator fans.

Another thing to try is to turn the heater on full blast. This sounds like an even dumber thing to do (especially when it is already HOT outside) but the heater core is nothing more than a small radiator. I've done this many times on my '70 and it does help bring the engine temp down some. Because the temp does drop when I do this means I have to take the radiator out and get it overhauled or replaced 'cause it's not doing the job it is supposed to be doing.

[flyin ryan]

Originally Posted by Norsky4360

A lower temp range thermostat is not going to help any when the temps rise above its opening point. All a lower temp range does it open it sooner. It has no effect on higher engine temperatures. Also I've been told by master tech level friends that too low an opening point isn't good for the engine either.

'Exactly'!

[flyin ryan]

Originally Posted by 8upZR1

I would recommend cleaning the radiator first. If you have to spend money, buy the chip first. You may be very surprised at how effective the stock cooling system can be with a clean radiator and a good chip. My ZR1 would always overheat when I got it. I cleaned the radiator and the car would run just under the hot mark with a GM chip. With a haibec chip the temp never even reaches the middle of the gauge. I was most impressed.

One thing that did not seem to make any difference on my car was a lowewr temp thermostat. I think I have a 190 or 180 in it now and I never noticed a difference from the stock piece. Goodluck with the cooling.

Here's an indication of what to expect. It actually looks worse in person than the picture's show for some reason. 90 ZR-1 with only 18,000 miles.

[Ccmano]

When your done cleaning it, hold a shop lamp behind it and make sure you can see light through it. (or hold it up to the sun) Fine sand tends to get caught in the fins and is difficult to remove. Unless that's removed your work will be for nought. Also carefully check the support fins around the upper and lower tank outlets for cracks. Overheating will crack these areas first. If any cracking is found replace the radiator. If you just do normal driving and occasional trips to the track a stock radiator is plenty. Don't forget to replace the hoses and thermostat while it's all apart, it will never get any easier.
H

[QB93Z]

Last week I removed the stock radiator from my 1993 ZR-1 with 97,000 miles. It looked like Ryan's picture. I replaced the radiator with a Ron Davis unit. I replaced just the radiator. I kept the same thermostat and the same Haibeck chip.

Since I have owned the car, I have had problems with temperatures running high and it always worried me that if I got stuck in stop-and-go traffic I would have a problem. Also, I could not enter parades because the car might over heat.

Yesterday I gave my new radiator a test. I drove around Washington, DC for an hour in 93 degree heat. (Not FL or AZ weather yet, but up there for MD in April).

In an hour of city traffic, the engine temp was rock steady at 201 degrees. I was VERY pleased. I can enjoy my Z without worrying.

Jim