does anyone know the normal water temp for a stock lt1? a few of my buddies say its normal but mine keeps goin right on top of the 3/4 mark in about 85* weather

Thanks for any help

 

I'm guessing you mean coolant temperature. If that is the case, many AUTOMOTIVE enthusiasts argue that one of the beauties of the LT1 is its ability to run at relativily hot temperatures compared to other engines. However, many PERFORMANCE enthusiats argue that because the engines runs so hot, it kills power.

In any case, 3/4 does sound a little high. First off, do the obvious: check coolant level, make sure there's no leak, inspect hoses, etc. If it were me I would flush and refill the coolant, get a new thermostat (160*), maybe a new radiator cap (depending on its condition) and keep an eye on it from there.

Also, I recommend wiring up a manual cooling fan switch. I bought all of the components a long time ago but finally got around to doing it this past weekend. Nothing's cooler (no pun intended) than flipping a switch and watching your temperature go down 20 at a stop light.

Hope this helps...

 

Depends on the situation. If you sit in traffic with the a/c off, the engine temps will climb until the fans come on at 226°, high fans kick on at 235°. That's pretty far up on the gauge (depending on your particular gauge's accuracy).

If they get that high when just cruising down the road, then you need to check out your system.

 

I have about 1,000 miles on my new engine and from watching the guages, it has yet to see over 180 degrees. So yea that seems high to me.

 

My car used to run really hot around where shoebox said when i was sitting. I swapped over to a 160 thermostat and had the fans reprogramed and it doesn't go hotter than a 170 now.

 

Mine seems to run about what shoebox said. Although, I'm running mine with an impy computer.

 

just thought i would throw in that mine rarely climbs over 160* it usually idles at around the 140-160 range.....strange to me. but i just had a bunch of trouble with it spiking and a nasty leak but after the fix its running cooler then evere before.

 

as far as i can tell it runs the same temp with the a/c on or off but i'll test that for sure tomorrow and follow up, its got a brand new 180* thermostat but i wouldnt think thats the problem, does anyone know if theres a low speed fan relay and a high speed fan relay? someone mentioned this to me, i think they may be shutting off while driving, but they are on when i check them in neutral