3rd Gen / L98 Engine Tech 1982 - 1992 Engine Related

L98,s Fan Cooling System Inadaquicies!

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Old Feb 5, 2007 | 11:38 AM
  #1  
ketanojaun's Avatar
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From: S.F. Cal,
Talking L98,s Fan Cooling System Inadaquicies!

MY CONCERNS REGARDING THESE COMPUTER CONTROLLED ELECTIC FAN COOLING SYSTEMS ARE.
i HAD AND SOLD A 4TH GEN Z28
I HEAR THE 3RD GENS ARE NEARLY SET UP THE SAME.
I feel these fan on settings are way to high
I felt that it does,nt take much to get these cars too close to the red zone.
I also feel this high temperature does nothing for longevity of the engine!!!
Ive also heard of plenty of blown head gaskets from GM electric computer controlled fan cars.
I may be getting an 89 vette.
This cooling system does concern me though.
Ive currently put 218, 000 miles on an 89 5.0 engine never apart.
It has the mechanicaly continuos running cooling fan.
I may know of a $4000 C-4 for sale
Im just concerned about this cooling issue.
Any overheating experience issues with your L-98,s
Old Feb 5, 2007 | 11:43 AM
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Get a fan switch...shown here
http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...nresults=false

Make sure the plastic air dam underneath the front of the car is there,thats how the radiator gets its air b/c of such a small open area on the nose of those cars.
Old Feb 5, 2007 | 04:12 PM
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4th gen fan setup is completely different from 3rd gen fan setup
Old Feb 5, 2007 | 11:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Rice Killer87
Get a fan switch...shown here
http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...nresults=false

Make sure the plastic air dam underneath the front of the car is there,thats how the radiator gets its air b/c of such a small open area on the nose of those cars.

OR you could rig up a manual switch for 3$.

Just wire up a switch from autozone to the fans, making sure you integrate a 12v power source (i just have mine rigged to the battery). I keep the fan on all the time, stays around 160.
Old Feb 5, 2007 | 11:35 PM
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my motor has no trouble staying cool
Old Feb 6, 2007 | 05:10 AM
  #6  
89_Irocz's Avatar
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Hell if you want you fan to run all the time just ground the green wire, thats at the relay, to the body
Old Feb 6, 2007 | 07:41 AM
  #7  
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Here is a Hypertech Thermostatic, 176 Degrees On/166 Degrees Off

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku
Old Feb 6, 2007 | 08:12 AM
  #8  
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Yep, just look into a fan switch and lower temp thermostat. You'll improve your running temps drastically for an investment of under a hundred bucks. The 3rd and 4th gens ran hot from the factory.
Old Feb 6, 2007 | 05:46 PM
  #9  
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A 170 deg. thermostat and a fan switch should help out alot. If it's not good enough, a Stewart stage 2 water pump should do it. If you want to go all out, add a Griffin aluminum rad and a Spal fan setup for the ultimate cooling system.

- Joel
Old Feb 6, 2007 | 05:49 PM
  #10  
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Another thing you can do is cut your airbox out, so that the air coming in through the grill goes directly into the radiator.

Im telling you all you need is a fan switch, and in extreme cases, a lower t-stat. You can have your issue solved with less than $10. No need to buy these $40 switches.
Old Feb 6, 2007 | 06:53 PM
  #11  
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a fan switch for a 87 buick regal t-type(vin 7 IIRC) will turn the fan on at 195-200, and off at 215
Old Feb 6, 2007 | 07:53 PM
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i have never had a cooling issue with my 91 its been putting out over 450hp for years. even with my stock chip it never overheated. that vette is going to run hot just because that is the nature of them.. my lt4 c4's stock tne didn't turn the fans on till 238*. if you are worried about it a new waterpump and thermostat for a l98 vette should hurt the wallet at all..
Old Feb 6, 2007 | 10:00 PM
  #13  
Gord's Green Z28's Avatar
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My car has run cool forever and I still blew a head gasket.
Old Feb 7, 2007 | 09:12 PM
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3rd gen electric cooling fan systems fall into one of two categories- single fan (low output motors, typically the 5.0 TBI engine) and twin fan systems (typically TPI engines). You can read all about how they work, how to modify them, etc, by clicking on the following link and scrolling down to the "Electrical" section and selecting the article for either system.

http://www.thirdgen.org/technical-articles

My personal experieince- neither is the equal of a 4th gen cooling system mostly becuase of the fans. 4th gen fans move a TON of air. 3rd gen systems use motors and fans that can't hold a candle to the 4th gen setup. However, the turn on/off temps programmed in the computer (and other related systems) are very similar between the two generations. If it's just a matter of when they turn on/off that's easily fixed (per posts above). If it's a matter of not being able to cool the motor down even when they are running that's a different situation.
Old Feb 8, 2007 | 04:25 PM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by Damon
3rd gen electric cooling fan systems fall into one of two categories- single fan (low output motors, typically the 5.0 TBI engine) and twin fan systems (typically TPI engines). You can read all about how they work, how to modify them, etc, by clicking on the following link and scrolling down to the "Electrical" section and selecting the article for either system.

http://www.thirdgen.org/technical-articles

My personal experieince- neither is the equal of a 4th gen cooling system mostly becuase of the fans. 4th gen fans move a TON of air. 3rd gen systems use motors and fans that can't hold a candle to the 4th gen setup. However, the turn on/off temps programmed in the computer (and other related systems) are very similar between the two generations. If it's just a matter of when they turn on/off that's easily fixed (per posts above). If it's a matter of not being able to cool the motor down even when they are running that's a different situation.
I find it's quite the opposite. Both 4th gens seem to run hot. Low temp stats, manual fan switches, reprogrammed fans, coolant flush. And still I can't keep it at 190. The 3rd rarely even gets to 190.



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