aknight_sa

i am having problems with my cooling system as its not able to keep the engine cool in this hot weather we have here..

i am also having problems with the fans as they dont seem to kick on correctly, would it be recommended to make them work all the time at full speed with the engine is on? or not?

if yes, how can i do this?

Injuneer

Not exactly "Advanced Tech".... let's move this to "LT1 Based Engine Tech".

shoebox

Understanding how the system works may help.

Injuneer

A few questions - what temps does the coolant temp gauge indicate when you feel the cooling system is not doing its job? Since we don't know where "here" is, what are the ambient air temps when you experience the problem? Is the engine stock or modified? Is the overheating occurring at idle, in stop and go traffic, on the freeway at high speeds, or "all of the above"?

RamAir95TA

For the record my 383 runs cool even in this hot weather and the cooling system (aside from a 160 thermostat and CSR electric water pump + fan switch) remains mostly untouched.

aknight_sa

the problem only happens when i have the AC on and the engine is on load.. for example when i run on the highway the temp raises to H quickly, when i stop and the engine idles it goes back... even when i am at full stop and i rev the engine to 2000-2500rpm the same happens..

i just changed the air deflector with a new one and its still happening and will be flushing the cooling system.. the last thing is the fans.. i never do feel them kick on at any temp they just spin at constant low speed, thats why i asked if it would be fine to hook them directly to the battery and work when the switch is on..

btw, the temp here is between 90-120F...and the engine is stock and with stock PCM..

Dave89IROC

The fans will not run over 35 mph, heating up at speed and cooling back down when slowing down is an indication of a flow issue, either coolant(radiator) or air(anything blocking the condensor, or is it dirty between the rad and condenser?)

shoebox

Sounds like a coolant flow problem. Rigging your fans on is an unnecessary band aid. Better to find the problem and correct it. If you read the link I posted, you should now know how the system is supposed to work.

joelster

Do you have an electric water pump?

They work perfect in stop and go traffic, but no so good under sustained higher rpm use on the highway. My car will run at 170ish when I'm cruising around town no matter how hot outside it gets. If I go on the thruway and get it up to 60-65mph, the car is running over 3k rpm, and the water pump isn't pumping water at a fast enough rate to keep the motor cool. My car will hit 215-220 on the thruway. As soon as I exit the highway and the rpm's come down, the temp drops right down.

96capricemgr

If you get everything else in working order and still want it to run cooler at low speeds and stopped pcm reprogramming can turn the fans on like 20degrees sooner even with the stock thermostat, even more when combined with a 160stat. Then you can have all the other benefits of reprogramming too like spark and fuel optimization, tweaked shift points and shift firmness.

A manual fan switch for your current" problem" would be a really poor choice and no solution atall, and if anything more likely to cause further problems.